First impressions are not always accurate, but the performance of a number of Maple Leafs prospects gave a reason for optimism in their debut at the 2013 Rookie Tournament on Thursday night.
The Leafs registered a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at the Budweiser Gardens in London, ON, with former first round picks Morgan Rielly and Tyler Biggs tallying in the shootout.
Josh Leivo and Brad Ross staked the Blue and White to a 2-0 lead, but Chicago rallied with two third period goals from Terry Broadhurst and Pat Mullane to tie the game and force overtime.
Toronto goaltender Garret Sparks was impressive throughout the game, in spite of allowing two goals in the final 20 minutes. The former Guelph Storm netminder rescued his team with a game-saving stop after a giveaway by teammate Stuart Percy in the final minute of extra time.
Leivo scored on the power play at 18:22 of the first on a long shot that eluded Hawks goaltender Mac Carruth. Ross extended the lead to 2-0 at 1:52 of the second taking advantage of a bad Chicago giveaway, as he intercepted a loose puck and fired a wrist shot top corner glove side past Carruth.
2012 first rounder Morgan Rielly was the star of the evening for Toronto, showing superior skating ability and puck control throughout the night and scoring the Leafs first shootout goal on a nice backhand between Carruth’s pads.
Paired with second rounder Matt Finn, the 19-year-old blueliner created two scoring chances for himself early in the game and made a nice cross-ice pass to Greg McKegg on the power play that nearly resulted in a goal.
“He was as advertised.” said Marlies coach Steve Spott. “I put him in a tough spot in the shootout, but certain players want to be in those situations and Morgan is one of those guys.”
Leivo was the class of the Leafs forwards, not only scoring the opening goal but also utilizing his speed on the forecheck and offensive chances. The 20-year-old winger suffered a chest contusion in the third period and did not return to the game, which had an affect on the club.
“He’s big, he can skate, he’s got tremendous puck protection and he’s a player when you need to create offense he can be that guy.” Spott said. “In the third, when we wanted to maintain pressure, we missed his presence out on the ice.”
Leivo practiced in London on Friday and will be a game-time decision for the Leafs second game of the tournament, as they face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at 7pm.
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