Twenty Toronto prospects will get their first taste of game action tonight at the Budweiser Gardens in London, ON as the Maple Leafs face the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2013 Rookie Tournament, but most interested observers will be concentrating on 2012 lottery pick Morgan Rielly.
The 19-year-old blueliner played in the World Juniors in Ufa, Russia and attended the Leafs abbreviated training camp last January, as well as playing and 22 regular season and playoff games with the Toronto Marlies last spring, but attending the weekend’s tournament and training camp starting next week will give Rielly the experience of performing in game action.
“We had a few practices(last January), but obviously did not have a chance to play in any games.”Rielly said.
Toronto’s 5th overall pick scored at almost a point-per-game clip with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors last season, but returning to Saskatchewan does not appear to be one of his goals for the upcoming season.
“I’ve been training hard and been on the ice a lot.”Rielly said. “Coming into camp my goal is to play in Toronto this year, but that is in the future and I’m just trying to concentrate on playing well here in London.”
New Marlies coach Steve Spott knows the defenseman well from the World Junior squad and believes that Rielly has the skills to make the Leafs this season but that the organization sees no need to rush a young talent.
“He’s obviously a very gifted defenseman, but at the same time it’s a process and one thing the organization is cognizant of is making sure we develop the players the right way. Spott said. “Morgan’s play is going to determine where he ends up.”
Spott indicated that the netminding duties for the tournament would be split between former Guelph goalie Garret Sparks, free agent signee Christopher Gibson and 2013 draftee Antoine Bibeau, with Sparks starting against Chicago tonight.
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The fact that former Leafs GM Brian Burke has returned to a management position is not a surprise, but coming back to the NHL as President of Hockey Operations in Calgary is interesting to say the least.
Burke is highly respected throughout the league and in spite of the fact that Toronto did not make the playoffs during his tenure; he deserved a lion’s share of the credit for the team breaking their nine-year playoff drought last season.
The Flames are in a similar state of disarray as the Leafs were in the fall of 2008, in desperate need for a complete rebuild after jettisoning franchise cornerstones Jarome Iginla and Jay Bouwmeester. The Calgary fan base is just as prepared as Toronto’s was for their club to be bad over the next few years in order to add some premium prospects, but as Leafs fans are aware, Burke is not a fan of the so-called “Pittsburgh Model”.
If Burke resorts to his usual modus operandi, you can expect the Flames to make some bold moves over the next 12 to 24 months and it will not come as a shock if they involve his former clubs; Vancouver, Anaheim and Toronto. With nearly $35 Million in cap space available in 2014, the former Leafs GM could make things difficult for his former club with potential unrestricted free agents Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf.
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