As we gear up for the NHL draft, free agency, and the Maple Leafs’ hiring of a new head coach, the Toronto Marlies keep finding ways to win playoff series.  

It hasn’t always been pretty, but the Marlies are off to the conference finals after winning their third winner-takes-all game this postseason. It’s only positive that they’re continuing to push deep into the playoffs, especially with so many young players contributing, including Ben Danford joining the team, Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan playing prominent roles, and even less-heralded 21-year-olds like Noah Chadwick and Landon Sim playing their part. 

The Marlies have played a number of games in which they have been heavily outshot and tilted in their own end. Game 3 in Toronto was the most surprising, given it was at home with new GM John Chayka in attendance; they were shut out 4-0 and outshot 30-16. It was a really disappointing showing, particularly because you’d think the players would be chomping at the bit to make a big impression in front of the new boss. They weren’t even close, and it marked the third game in a row that the Marlies didn’t surpass the 20-shot mark in the series.

The Marlies were thoroughly outclassed by Cleveland over three games, but credit to them for digging in with their backs against the wall and finding another level.

Some notes and thoughts on the Marlies‘ playoff run so far:

Artur Akhtyamov Shines

Dennis Hildeby received some recognition and praise in the NHL this season as he posted a .914 save percentage in 20 games in front of a rather porous Leafs team. It was an exciting development for the young goalie in the NHL, but his AHL season hasn’t gone quite as well. In the regular season, Hildeby posted an .898 save percentage, and Akhtyamov has effectively taken over the net for now as he’s played in 11 playoff games compared to three for Hildeby.

Akhtyamov has easily been the Marlies’ MVP to date in the playoffs and has helped them grind out a number of wins with big, timely saves, including all three wins against Cleveland. 

Jon Gruden has referenced it a number of times, but Akhtyamov won a championship in Russia’s second-highest league, the VHL, in 2024, where he also won Playoff MVP. Not that Easton Cowan knows the AHL well, but it was interesting to hear him call AA the best goalie in the league after they beat Cleveland.

Both Hildeby and AA were born in 2001, and while AA has been better in the AHL, Hildeby had a really good NHL showing this season that can’t be dismissed either. It sets up for an interesting offseason at the position, given Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll are under contract, and Hildeby is waiver-exempt. At the same time, AA has a three-year extension kicking in next season, so technically, AA and Stolarz are signed the longest, while Joseph Woll also has no-trade protection compared to Stolarz’s 16-team modified no-trade clause. 

AA is waiver-exempt next season, so that’s likely going to work against him — at least to start the season — but this is a really impressive playoff showing that will make the Leafs feel a lot better about trading any of the other three, knowing AA would then be the third option if/when the other two are unavailable.

The questions are: Can they justify keeping three goalies to start the season, given they can’t trust any of them to stay healthy, or can they fetch a good enough return for one of them to make it worthwhile?

Ben Danford Makes Pro Debut 

The AHL doesn’t always get enough credit for how hard a league it is. It’s full of veteran players with draft pedigree and/or NHL experience; it’s very physical and chippy, and it lacks structure at times, making it a particularly difficult league for “skill” players to navigate.

Danford isn’t a “skill” player, but he is a structured one. He thinks the game really well and looks to break out on the tape. He’s executed a number of really impressive little sequences like these:

AA handcuffed him with multiple bad passes, but Danford making reads off forecheckers under pressure while firing clean outlet passes is really impressive — in the playoffs, in his first time in the AHL, no less. He won’t rack up points, but if he can translate it to the next level, he will be an effective NHL player.

Of course, the flip side is that Danford sometimes tries to force passes, or he’ll hold onto the puck looking to make plays, leading to turnovers, rather than recognizing it’s time to bail on a play and flip it out. Still, you’d much prefer to teach a player when it’s time to pull the plug on a sequence rather than teach them how to make real plays with the puck.

There have been some rocky moments for Danford, as you would expect, and the usual caveats apply: He’ll need to get stronger, assert himself physically once he does, understand pro players and the pro game, and become a top-end matchup defender and a top penalty killer (where the Marlies aren’t really using him right now).

It has been a promising pro debut for Danford, and it should give him something to build on over the summer and into training camp next fall.

William Villeneuve Leads All Playoff Defensemen in Scoring

Villeneuve technically took a step back this season in production, following up last season’s 40 points in 55 games with 30 in 61 this season. But he finally received a look in the NHL this season, where he acquitted himself well (all things considered). Now, in the playoffs, he has found another level. His 11 points in 13 games so far lead all defensemen, and his vision and passing have been a standout.

This was a great pass:

Leading the AHL in playoff scoring doesn’t guarantee a clear path to the NHL. Kyle Capobianco was last year’s leader. The season before, it was Cale Fleury and Chase Priskie. But we can find a few examples of defensemen who did it and went on to become pretty good NHLers, such as Ryker Evans and Zach Whitecloud. The Leafs would be thrilled if Villeneuve could become anything close to that calibre of player (not that I would necessarily bet on it happening). 

Given he’s a right-shot — which the Leafs lack — and he can move the puck and provide some offense — which the Leafs also lack — Villeneuve has at least put himself in the mix as an interesting option to keep an eye on, pending whatever changes the Leafs make on defense this offseason. 

Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan have been a mixed bag so far

Perhaps the expectations are too unreasonable on my end, but both players have left me wanting at times, while also each coming up big in key moments. Cowan has eight points in 13 games, while Quillan has six in 13. 

I understand the limitations of the statistic, but Cowan’s a team-worst minus-six, while the next-worst is minus-three. Not all of it is his fault — he was the victim of a bad line change in Game 5 in Cleveland, for example — but he’s also made a series of poor plays with the puck that have led to goals against. He’s forcing it at times, taking on defenders instead of making simple plays or using teammates more effectively, playing as more of a skilled player who wants to use his edges rather than the high-motor player who also has skill, which is Cowan at his best.

Cowan scored the dramatic series-winning performance against Cleveland, and he has contributed throughout the playoffs, but he has a whole other level he is capable of reaching. For what it’s worth, he’s also now through his 73rd game of the season in his first year of pro hockey. It has been a grind of a year, and now he is grinding through the playoffs. It’s good for him in the long run, but it’s fair to wonder whether the grind is getting to him, too.

Similarly, Jacob Quillan has experienced ups and downs. For Quillan, it got to the point where he was eventually moved to the wing, which isn’t a great sign. But in Game 5, he moved to center while Bo Groulx didn’t play in the third period, and he made an excellent play to get the puck to Vinni Lettieri in front of the net for the Cowan series winner. The whole sequence from Quillan was exceptional, starting with a backcheck that recovered the puck and turned it back up ice. 

Quillan famously scored the National Championship OT winner against Matthew Knies. He has a gamer quality to him. On top of his great play for the Cowan winner — while back at center — he also scored his first goal of the playoffs in Game 4. We’ll see if he can build off of it now in the conference final. 

Landon Sim is a spark plug

An undrafted AHL signing out of London who earned a two-year ELC with the Leafs in April, Landon Sim received his first taste of playoff action in Game 4, with Marlies down 2-1 and their backs against the wall, and he delivered. He drew a penalty in both Game 4 and Game 5, he’s been physical and effective on the forecheck, and he was driving opponents nuts.

To end a period in Game 5, he rounded the net and looked like he was about to get steamrolled, but he dropped his shoulder and went through the Cleveland defender, starting a skirmish. He adds a notable physical factor despite his size (he’s 5’11). 

I flagged Sim in the prospect tournament as a player I liked and wouldn’t bet against; there’s just something about him and the way he impacts games. He knows who he is and sticks to it. His insertion into the lineup was a real factor late in the Cleveland series. Down the stretch of Game 5, he formed a line with Luke Haymes and Alex Nylander and didn’t look out of place at all. He has a real presence. 

A few other Marlies notes

– Ryan Tverberg has been really good in the playoffs. At 24 years old, he tallied just 36 points in 63 games this season. For some quick comparisons, Trevor Moore recorded 39 in 46 at 23 years old in the AHL; Connor Brown walked into the AHL and produced 61 in 76; Zach Hyman and Mason Marchment produced less, but they also have different physical presences on the ice. Something did seem to click for Tverberg down the stretch, but I would like to see him take a step of truly lighting up the league next year.

– They aren’t going to receive much attention because they don’t have the NHL upside at this point, but Logan Shaw and Vinni Lettieri have both been awesome for the Marlies so far. Big goals, big minutes, and big plays. There isn’t a chance the Marlies are here without them. An organization needs good veterans to lead its youth on the farm, and they are delivering. Dakota Mermis has also been excellent on defense. 

– I’ve been disappointed in Bo Groulx’s playoffs so far. He had a solid showing with the Leafs, and before then, he was challenging to lead the entire AHL in goals, but he has just six points in 13 games, and one of those points was a complete fluke/gift, while another was an empty-net goal. He just hasn’t been particularly dangerous, although he’s been a solid penalty killer and, in general, is taking a decent shift. This should be a definitive stamp on his season following a breakout AHL campaign and a good showing with the Leafs, but that’s not how it has played out so far in the playoffs.

– The Marlies give Henry Thrun a lot of responsibility, and he’s regularly playing on his off-side, but he lacks a distinguishing go-to trait. Rather, he’s solid all-around, but that can be hard to bank on at the next level. 

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