After the Maple Leafs’ prospects fell 4-3 in overtime to the Ottawa Senators in their opening game of the 2026 Prospect Tournament, Marlies head coach Steve Sullivan discussed his team’s performance, Luke Haymes’ continued growth, the play of Ben Danford and Alex Bilecki, and Tinus Luc Koblar’s push to remain in North America with the Maple Leafs.
What is your assessment of the nearly 65 minutes of play?
Sullivan: I thought it was good. Obviously, there was a ton of special-teams play, which took away a little bit of the flow, but our process was really good to start the game.
You could see that they were trying to do what we asked of them. We gave them a lot of information in two days, and structurally, it was really good.
We had a ton of energy to start the first period, and you could see that we took advantage of it. We got a little bit tired going into the second, but we were resilient. We came back in the third period and found a way to take the lead.
I’m excited about what the boys showed so far.
The team was put into nearly every possible situation: four-on-three, four-on-four, five-on-three, and three-on-three. Is there an advantage to experiencing all of that?
Sullivan: I’m not sure there is one, to be honest.
We tried to give them so much information regarding our structure that we didn’t really get into many of those situations. We did some special-teams work—regular five-on-fours and four-on-fives—but we didn’t have time to touch on all of the extra situations.
I give the players credit for handling it on the fly, and our assistant coaches did a great job of giving them the information on the bench as we went along.
Now, we can cut the video, take a look at it, and if we get into one of those situations tomorrow, they’ll be ready for it.
Was there a specific message or theme for the group before the game?
Sullivan: “Be you inside of us.”
You know what your strengths are. You know why you were drafted. Somebody in the organization liked you for a certain reason, so show us what that is.
We showed them some structure, so the message was: Try to be you inside of us.
What is your assessment of Luke Haymes’ growth?
Sullivan: He is growing. I think the Calder Cup run was really big for him. He took a huge step.
He is a year older and now in a leadership role. He was really good for us tonight and was obviously used in a ton of situations. He is really reliable. He is a 200-foot hockey player, and it showed tonight.
He was part of the power play and the penalty kill, right through to the end. I’m excited about the step he has taken.
Haymes ties it up!
📺 https://t.co/LvuD0gI2He pic.twitter.com/IHt32P4Fzz
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 13, 2026
What did you make of Timofei Obvintsev’s performance in goal?
Sullivan: He is very athletic. He might want one of those goals back, but he also made some huge saves for us coming down the stretch. He is an extremely athletic goaltender and made some really key saves for us.
OBVINTSEV KEPT IT OUT!!! 🚫 pic.twitter.com/dYuoen0yW5
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 13, 2026
Ben Danford took two penalties but otherwise made several smart plays. What do you want to see from him?
Sullivan: Obviously, he knows he doesn’t want to take those penalties.
The player he wants to be is a good first-pass, defensive defenseman who gets up the ice, helps us out, and uses his feet to his advantage. We saw that tonight.
He isn’t going to continue taking those penalties as we go along here. We are just coming out of the summer, and it was Game 1, so we aren’t going to read too much into it. I liked his game overall.
What have your first impressions been of Alex Bilecki?
Sullivan: He has been good. From the red line toward their net and in the offensive zone, you can see why we think he is a really good talent.
Obviously, he is still young. He’ll continue learning on the other side of the puck—how to close on pucks in our zone—and he’ll get bigger and stronger, which will help him defend for us.
In the offensive zone and at the offensive blue line, his thought process, the plays he made, and the way he moved the puck were really, really good.
Tinus Luc Koblar had such a strong season last year. How does he reach the next stage of his game?
Sullivan: There will be growth as he continues to get older. He played against men and went the distance last season.
Even tonight, I thought he started really well in the first period, and then a little bit of fatigue kicked in. Hopefully, he can take another step tomorrow. I think it will be day by day with him.
There were probably some nerves, too. He is pushing hard. He wants to make the big club as much as he can. He knows he wants to stay. He also knows he might go back home to play, but he wants to stay here in North America and play with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As the game went on, he got a little tired, but hopefully he gets a good night’s sleep and gives us a good game tomorrow.
Game 1 Lineup – Senators 4 vs. Maple Leafs 3 (OT)
Goal scorers: Borya Valis, Sawyer Boulton, Luke Haymes
Lineup for game one pic.twitter.com/WSUhWABrQP
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 12, 2026
