AHL: Marlies and Me

The Toronto Maple Leafs aren't afraid to utilize their AHL farm team, as both teams are in Toronto, which sometimes leaves the Toronto Marlies short on top NHL prospects, but they're definitely no dog. A strong presence of veterans with considerable NHL experience helps make the Leafs' AHL affiliate an excellent kennel for Toronto's talented young pups, such as defenseman Anton Stralman, to develop their game and do so in an environment that see some success and is in the thick of things for the AHL Playoffs at midseason.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey recently had the opportunity to catch the Toronto Marlies in action and files notes on several budding Leafs' prospects including Stralman Darryl Boyce, Alex Foster, and a few other Toronto Maple Leafs pet projects.

Anton Stralman (Tor), D, Marlies

Made his mark in this viewing with his puck movement .. not afraid to regroup with the puck to transition it .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. not afraid to skate the puck deep in the offensive zone or pinch in from the point, but is smart in doing so .. has a crisp wrister from the point .. saw regular powerplay time .. a wide-tracked skater who does not have a choppy stride but instead has good extension, power, and speed .. only listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, but still looked very stout and was able to thrust in opponents .. does a satisfactory job defensively and saw some time on the penalty kill .. definitely an NHL-capable defenseman due to his mobility and puck-moving abilities .. had 1 goal and 2 assists in 12 games with the Marlies as of Jan. 19 .. had 1 goal and 6 assists in 24 games with the Maple Leafs as of Jan. 19.

Darryl Boyce (Tor), C, Marlies

A two-way pivot, his defense stood out in this outing .. was attentive to hang back for defensemen who skated the puck into the attack zone, often for Stralman .. conscientious in helping out his defensemen down low and will engage opponents of any size and win his share of 50/50 battles .. also willing to take some abuse to drive the net and uses his fairly powerful strides to do so .. a regular penalty killer who also saw time on the second powerplay unit .. NHL shot in 2007-08 was cut short by injury, but still looks like a capable fill-in on the Leafs' fourth line if necessary .. had 10 goals and 8 assists in 43 games as of Jan. 19.

Alex Foster (Tor), LW, Marlies

Put in a fantastic effort .. has decent speed, but his hustle is the key to his forechecking .. finishes his checks and is tenacious in preventing the opponent from breaking out .. able to create turnovers with his forechecking efforts and does not give up on the puck .. willing to engage physically to battle around opponents or sticks, even if he's not always successful .. has decent speed with the puck and does have a little offensive awareness to make plays .. hands could be a little softer, though, as he loses handle more often that one would like to see .. saw time on both the penalty kill and second powerplay unit .. definitely plays a good energy game and isn't undersized at 6-foot-1, 200 pounds .. had 8 goals and 11 assists in 43 games as of Jan. 19.

Phil Oreskovic (Tor), D, Marlies

No-frills defensive defenseman .. gets low backwards and lets his gaps shrink and engages physically .. does not back track early, although does not have the speed to recover if he gets beat early .. makes crisp passes and will go for the long-distance pass, but they aren't always in the vicinity of a teammate .. able to pin opponents along the walls with his 6-foot-3, 217-pound frame .. plays a physical game and will work in the late hit if he can .. a threat with the pokecheck and can back it up with the body .. saw regular time on the penalty kill .. if he plays in the NHL, it's almost certainly as a sixth or seventh defenseman .. had 1 goal and 4 assists in 39 games as of Jan 19.

Stefano Giliati (FA), LW, Marlies

Rookie-pro on an amateur tryout contract puts in a good effort .. hustles for loose pucks and is often F1 on the forecheck .. uses his quick feet for some nice speed bursts .. can get a bit east-to-west with the puck .. played on the fourth line and played the corresponding energy game .. had 3 goals and 9 assists in 34 games as of Jan. 19.

Juha Uotila (FA), D, Marlies

Defenseman on AHL contract looking good .. does a good job not to backtrack early but to instead let his gap close and often does so in the neutral zone .. not real big at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, but will engage physically .. generally makes crisp, accurate passes and can spring teammates .. keeps his head on a swivel skating back for pucks .. has a cannon of a one-timer .. saw regular time on the second powerplay unit .. Toronto did a good job of identifying and signing this University of Nebraska-Omaha product, as he's definitely up to the AHL .. had 9 assists in 40 games as of Jan. 19.