Rookie Tournament: Leafs Raking in Prospects

McKeen's scout Gus Katsaros wraps up his rookie tournament report with notes on the restocking Toronto Maple Leafs, who iced one of the more intriguing lineups. "The Monster" (Jonas Gustavsson), Victor Stalberg, Tyler Bozak, Christian Hanson and 2009 first round selection Nazem Kadri (pictured) are featured, along with several other Maple Leafs' prospects.

Jonas Gustavsson G, Toronto

"The Monster" is an atypical butterfly goaltender, more of a hybrid, squatting down low in his crouch and using agility and long legs to kick out pucks from the corners, teasing with the five-hole and taking it away just as quick .. looked stellar in brand new shiny pads .. doesn't handle the puck with the ease of other goaltenders and will force his defensemen back deep to start plays .. could be a risk handling the puck when wandering out of the net .. recovers well from the butterfly squaring up to the play again, and can extend legs to direction of the puck, taking away lower part of the net .. ends up on his butt a lot and leaves the upper part of the net exposed .. kicks out and limits rebounds, yet has a tendency for short ones in front of the goal .. quick glove, reacts well and takes away the middle part of the net .. made some stellar saves in his North American debut, but wasn't tested as much as he will be in the NHL .. still, a very positive prospect, with an excellent goaltending coach in Francois Allaire to aid in his development this season.

Tyler Bozak C, Toronto

Patient, recognizes time/space options .. dynamic speed and acceleration, not hindered by a knee injury from last season .. team player, sending a whack in the pads to the Monster for an excellent set of saves in the first period .. tenacious, fights hard for pucks and uses his undersized body well with balance and quick flicks, reading the game and anticipating well .. has a low center of gravity and a hunched over skating stride .. a bullet shot, with a short, quick and deceptive release point .. shifty, stickhandles well in traffic with excellent distribution skills .. not afraid to lay out the body with open ice hits, a big plus considering his smaller, but growing body stature .. excellent agility .. uses feet at higher speeds, showing off coordination .. aggressive, feisty, really battles .. has a very Zetterberg-esque workmanlike quality and similarity in movement, as a two-way center, only missing the elite offensive skills of the Swede .. lost a 1-on-1 battle for the Penguins second goal, indicating the need to bulk up .. third game in four nights left him looking fatigued and overplayed, not used to this kind of schedule .. has a great shot at making the Buds out of camp, but has to bulk up and gain strength to become a top-6 forward consideration for Toronto.

Nazem Kadri C, Toronto

Horseshoe skater, physical and gives determined efforts .. finishes checks and applies the body when he can .. can be careless and overzealous, where he laid out a few questionable checks awfully close to hitting from behind .. creative and imaginative, often making plays out of nothing .. he over handled the puck at times and easily stripped, and should become more selective with individual efforts and neglecting teammates .. patient in scoring areas and off the rush, with gumption to try inside/outside toe drag at a critical point with no support .. goes to the net without the puck and seems to always be with a few feet in the offensive zone, using relentless pursuit .. can't always stickhandle through opposition, yet dazzles with some brilliant hand work, mesmerizing defensemen before a series of quick flicks and getting open for a shot .. stronger and feistier than credited, mixing it up after whistles, and pushing back taking exception at stick work and when being manhandled with reckless abandon for self-preservation .. loves handling the puck, with a deft touch at higher speeds .. needs a little upgrade in defensive positioning, but gets involved in his own zone .. seemed to have lead feet early in training camp scrimmage, using an inside/outside move from the right wing that worked once, and became too predictable .. he struggled with defensive assignment of a center (very important at the NHL level) and has to be more diligent in helping out his defensemen down deep .. picked it up right after the first few shifts and showed some superb displays of skill .. has smarts and skills to contribute at the NHL level, but must put on some size and out battle Mikhail Grabovski and Matt Stajan outright for a top-six spot to stick in Toronto, as coach Ron Wilson has indicated he won't get a nine-game audition, rather win a spot, or go back to Junior .. gets second chance at OHL Championship and second Memorial Cup appearance in three years.

Jesse Blacker D, Toronto

Rocket shot from the point .. a big wind up, mechanical in movement with a pause at about parallel at the ice before coming down hard on puck .. big second efforts, physical and always involved in the play .. can lag foot speed and gets caught flatfooted when not keeping to a simple game .. much stronger than first anticipated .. plays 2-on-1 well, but can be guilty of watching the puck at times .. skating style and body movement remind of raggedy Vincent Lecavalier movement, only not matched with the elite skill .. possesses a good active stick .. can resort to stick fouls and holding when losing ground or fighting for position from behind the play .. has to use his body better, not resort to stick checks and opportune positioning .. took on a bigger opponent (Joey Haddad) and didn't fare too badly, considering the disparity in size .. must react quicker to pressure and upgrade the pace at times .. not afraid to pinch and support the rush but should limit his forays and assess the amount of offensive flurries he goes on .. was hurt by a puck at training camp and hobbled off the scrimmage but returned later in the game .. has toned down offensive forays in training camp, adopting a more defensive stance.

Viktor Stalberg RW, Toronto

Big and agile winger with exceptional speed and acceleration and blessed with quick hands and shiftiness in stick-handling ability .. also brings a tenacious fore checking ability and strong engine with or without the puck .. good shooting release, however misses the net a lot from in close, an issue surely to be brought up at the main camp .. fluid, excellent skater, very light on his feet for his size .. recognizes options very quickly and can execute at higher speed .. uses anticipation and creativity to make plays while in awkward body positions, getting away with it in the rookie tournament, but is an injury risk at professional level .. impressive poise and patience .. defensively responsible .. bullies his way to the net and protects the puck very well .. doesn't give up on plays and skates just as hard getting off for a shift as he does at the beginning .. seemed to recognize threat and defensive level and elevated his own individual efforts against weaker opponents, while using good distribution ability when there wasn't a play to be made .. impressive prospect that has matured, but likely begins with the Marlies .. first winger called up to the big club .. hasn't looked out of place at Leafs training camp, using his body, size and speed to compete at the next level.

Mikhail Stefanovich LW, Toronto

Aside from some distinct moments, he was fairly invisible throughout the rookie tournament .. lagged the play, lacked second effort on most plays and stopped moving his feet .. talented with the puck, particularly his sniper ability .. sneaky and creepy, gets in behind the play and looks for loose pucks, and only gets involved when there is a hole, or less physical intimidation .. doesn't initiate enough and doesn't get involved defensively .. should get to the dirty areas more often .. made more determined second efforts as the tournament progressed .. seemed jumpy, and consistently put his line offside in his zeal to enter the zone with speed and get to the net for quick pass .. reads and anticipates the game well, doesn't get into position all the time and doesn't keep his stick on the ice unless he's close to the net .. continued the listless immobile game from the rookie tournament and hasn't looked hungry .. he's the first to get off on a shift change .. misses a fire, stops moving his feet, lags the play and doesn't work hard enough on becoming an outlet for passes, skates himself into corners and operates on the perimeter .. despite offensive sniping ability, he must get more involved, keep his feet activated and make better efforts to get to the net, as it seems the bloom may already be off the rose.

Christian Hanson LW, Toronto

Tenacious, big fore checker .. patient and poised .. scored a hat trick versus the Bruins, mostly due to being at the right spot, rather than individual creativity .. goes to positions to receive a pass and where rebounds and tips would normally be found .. very involved in the play, visible and hard-working in all three zones .. big imposing and mobile .. quick and spry .. quick release .. difficult to knock off the puck, using his size to protect it, while using the contact as leverage to push away from opponent .. plays a healthy physical game .. excellent hand/eye coordination indicated when he knocked a puck from mid air clear from his own zone to the corner of the rink .. hasn't stood out at training camp and is likely bound for the Marlies to start the season.

Stefano Giliati C, Toronto

Heads up, energetic spark plug with a tenacity unmatched by many in the tournament .. even fought with a bigger opponent .. quick and spry, gets big bursts from shorter legs .. very sculpted upper body and big strength .. good engine and willingness to operate at high intensity throughout the shift .. has upgraded his defensive game and has become more active with his stick and defensive positioning .. quick stick handler adept to maneuver through sticks and skates recovering the puck at the other end .. can cut and make quick stop/starts to stave off checkers, a feat considering his diminutive stature .. makes a lot of in-close moves and gets the puck through opponents .. always moving and skating, but makes these big arcs when transitioning back to defense, while using quick stop/start for offensive transition .. more enthusiastic creating plays, but has improved on the defensive side as well .. bound for the Marlies.

Dale Mitchell LW, Toronto

A sore hamstring limited the Windsor Spitfires sparkplug, but he didn't disappoint, as he seemed to be the most energetic player on the ice .. undersized, yet stocky, wasn't afraid to use the body .. relentless fore checker, always keeping his feet moving in the offensive zone without the puck .. rarely gives up on plays and maintains close pursuit of defenders .. slick hands and imagination .. a good wristshot, usually fired off the rush without pressure .. could look for outlets at times .. works hard as a two-way player that has spilled over into training camp as well .. reliable and defensively responsible, he has the energy level needed in lower roster players, although will likely begin the season with the Marlies.

Joel Champagne C, Toronto

Has to upgrade his skating ability, pace and urgency .. has less than stellar offensive awareness, but makes up for it by a tenacious fore checking ability .. can be invisible without the puck .. works hard when involved, invisible when not involved directly in the play .. reads the play well, but lacks the anticipation to react to intuitions .. should be much more physically proactive with a sizable frame, and use it better protecting the puck .. has some teasing qualities, but nothing standing out to suggest he can be a consistent NHL player.

James Reimer G, Toronto

Shaky versus the Bruins and once again against the Senators .. seemed to over commit early and failed to recover .. gave away the top corners by dropping to the butterfly quickly .. easily out-faked and fooled by quick hands .. to his credit, he was left alone a lot, but not enough to justify the soft goals he allowed .. may not have the Marlies number one position wrapped up after all .. worked a fair bit, getting guidance from goaltending coach Francois Allaire during Leafs training camp .. Marlies painted mask gives a certain indication that he understands his role/place this season.

Carl Gunnarsson D, Toronto

Great vision, smart and positionally sound on the offensive side, with patience, vision and good one-touch skills .. struggles reading the game though, in particular dump ins .. also struggled with pace at times .. fluid, mobile with minimal effort .. poised and patient at the point, waiting out checkers for some extra time to make a play reminiscent of Kaberle .. physical and not afraid to throw the body around .. laid out a few players with their heads down at the opposition blueline, but to the detriment of odd-man rushes the other way .. showed some offensive creativity and hustle, struggled with the flow of the game for the most part .. has blended in with the Leafs training camp, but hasn't distinguished himself.