After Friday’s practice, Marlies head coach Steve Sullivan discussed the goals of the Maple Leafs’ prospect tournament in Gatineau, the decision to keep Gavin McKenna in T.O., Ben Danford’s push for an NHL job, and his early impressions of Tinus Luc Koblar.

What do you want to see first and foremost at the prospect tournament, and what is the message to the players?

Sullivan: The message, first of all, is that it is an evaluation camp. We are going there to evaluate the players and see where their progress has been.

It is going to be our first look at a lot of them—our draft picks playing against other prospects. For our guys, it is about understanding how their development is coming along. Where do they stack up against our own prospects? Where do they stack up against the other prospects?

It is also about trying to get them ready for camp. What are their habits? What are their responses to certain situations? We are not going to coach results. We want to go there and win hockey games—everyone wants to win—but at the end of the day, it is going to be about their habits, responses, and behaviors and continuing them on the path toward becoming NHL hockey players.

How much will the shorter training camp and reduced preseason schedule change the dynamic? What will be the biggest adjustment for players?

Sullivan: I think it is going to be very difficult to make the hockey club if you are on the outside looking in. That is the one thing about a short camp. The decision-makers have to put their players in the best possible position to be ready to start the year.

We only have two exhibition games with the split-squad games, and then we have only five or six practices before starting with a back-to-back. They have to be ready when the puck drops, and this start is going to be very crucial for them.

It is going to be all guns blazing with the guys they have penciled in. For the guys on the outside looking in, it is going to be a little bit difficult. That is the challenge with the short camp.

What are your observations of Gavin McKenna, and what have the staff’s conversations about him been like?

Sullivan: I have an update on Gavin: He will not be traveling with us to Gatineau.

Management made the decision to have him participate in the opening dinner last night and also practice here with the group, but what is best for him is to stay here, continue training with the NHL players, and prepare for a big season.

It is a shortened training camp for them; they have an 84-game schedule, and he has a lot coming in front of him. He has had a really, really busy summer. Spending those three or four days in Gatineau is probably not beneficial for him. We think staying back and preparing for the season is going to be best for him, so he will not be traveling with us.

Watching him in practice, though, he is impressive.

What impresses you about McKenna?

Sullivan: His deception, the way he thinks the game—he is a step ahead of everybody else—and his execution.

We are just coming out of summer hockey and trying to implement a little bit of structure today, but he is still able to execute even when things are out of structure. When things aren’t perfect, he still finds a way to make the plays. That is very impressive.

Does McKenna’s approach on the ice remind you of anyone you played with or coached?

Sullivan: Obviously, I had Clayton Keller as an early draft pick. He is a smaller-stature player. Their games are a little different—Keller may be a little more of a shooter, while Gavin is a little more of a playmaker—but their styles of play and how they look on the ice made that my first impression.

I haven’t seen enough of Gavin’s game to know if it translates completely to how Clayton Keller looks, but when I look at him on the ice and consider the physical attributes, that is the comparison I would use.

What has stood out about how McKenna has handled himself off the ice amid such high expectations and so much change at a young age?

Sullivan: I haven’t had a lot of conversations with him, so I am getting it secondhand. I am watching him through the media and clips and from a little bit of a distance, but it is hard. He is coming into the mecca of hockey with a lot of expectations, and I think he has handled it extremely well.

He has been here for a little bit, trained in Vancouver, and was up in the Muskokas. He has been traveling a lot while trying to make sure he is prepared for the season. It is impressive for a young player to understand what is needed for the upcoming season and handle all of that pressure.

What stood out about Ben Danford today, and what are your expectations for him at the tournament?

Sullivan: It was great to see him during the Marlies’ run. I think that was beneficial for him. Obviously, he was hoping for a deeper run at the Memorial Cup, but coming in and playing with the Marlies, going that deep, understanding winning habits, and playing at that pace are going to be really, really crucial for him.

I don’t think he is far away. I am very, very excited about Danny and his expectations of trying to make the hockey club. He is coming in here wanting to take a spot in the top six. That is what he is shooting for, based on our conversation this morning. He looks good.

What is the next level for Danford? What does he need to show?

Sullivan: It is continued development. I don’t think it’s age… He is only 20 years old coming in, but like I said, I don’t think he is far away.

He has gotten the deep reps that he needed and played against some really big guys in meaningful games that were really, really hard and required high execution. I don’t think he needs much. It is a matter of whether there is room for him and whether he can crack the lineup and be better than the sixth guy on the Leafs.

There is significant interest in Danford and Noah Chadwick, given the elderly age of the defense at the NHL level. What are your impressions of Chadwick?

Sullivan: Unfortunately for Chadwick, there wasn’t as much for him during the Marlies’ run, so I think that hurt his development a little bit. He is long and rangy. He looks a lot better than he did last summer, so we are hoping for good things from him as well.

What are your impressions of Tinus Luc Koblar after his strong showing at the men’s World Championship? How close is he to being NHL-ready?

Sullivan: He looks really good. He had a good World Championship last year. I have only a small sample size with a lot of these guys in person. Obviously, we only had him a couple of times early in training camp last year, but I was impressed with his World Championship. Hopefully, he can push for a spot.

How will you divide the goaltending time between the two games in Gatineau?

Sullivan: We haven’t decided on that yet. That might be above my pay grade.

Prospect Practice Lines – Sep. 11

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