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Prospect Info: Marlies/Prospects Thread

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SprDaVE said:
Artur Ahktyamov is in Toronto right now. Could be an ELC soon, but probably just in town for the development camp in 3-4 weeks and visiting/training.

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It would be another odd ELC. He has done nothing to earn one, and we have 5 goalies for the AHL/ECHL right now without considering Scott (Woll, Kallgren, Petruzzelli, McKay, Cavallin).

He still has a long way to go, and that is assuming he can crack a KHL roster next year.
 
theathletic.com

Maple Leafs prospect William Villeneuve's Memorial Cup could help him en route to Toronto

The Memorial Cup may be the last time for him to prove that he’s made strides in his development as he hopes to play with the Leafs.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Villeneuve’s Maple Leafs future

During his two-game Marlies stint at the end of the 2020-21 season, Villeneuve showed enough heads-up play with the puck to suggest he could challenge for a meaningful role in the AHL next season.

“Watching those games, you could just see that he could already make the tape-to-tape passes, there was a couple times when he stepped up and made some plays,” said Sea Dogs assistant GM Anthony Stella. “With the Marlies, it wouldn’t surprise me if he’s one of their six next year, just because of how smart he is at moving the puck.”

To aid his transition to the professional ranks, Villeneuve is planning on spending all summer in Toronto with the Leafs development staff to continue to hone in on even more detailed improvements in his game. Villeneuve added a few pounds to his 6-foot-2 frame this season but even at his current weight of 180 pounds, he’d still be among the lighter Marlies defencemen. He doesn’t shy away from admitting that for most of his junior hockey career, he’s been content eating just two meals a day. One thing he’s learned from the Leafs strength and conditioning staff this season is that he needs more trips to the kitchen table to be able to sustain the physicality that is sure to come his way next season.

Because another invite to Leafs training camp feels inevitable. There, he’ll hope to do what he did throughout training camp in 2021: keep a close eye on a number of Maple Leafs defencemen to study their habits. Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Jake Muzzin and Timothy Liljegren were those he referenced.

That Villeneuve referenced Liljegren is notable. Heading into this season, Liljegren’s odds of sticking in the Leafs’ top six were unfavourable. But Liljegren instead fulfilled on years of promise and did so by, generally, showing more responsibility in his play in his own zone than ever before. The heads-up passing and playmaking were always going to be part of Liljegren’s game. But how he rounded out his game should serve as something of a blueprint for Villeneuve, drafted almost solely as a playmaker.

“He’s so mature, all over the ice,” said Villeneuve of what he likes about Liljegren’s game. “He can make a hell of a play with the puck, flashy plays, but most of the time it’s just simple and crisp. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. And so I think that’s been the reason for his success this year.”

If Liljegren’s season has revealed anything, it’s how much patience is needed for young defencemen to understand the professional game and adapt.

Should Villeneuve progress to the Marlies next season, he might need two seasons in the AHL to fine-tune his game. Come 2024-25, the Leafs have just one defenceman under contract and could use an injection of youth on the blue line. If Villeneuve masters the defensive side of the game and puts in the time to improve his skating with the Leafs development staff, his hands and offensive instincts could provide some pop on the bottom pair.

Because like Liljegren, plenty of work is and was needed for Villeneuve’s game to evolve. If you’re the Leafs, you hope that playing in the Memorial Cup is just one step in that evolution.

“I have an understanding of what I need to do to get to the highest level and it’s not by getting two points tonight, but also giving up three two-on-ones and one breakaway, for example,” Villeneuve said. “That’s not how it’s going to work at the next level.”
 
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Assuming we keep Matthews. Marner. Nylander (not holding my breath on willy). But if we do.

Knies. Matthews. Marner
Robertson. Steeves. Nylander
Amirov. Hirv?
Anderson. Douglas. Holm?

Seems like an ok forward group. There are questions. Like amirov health and I think we need an upgrade on steeves. A solid top 6 c prospect would do wonders.

Defence looks better.

Rielly. Lilly
Sandin Niemela
Karl? Villenueve

Looks ok. Need some snarl.

I like the goaltending depth

Petru.
McKay
Woll
Kallgren
Russians.

Hopefully 1 will hit as a starter. Petruzelli is my bet.

I mean there is work to do. Need a snarly D man and a top 6 c. But we have potential to work with.
 
Legion34 said:
Assuming we keep Matthews. Marner. Nylander (not holding my breath on willy). But if we do.

Knies. Matthews. Marner
Robertson. Steeves. Nylander
Amirov. Hirv?
Anderson. Douglas. Holm?

Seems like an ok forward group. There are questions. Like amirov health and I think we need an upgrade on steeves. A solid top 6 c prospect would do wonders.

Defence looks better.

Rielly. Lilly
Sandin Niemela
Karl? Villenueve

Looks ok. Need some snarl.

I like the goaltending depth

Petru.
McKay
Woll
Kallgren
Russians.

Hopefully 1 will hit as a starter. Petruzelli is my bet.

I mean there is work to do. Need a snarly D man and a top 6 c. But we have potential to work with.
Click to expand...

Center depth for future is concerning but we do have Matthews and Tavares for a few more years. Goaltending seems to be like they bought a bunch of lottery tickets and hoping they hit. If Lily and Sandin keep developing and Niemela develops we are good there becuase we’re only hoping our depth can turn into bottom pair or we can always sign bottom or trade for bottom pair dman
 
Legion34 said:
Assuming we keep Matthews. Marner. Nylander (not holding my breath on willy). But if we do.

Knies. Matthews. Marner
Robertson. Steeves. Nylander
Amirov. Hirv?
Anderson. Douglas. Holm?

Seems like an ok forward group. There are questions. Like amirov health and I think we need an upgrade on steeves. A solid top 6 c prospect would do wonders.

Defence looks better.

Rielly. Lilly
Sandin Niemela
Karl? Villenueve

Looks ok. Need some snarl.

I like the goaltending depth

Petru.
McKay
Woll
Kallgren
Russians.

Hopefully 1 will hit as a starter. Petruzelli is my bet.

I mean there is work to do. Need a snarly D man and a top 6 c. But we have potential to work with.
Click to expand...

You're looking way too far ahead.
 
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Brobust said:
You're looking way too far ahead.
Click to expand...

And here I was thinking this was the roster we were going to ice next year :sarcasm:

What is funny is that if you add the vets we currently have in the lineup over some of the guys who still need some time (Kral, Douglas, Hirvonen, Amirov, Villeneuve), that is actually a pretty good lineup.
 
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Tverberg to bad he wasn't invited to the wjc
He's better than Boucher who got an invite
 
SeaOfBlue said:
And here I was thinking this was the roster we were going to ice next year :sarcasm:

What is funny is that if you add the vets we currently have in the lineup over some of the guys who still need some time (Kral, Douglas, Hirvonen, Amirov, Villeneuve), that is actually a pretty good lineup.
Click to expand...

Call me a homer, but I think the leafs might be pretty good next season.
 
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Brobust said:
You're looking way too far ahead.
Click to expand...
A little bit, but it’s a fun exercise.

He omitted Nick Abruzzese and Tverberg and Voit. All guys tracking well.

And Kokkonen and Koster (who’s a breakout candidate in my mind next year).

All in all, a solid group with a fair concern about a future top6 C. Who knows, maybe it’s Willy.
 
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