AHL: Bobbin Marlies

The Toronto Marlies continued their hot and cold play during a recent five-game home stand. They started on a sour note with an 8-1 loss to the Chicago Wolves but got their revenge five days later in a 3-2 shootout victory thanks to a fine effort from goaltender Justin Pogge. They continued their home stand with a victory over the Philadelphia Phantoms before eventually closing it out splitting back-to-back games against the Manchester Monarchs. McKeen's reviews several Marlies who made an impact during the five games.

Alexander Suglobov (Tor), RW

Excellent vision on the power play, finding players with nifty passes while drawing the opposition .. displayed amazing patience with two players on him, drifting toward the blueline before finding linemate Brad Leeb in the clear for a scoring opportunity .. massive and surprising hit along the boards, using his body to step into the defenseman taking away the rush before it started .. was hurt late in the first period and moving a little slow and did not return but was back in the lineup the second game, having an immediate impact on the Marlies first goal .. always garners special attention as he draws in defenders like a magnet .. pulled the puck between his legs with a high-risk move with two defenders on him and a third ready to crush him; barely missed the hit, but made the play .. always looking for open ice using sneaky tactics and finding room to make a play in heavy traffic .. threw a punch and earned a minor penalty after receiving excess abuse from the Wolves Kevin Doell .. scored second goal in as many games using the defenseman as a screen and snapping a low-hard wristshot through Phantoms goalie Martin Houle .. shows exceptional control at top speed barreling down the wing surrounded by defenders, yet still tried and inside/outside to near perfection .. has the uncanny knack of keeping control of the puck under pressure as he took a pass into his skates only to gain control and poke it ahead with defenders encroaching .. can look lackadaisical as the play stops, and confused his defensive responsibility after the faceoff in his own zone .. unbelievable stickhandling display across center skating through three Monarchs players and nearly creating a scoring chance .. sometimes guilty of trying too much before losing possession on the last effort ..

Justin Pogge (Tor), G

Replaced a shaky J.F. Racine in the second period in the first game against the Wolves .. needs to improve stickhandling under pressure as he gave the puck away on a bad clearing attempt leading to a goal .. when in the clear he can throw a beautiful stretch pass down the ice.. cuts down the angle and takes away the lower part of the net, but goes down early at times and is vulnerable up high; evidenced by the Wolves sixth goal, in the top corner .. likes to remain in control of his crease and aggressively protect it .. is sometimes victim of taking too many risks as he gambled on a long pass coming out of his crease, before eventually scrambling back to prevent a goal trapping it out of mid-air .. has the ability to make the first save and has improved rebound control .. displayed phenomenal control and athleticism stopping two quick shots in close while remaining square and eventually slapped the puck mid-air behind the net .. displayed great post-to-post quickness during the same sequence getting a pad on a cross-crease passing play .. made some big saves early, although could have had the first Phantoms goal .. beaten cleanly in the second period on a nice breakaway goal .. could use some work handling the puck under pressure but has made strides through his first pro campaign .. still a season or two away from assuming an NHL spot.

Brad Leeb (Tor), RW

Plays mainly on a line with Erik Westrum and Robbie Earl .. Earl was eventually taken off and replaced with Tyson Nash in what became a very aggressive line taking the body, working the boards, finding loose pucks and generating scoring opportunities .. is aggressive killing penalties, getting to point men fast and hurries the play .. went right after the point man with a solid body check taking out the defender while on the pk .. throws his weight around and ensures he finishes his checks .. scored a goal on great work in the crease to tip in a Suglobov shot .. always a force with or without the puck .. played the point effectively on the power play as the Marlies were using an umbrella formation with Leeb operating the left side .. great pass out of the corner after battling for the puck and under pressure found Colin Murphy for a great scoring chance .. made some good distributions but also attempted some high-risk passes along the line that if intercepted, would be a break the other way.

Andy Wozniewski (Tor), D

The two-week conditioning stint ended prior to the weekend series with the Monarchs, and appeared in five games with the Marlies, garnering three assists .. played a ton of minutes including first-unit power play duties .. plays the right point and supports the rush with timely pinching .. not afraid to plant his six-foot-three frame in front of the net on the power play if the situation presents itself, but also knows when to fade back into position .. was back with the Maple Leafs after the road game in Hamilton on February 16.

Jeremy Williams (Tor), RW

Displayed great vision and anticipation spotting Erik Westrum drifting toward the opposition blueline and hitting him with a hard, accurate pass through the middle sending Westrum on a breakaway .. returned after missing some time with a leg injury .. scooted into a position for a two-on-one break in overtime and faced an open net but failed to convert off a pass hesitating shortly and allowing Fred Braithwaite time to dive across the crease to stop the shot .. has good hands and great anticipation but does not fully bear down on his scoring chances.. must adjust to the speed of the AHL before he can perform at the NHL level .. a two-year project before any chance at an NHL position.

Colin Murphy (Tor), LW

Choppy skater, takes time to hit full stride but has a surprising top gear .. good stops and starts and great short distance stride but lacks straightaway acceleration .. showed some nice hands to take a cross-ice feed and dangle the puck in front of the defender, teasing him with it, before tucking it in close with a tricky shot on goal .. scooted around attempting to be physical but did not have much success and must work on finishing his checks.. has great anticipation looking and passing to where the player should be going, but can look lazy without the puck .. great redirect from the slot off a shot by Harrington to catch the bottom left corner (stick side) catching Monarchs goaltender Barry Brust by surprise .. a work in progress; has developed into a decent forward at the AHL level, not quite ready for the NHL.

Robbie Earl (Tor), LW

Will not be a legitimate NHL prospect until he improves his skating style .. choppy first-step acceleration, often looking like he is skating through quicksand .. despite strange stride, he successfully works his way into position.. displayed a quick snapshot and an impressive backhand with his ability to fight for and collect rebounds .. has a great ability to look off the goaltender in favor of a pass before unleashing an impressive shot forcing an unsuspecting goaltender to come up with a big save .. AHL rookie has made strides but needs a few more years of seasoning before a shot at the NHL.