Leafs: Toronto Marlies Season End Review and Grading Each Position
Forwards
The biggest strength for the Marlies this season was their offence and the amount of depth they had. Nylander was by far the most dominant player, but after he sustained a concussion at the World Juniors the Marlies offence continued to roll on.
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Players like Mark Arcobello, Brendan Leipsic, and Josh Leivo stepped up during Nylander’s absence. Connor Brown‘s season did not get off to the best start after suffering a tough injury that kept him out of the lineup for a significant amount of time, but once he returned he provided an additional boost to an already dangerous Marlies offence.
Zach Hyman had an impressive season after he was acquired from the Florida Panthers. He got the call to play with the Leafs after the trade deadline and now many people expect him to contend for a roster spot.
Nikita Soshnikov proved to be a great under-the-radar signing for Mark Hunter and will probably be in the mix to either make the Leafs or be a top player for the Marlies next season. Kasperi Kapanen dealt with some early season struggles and injuries, but he started to get his game going after winning the gold medal for Finland at the World Juniors.
The Marlies are expected to welcome more young forwards next season with many Leafs prospects set to make the jump from juniors to the AHL.
Final Grade: A+
Players expected to move on to the NHL: Nylander, Brown, Hyman, Leipsic and Leivo
Considerable mentions: Soshnikov and Kapanen
Players to watch moving forward: Tobias Lindberg, Andreas Johnson, Dmytro Timashov, J.J. Piccinich and Frederik Gauthier.
Next: Grading the defence