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by Tyler Hill… Over the course of the year, the Leafs have played a number of rookies. Some were call-ups from the AHL Marlies that got the chance to shine or were given their big break.
The Leafs have made a few bad moves, trading Draft picks and prospects away.
But after seeing a few of the current crop of youngsters, I have decided to focus on a positive (I know, very unlike me). Here’s the top five Leafs prospects in the system!
Don’t be alarmed if you’ve never heard of half these guys. It’s to be expected.
Alex Berry: 6′2″, 212 lbs., 23 years old
He’s a big guy and knows it; he uses his size to his advantage. He could be a third line guy, primarily serving as a checker.
But that’s not to say he doesn’t know how to contribute to the offense. Indeed, he has 30 points playing in Massachusetts.
He recently signed a two-year entry-level contract which will see him with the Marlies for the remainder of the season, and I’m sure at some point next year we will see him in the bigs playing for the Leafs.
Viktor Stalberg: 6′4″, 208 lbs., 23 years old
Never heard of him? I’m not surprised. He was drafted 166th overall in 2006 by a man all Leafs fans love, John Ferguson, Jr. When he was taken, he may have been regarded as a crap pick, a “best-of-the-worst” kind of guy.
But this year, the big kid is breaking out. Playing for the University of Vermont, Stalberg is in serious consideration for the Hobey Baker Award.
In his first two years, he had a total of only 17 goals. He has 22 already in 2008-09. He will one day be a top-six player in the Leafs’ lineup.
Chris DiDomenico: 5′11″, 165 lbs., 20 years old
I think most of you are familiar with DiDomenico, who played with the Canadian Juniors and won gold this past year. With his junior team, St. John of the QMJHL, he has 34 points, 23 of which are assists.
In my opinion, he’ll be a great complementary center to the man I rank No. 1 on this list.
Two speedy youngsters, a playmaker and goal scorer, will make the perfect combo in the “new” NHL and will be great together in Toronto in the near future.
Dale Mitchell: 5′9″, 207 lbs., 20 years old
Currently playing for Windsor in the OHL, he has 68 points in 66 games and has compiled a plus-24 mark.
But beyond his numbers, Mitchell proved that speed is his main weapon in his first few seasons with the Oshawa Generals. He was hands-down the fastest on that squad.
This guy will fit perfectly with the new Maple Leafs, who are quick and youthful.
Greg Scott: 6′0″, 178 lbs., 20 years old
If you’ve never heard of Greg Scott, then listen up. In 65 games with the WHL’s Seattle club, the kid has 76 points on 38 goals!
Last year, he had 32 points total, but this season, he has shown much improvment. He plays right wing, which is a position that needs addressing for the Leafs.
Scott could carry the Leafs offense now, and certainly will later.
So there you have them: the guys I think will be most vital to the Leafs future. But this is just me, and I’m not always right.
Who do you think should be on this list? What guys have your attention? Let me know, leave a comment.
Note: For people that say I’m too heavy on stats and goals, guess what? That’s all that really matters nowadays. Stats are your friend. Enforcers aren’t top priorities anymore.
by Tyler Hill…
Well, Leafs fans, congratulations! We are now the most pathetic asshole fans in the league.
In Tuesday night’s game against the Buffalo Sabres, Justin Pogge made his home ice debut at the NHL level. It was only Pogge’s fourth NHL game and it was, unfortunately, against the Sabres, who are tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference.
How was our 22-year-old goalie welcomed to Toronto ice? By a series of jeers and sarcastic cheers whenever he made an easy save.
I am absolutely disgusted as a Leafs fan. I am embarrassed to be a Leafs fan, and I’m ashamed of my fellow “fans” who thought this was acceptable. A 22-year-old in his fourth game had this done to him by these “fans” that are supposed to be supporting him.
How the hell is his confidence supposed to grow when his fans are doing that to him? You cannot be a successful goalie in this league without confidence.
Fact is, the Leafs are rebuilding now. So what exactly do these people want from Pogge? A goalie with as little experience as he has needs support from his team, mainly defense (which the Leafs don’t have), to play well. Even goalies with experience need support from their teams.
Toronto fans are going to ruin Justin Pogge’s career in the NHL, or at least drive him to another team, where he will become one of the best goalies in the league. Why? Because the fans in another city will give him room to develop into the goalie he should be…and is completely capable of being in Toronto, if these fans will get off his back and let him play the game, instead of being such assholes to the kid.
Leafs fans at this game or that participated in this jeers at home (if you were doing this at home, get a life, because no one can hear you) should be disgusted with themselves. In no way at all was this helping Pogge to become a better player for the future when we really need a goalie to lead us to and through the playoffs.
So, to you “fans,” congratulations. You have really shown your true colors to the world of hockey. Your performance the other night was an embarrassment to any self-respecting and true hockey fan.
by Tyler Hill…
I think most Leaf fans are now at the point where they can let go of this season, if they hadn’t already done so that is. We knew at the beginning of the year the Leafs were not going to be cup contenders, but as fans we held on to any hope and cheered for the team as we still, moronically, wanted wins.
Well here we are now! It’s the middle of February and the Leafs sit with 52 points (11th in the East) which is one point less than the 14th and 15thplaced St.Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference.
If the season ended today, the Leafs would be sitting with the fifth overall pick (for the sake of simplifying this article let us pretend the Draft Lottery doesn’t exist, which it shouldn’t. I know a certain team, Pittsburgh, ended up with two first overall and two second overall picks in four years, but if a team is so bad that after that many bad years with such good picks they still suck, maybe they need more picks…but that’s just me).
Fitfh overall pick isn’t that bad of a place, however the season doesn’t end today and knowing the Leafs, it’s right about time for them to start playing well and winning games, which will give them a nice 11th overall, or so.
In the east, teams that sit behind the Maple leafs are the Ottawa Senators (50pts), the Tampa Bay Lightning (49pts), the Atlanta Thrashers (45pts), and the Islanders with uhm…38pts.
So as you can see the Leafs can very easily move up a few places, if they were to lose their next game and if Ottawa and Tampa were to win their next two. The Leafs would then move up two slots in the draft and would be trailing only the Thrashers and Islanders. However, I’m not good with math or stats so i won’t go into the numbers too much here.
Any fan that starts a season, in October or even September, with the idea that his team needs to lose, is not a true fan, nor is he/she any kind of fan for that matter. I have held on to hope for awhile now, but I recognize when it’s time to throw in the towel and call it quits.
Before we get too far ahead of the few teams behind us and have not enough time to give up and have it actually make a difference, the Leafs have to do something now.
If things in the west keep panning out the way they have been so far we won’t have to worry about them interfering with the Leafs’ plan of action in the late stages of the season. Although, it is sad that you can be 11th in the east and still be behind all the teams in the west.
Brian Burke and Ron Wilson will hopefully go into the Leafs’ locker room and say, “Hey! You know, I think we are all aware of where we stand this season; we should all be able to realize that we don’t have to go out and give it 100 percent every night anymore. Let’s just try and lay low for the rest of the season”. Play well, but not well enough to win, the Leafs need a good draft pick to help them in the long run, not solid play right now for a short term high.
Go for someone that will make a difference two or three years down the road. They have Luke Schenn now, but add some offense to the team and pick up John Tavares or Luke Schenn’s brother Braydon. Or build up the blue-line even more and add Victor Hedman to the line-up. These moves will bring strength and stability to the Leafs future.
So, to close, the Leafs need to realize where they are and what their situation is. They need to do what almost all fans have realized the Leafs needs to be done. They need to do the best thing for the team in the long run and give up the fact that this year is not going to happen. I hope all fans and the Leafs’ management know and accept that.
by Tyler Hill…
Toronto Maple Leafs fans have heard the name Jason Blake tossed around more and more as the trade deadline nears.
The 35-year-old veteran winger is stirring up a lot of trade talk in the past few weeks with his constant stellar play and the debate over whether he should be shipped out of Toronto for a young prospect or draft pick.
Those against the trade say he is more valuable in Toronto for his skill and role as a mentor to the younger guys on the team.
The fact of the matter is Jason Blake is old, too old to be on a team rebuilding. The Leafs can use him best to gain assets for the future.
Now is the perfect time for a trade, with Blake on pace for a 30-goal season (which would be only the second time in his career he hit the 30-goal mark). He surely is attractive to a team that could use a good veteran presence in the playoff push or as another weapon for a finals-bound team needing help to win the Cup.
If you were the one in control, if you were the one to decide Blake future in Toronto, what would you do? Give him to a team that is a contender, one that thinks that within the next four years they could win the Cup. Trade for a draft pick or a young prospect.
When I say prospect, I don’t mean a player who has been compared to Sidney or Ovie or any of those guys. I’m just thinking about a guy who can contribute every night, maybe score 20 goals a season. Someone reliable for the Leafs roster.
We don’t need a superstar and I don’t expect one. Jason Blake isn’t going draw trade talks for Malkin, Stamkos, or Kane, and he doesn’t have to. They just need someone that can make their presence felt and let you know they mean business.
Some don’t want to see Blake leave because in the past months they have fallen in love with the scoring “machine” he has become. But that is not in the best interest of the team as a whole, neither now or in the future.
Need further proof? After this season, Blake’s payout on his contract goes down. Any GM not on board with that needs their head examined.
by Tyler Hill…
Right off the bat I want to make clear that I’m not flipping on my previous feelings for Pogge. I’m not going to say he’s a terrible goalie because of the last game, so don’t jump down my throat for writing this.
As many of us may recall, some weeks ago Justin Pogge played in his first official NHL game for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In that game he collected his first win and received praise from the Leafs’ large fanbase.
He won—if I remember correctly—6-2 against the usually subpar Atlanta Thrashers, and I thought at the time he had proved he was ready for the NHL.
After the last game, I still think he is ready. I will not fall into the majority of Leafs fans who will likely say, “He sucks! He got lucky in the first game.”
Despite the last game 6-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, I still believe that Pogge is a solid goaltender; every goalie has a bad game here and there.
True, he may have been lucky in the Atlanta game, but he still showed in that game, and even at times in the last game, that he can make big saves and hold his team in the game (Holding his team in doesn’t apply so much to the Minny game).
The one thing we, as fans, can’t forget is that Pogge is still young, and even younger when it comes to NHL experience. He has only two games under his belt and I’m sure by the time I wake up tomorrow and have published this, there will be enough stories on the major sports networks about how Pogge isn’t ready for the NHL and needs to be sent down to make your head spin.
Well, guess what? He isn’t ready, but keeping him in the minors isn’t going to help him any more. The only way for Pogge to improve is for Ron Wilson to give him more games at the NHL level.
You know what they say: Practice makes perfect. However, a 15-year-old doesn’t practice with 12-year-olds to get better—he plays with people his own age. You can play one level all your life and be the best player on the team, but if you move up a level you could be just an average Joe.
Pogge needs to move up now while he can still develop quickly. Ron Wilson is definitely smart enough to realize this himself—I just hope he can make up his mind about how many games he will give Pogge before the end of the season.
So fellow Leafs fans, give Pogge a break before you decide to drive him out of Toronto. He is good, he just needs time to adjust and get to know the team in front of him.
Give him some credit—he’s come into a team that isn’t really trying at this point and has been asked by fans and possibly staff members to give it up at this point.
Trying to make a name for yourself in that situation can be tough.
by Tyler Hill… 
In Part One, I covered the forwards I thought needed to be included, and now, in Part Two, I’m looking towards the defensive end, which includes the guys between the pipes. Enough talk—let’s go!
Jeff Finger:
Finger signed a big contract with the Leafs during the off-season, and it definitely raised a few eyebrows. Although Finger may not be living up to the hefty contract he signed over the summer, he is still playing well with the Leafs and has been a solid defenseman for them. He’s gritty and tough, and that’s what the Leafs need.
Brian Burke’s acquisition of Brad May shows he wants grit too. I’m sure he wants to keep any grit he already has on the roster. Besides, who wants Finger’s $3.5m contract anyway?
Stays.
Pavel Kubina:
More rumours surround this guy than that one girl from your high school. Well, maybe not, but there is at least one rumour that Kubina could be involved in a trade with Nik Antropov.
When I wrote Part One I didn’t think Antropov was going to be traded, but after a few comments, I realized getting Antropov out with Kubina might not be a bad idea. They’re starting to age and likely won’t get much better.
This 31-year-old defenseman has been improving his game in Toronto in the last few months, and if they want to get rid of him, now is the time to do it. A team that needs a solid defenseman to help make a playoff run might jump at the chance to grab Kubina, and I don’t think Mr. Burke would hesitate to pull the trigger.
