AHL: Balance Is Not Bunk for Marlies

Midseason, the Toronto Marlies did not have big-name prospects like center Jiri Tlusty or defenseman Anton Stralman (both recalled to the Maple Leafs), and it did not have anyone among the leagues' leading scorers, but it did have the best record in the North Division. Among the keys to the Marlies' success has been their defensive game, especially on the penalty kill, their goaltending, and their scoring by committee. Among those forwards who have been helping carry the load are Toronto Maple Leafs prospects Robbie Earl, Darryl Boyce, John Mitchell, Jeremy Williams and Alex Foster.

McKeen's correspondents Kevin Wey and Gus Katsaros recently had the opportunity to catch the Marlies in action and enter notes on several players eager to make an impact this season. Jeremy Williams (pictured)

Notes of McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey

Robbie Earl (Tor), LW, Toronto Marlies

Strongest asset is his puckhandling .. shows confidence with the puck, has some dangle, and does not panic when hounded by checkers or when he has to react quickly to rebounds .. has good speed and the agility with the puck to evade checks down low and around the net .. does a good job opening up to potential passes by teammates .. has a quick shot and a quick release .. does have some intensity and will take exception to perceived wrongs.

Darryl Boyce (Tor), C, Toronto Marlies

Put up big numbers in the CIS, but his future is as a defensive forward .. a reliable penalty killer who keeps his head on a swivel defensively .. hustles on the forecheck and the backcheck and has good speed with a decent, long stride .. has decent speed with the puck and is not afraid to dump it into the corner, muscle into opponents, and go get it .. an accurate passer .. has some intensity and will stand up for himself and teammates .. signed to a two-way NHL contract by Toronto Jan. 1, 2008 after starting the season on an AHL contract.

John Mitchell (Tor), C, Toronto Marlies

Smooth skater with long strides, despite still being upright at times .. speed can be deceptive at times, but can show very good speed in racing for the puck or beating out icings .. able to weave through traffic in the open ice .. has a hard wristshot, but his slapshot only appeared to be average.

Jeremy Williams (Tor), RW, Toronto Marlies

Has a little speed, but not breakaway speed by any stretch .. does have some dangle coming off the boards and can finish his chances .. despite modest size, he will go after dumped pucks and engage physically some.

Alex Foster (Tor), C, Toronto Marlies

Skating was shaky this showing .. has a quick stride, but could use more power .. willing to engage physically, puts in a good effort on the forecheck, and finishes his checks .. does not get penalized often, but can draw penalties by venturing into traffic and hanging onto the puck .. has a quick snapshot.

Brent Aubin(Tor), RW, Toronto Marlies

Lacks first-step acceleration, quickness, and speed .. has decent hands and can catch difficult passes and get off hard, quick shots .. short but stocky and plays with some physicality and demonstrates some strength, and even threw down an opponent known for his own strength.

Notes of McKeen's correspondent Gus Katsaros

Justin Pogge G, Toronto Marlies

Shared duties with Clemmensen early in the season and during a recent eight-game road trip, but has taken over the mantle of the core duties with the Baby Buds .. maturity has increased by leaps season-over-season and his confidence is on display on the ice, as he comes out hard to challenge shooters, takes away shooting angles with better positioning in the crease relative to the play and much-improved rebound control .. hybrid-style goaltending is coupled with the good split-second, decision-making in whether to drop to his knees or stay on his feet, which comes with experience and understanding the speed of the professional levels .. tried to cheat getting across post-to-post, as the opposition's forward crept in from the boards along the goal line, thinking he would go behind the net, and the forward stuffed it in over his sprawled pads before he could react to the sudden change of tactics .. competitive spirit and prepares as if he is starting every game .. Gilbert has indicated his own confidence in the young netminder, as well as his teammates making starts an easier decision .. looking more and more NHL-ready each game.

Kris Newbury C, Toronto Marlies

Ever feisty, going after anyone in opposition threads, providing a spark almost every time he is on the ice .. has decent hands for the AHL, which may not translate into NHL success, but could be a decent fourth liner on a rebuilding Toronto team .. scored his first NHL goal this season against Montreal on a wicked slapper from the point .. tough guy, amassing a huge amount of PIM's .. a drawback to the 5-foot-10 pivot is if when he cannot catch the man for a bodycheck, he could lazily use his stick and is often caught doing so, almost begging for a needless penalty .. can lapse into a lazy approach to defense, along with questionable decisions to make an attempt at a big hit, for the sake of the attempt instead forcing a play or finishing his check .. can add some spark to the NHL Maple Leafs as a fourth-line energy player.

Phil Oreskovic D, Toronto Marlies

Stay-at-home rearguard will not win many races with a lumbering, slow skating stride, but does have a good work ethic .. played a simpler game tonight than in previous viewings, as if mandated to keep things simple on the blueline, quietly performing his role, not doing anything flashy .. protects teammates as a scrum ensued next to Pogge after a shot on goal .. played the policeman role and was penalized on the play, but made sure to get the message across that blatant shots at the Marlies goalie and teammates by the opposition will not be tolerated .. skating leaves a lot to be desired, although it seems to have improved switching from forward to backwards transition .. paired with Walser, who is a much better skater and can cover up should there be a reason to .. unless there is an improvement in his skating ability,(affecting his forward and backward strides, as well as lateral movement) it is unlikely the 6-foot-3, 217-pound blueliner gets a sniff in the NHL.

Jay Harrison D, Toronto Marlies

Questionable penalty on a lazy defensive effort was neutralized with a goal coming out of the box, on a 2-on-1 with Earl .. many Leafs fans use the Harrison experiment on the big club to see if he is not something that could help their struggling blueline, and the truth is he will not be getting his shot due to sketchy defensive decisions, issues with urgency and the ability to move with the pace of the game .. seems content to be the leader with an 'A' and gives a lot of effort, but has not been able to catch a groove on a consistent basis to merit a recall .. physical blueliner, likes to play the body, can be caught out of position getting physical and leaving his area for the sake of hitting someone .. mental mistakes lead to turnovers and missed assignments .. has to toughen up mentally to be considered an NHL blueliner.

Michel Leveille LW, Toronto Marlies

Decent skater, picks and chooses physical intensity, but skates hard each shift .. aware defensively, looking for his man in defensive zone coverage .. size is an issue (5-9, 190 pounds), as he does not perform well in 1-on-1 battles with bigger defensemen .. half-hearted efforts take him out of the play, instead of digging deeper on occasion .. skates constantly in the offensive zone, and keeps moving his feet, but does not show the same resolve backchecking .. diminutive winger is not going to dazzle with defensive work, making him a healthy scratch on many nights.

Reid Cashman D, Toronto Marlies

Call-up from the ECHL affiliate Columbus Inferno, had powerplay time on the point where he manned the right side .. almost turned the puck over at the blueline in attempt to keep it in the offensive zone, gambling the opposition penalty killer would not be in a spot to get the puck .. good intention, less than stellar execution .. uses his head, wanting to rush, but realizing his defensive responsibilities, he didn't, working out well, because if he had taken off there would have been an odd-man rush the other way .. does not respond to intimidation from the opposition, during the play or in scrums after the whistle .. offensive blueliner uses good positioning and excellent vision for outlet passes and off the point in the offensive zone, although could improve his skating ability.

Click the link to see the full article from Gus Katsaros on the Toronto Marlies, including his notes on Earl, Mitchell, Williams, Foster and Aubin.