How Timothy Liljegren is trying to earn another shot with the Maple Leafs - Sportsnet.ca
TORONTO — The Timothy Liljegren we got used to seeing in the AHL most of last season, wasn't the one we saw during his first taste of NHL action.
With just a single assist in limited minutes across 11 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the 21-year-old's play was, largely, forgettable.
After failing to make the big club out of training camp last month, the Toronto Marlies defenceman is working to rediscover the form that saw him put up 30 points in 40 AHL games last year, earn an all-star nod and had fans and experts clamouring for his call-up in the first place. And, maybe, get another crack at the NHL.
“Yeah, I think just experience,” replied the 2017 first-round pick Saturday when asked why he struggled to find his footing in the NHL.
“I feel like I've been (with the Marlies) for a long time and I know the AHL now, it makes it a little bit easier. But, yeah, I think I was kind of nervous last year when I came up and I think I played solid, but not as good as I've been down here. So (I’m) just trying to continue to play good here and, hopefully, I'll be able to translate my game from here.”
The results at the AHL level have been promising so far.
Liljegren has five assists and 14 shots in five games for the Marlies and is tied for the team lead in points.
“We're really happy with how he's doing so far. He has created a lot for us in his first couple of games and also has been strong and consistent offensively,” coach Greg Moore said last week.
Liljegren’s presence among the Marlies' early points leaders bodes well for the six-foot, 198-pound Swede.
Highly touted as a skilled, right-handed D-man coming out of the 2017 draft, Liljegren seemed to put it all together in the AHL last season. He was finally racking up points, after middling results as an underager in the two campaigns prior, and rounding out his game by showing he could be trusted in all areas of the ice.