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The Toronto Maple Leafs announced their training camp roster for the 2014-15 season on Wednesday. The club will have 64 players (40 forwards, 18 defensemen and six goaltenders:
Forwards(40)
SPENCER ABBOTT
CARTER ASHTON
TYLER BIGGS
TROY BODIE
DAVID BOOTH
TYLER BOZAK
DAVID BROLL
CONNOR BROWN
SAM CARRICK
DAVID CLARKSON
STEFAN DELLA ROVERE**
JAMIE DEVANE
BRETT FINDLAY*
MATT FRATTIN
FREDERIK GAUTHIER
PETER HOLLAND
NAZEM KADRI
PHIL KESSEL
LEO KOMAROV
PETRI KONTIOLA
BRANDON KOZUN
JOSH LEIVO
JOFFREY LUPUL
SPENCER MACHACEK**
GREG MCKEGG
FRAZER MCLAREN
CARSON MCMILLAN**
WILLIAM NYLANDER
COLTON ORR
BRAD ROSS
MATT RUPERT**
RYAN RUPERT
MIKE SANTORELLI
TREVOR SMITH
JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK
CARTER VERHAEGHE
FRANCIS WATHIER**
PATRICK WATLING*
DANIEL WINNIK
BRADY VAIL**
Defense(18)
CODY DONAGHEY**
MATT FINN
CODY FRANSON
JAKE GARDINER
PETTER GRANBERG
KORBINIAN HOLZER
ERIC KNODEL
VIKTOR LOOV
ANDREW MACWILLIAM
KEVIN MARSHALL
BRENDAN MIKKELSON**
TOM NILSSON
STUART PERCY
DION PHANEUF
ROMAN POLAK
MORGAN RIELLY
STEPHANE ROBIDAS
HENRIK TALLINDER**
Goaltenders(6)
JONATHAN BERNIER
ANTOINE BIBEAU
CHRISTOPHER GIBSON
CAL HEETER**
JAMES REIMER
GARRET SPARKS
* - AHL contract
** - Tryout invitation
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The 2014 rookie tournament in London, ON gave young prospects and free agents the chance to impress the Maple Leafs hierarchy(including new Team President Brendan Shanahan, assistants Kyle Dubas and Brandon Pridham) in advance of the club’s training camp starting Thursday.
Leafs management undoubtedly is filled with optimism at the showing of 2014 top pick William Nylander and the progress of a number of players attending their second or third rookie camp, but a positive (or negative) performance at the four-day tournament is nothing more than a glimpse of what these prospects will be two or three years from now.
Here are some thoughts on the players who opened some eyes or did not live up to expectations:
William Nylander – The 18-year-old played only Saturday against the Blackhawks rookies, but showed off the tools that had the Leafs excited to draft him eighth overall. Not only did Nylander show slick skating and play-making ability, but he displayed an ability to anticipate and create turnovers in the defensive zone and a willingness to go to the net.
GM Dave Nonis says his chances of cracking the NHL roster this season are “remote”, but if he impresses at training camp, it may convince the Leafs to keep Nylander in North America with the Marlies instead of returning to Sweden for a full season.
Viktor Loov – The most impressive blueliner of the tournament for Toronto. Since being drafted 209th overall in 2012, the 6’2” Swede has been transformed from a lanky 185 lbs to a filled out 210 lbs. He has good skating ability, sound defensive positioning and likes throwing open-ice hits. Loov is under contract with MODO this season and will likely spend another year in the SHL before making the jump to North America in 2015.
Frederik Gauthier - Gauthier’s rookie tournament was ended by an upper-body injury on Sunday, but prior to that the big 19-year-old center appeared to be skating much better than during last year’s training camp, worked well down low cycling the puck and used his size more effectively along the boards. Likely bound for Rimouski in the QMJHL and a spot on Team Canada in the World Juniors this December.
Josh Leivo - Leivo scored the winning goal in Saturday’s game and was looking to set up scoring opportunities as well, but that should be expected from someone who registered 23 goals in his rookie AHL season. The 21-year-old has to make his presence known at training camp and build on his scoring success with the Marlies to be in the mix for the Leafs either as a call up this season or at camp in 2015.
Tyler Biggs - Other than a couple noticeable collisions with big Chicago defenseman Niklas Svedberg on Saturday, the Leafs 2011 first rounder did not make much of an impression throughout the tournament. Biggs has the size and skating ability to be an NHLer and does not shy away from the dirty areas, but to this point has not shown any ability to score. Biggs had 7 goals in 57 games playing primarily a third line checking role with the Marlies last season and needs to be more of a factor on the offensive end of the ice to fill that same role in the NHL.
Tom Nilsson - Slightly overshadowed by all the Loov love, Nilsson is swift, solid defensively and surprisingly physical for being average size (6’0”, 185 lb). The 2011 draft choice may have a quicker path to the NHL because he is a right-hand shot and has the innate ability to get under the skin of the opposition. A latter day Darius Kasparitius
Carter Verhaeghe - Verhaeghe centered Nylander and David Broll in the first game of the tournament and had numerous scoring opportunities throughout, but had no puck luck. The 19-year-old has playmaking ability(54 assists in 65 games with Niagara in the OHL) and played well in a limited look at training camp last season.
Brett Findlay - The 21-year-old former Soo Greyhound was an undrafted free agent signed to an AHL deal over the summer and after scoring 22 goals in the ECHL last season. He showed the ability to create and convert offensive chances, leading the Leafs with four points.
Connor Brown - Brown scored a nice power-play deflection goal in Sunday’s loss to Ottawa. Drafted in 2012, the Toronto native was considered too small and one-dimensional (had a -72 plus/minus for the Erie Otters), but has grown and developed into an OHL scoring star and effective two-way player.
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Per his Twitter feed, Quebec Remparts defenseman Cody Donaghey confirms he has received an invitation to the Leafs training camp. The undrafted 18-year-old blueliner had nine goals and 29 assists for the QMJHL club last season.
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