Leafs’ Kallgren takes second crack at North America
Swede says he’s ‘a better goalie’ than he was then
Erik Kallgren figures his latest foray into hockey in North America will result in more success than his first go.
Signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs to a two-year, two-way contract in May, Kallgren — who turns 25 in October — will tell you he’s not the same guy who played in five pro games on this side of the Atlantic two years ago.
His experience the past two seasons, especially in 2020-21, would back up that notion.
Kallgren was stellar in the Swedish Hockey League playoffs this past spring, posting a .930 save percentage in 10 games to help Vaxjo win the SHL championship.
“I think I’m a better goalie this time coming over and I’m definitely more ready, and I’m really going to try to compete here,” Kallgren said on Sunday after the Leafs prospects practised at the club’s development camp at the Ford Performance Centre.
“I learned about myself that I work really good under pressure. I thought I got better, the longer the season went, and when I came in there in the playoffs, I felt really comfortable. That’s something I’ll bring with me and try to implement for the rest of my year.”
A seventh-round pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2015, Kallgren eventually worked his way over to the Coyotes’ system early in the 2019-20 season, playing in two games for Tucson of the American Hockey League and three for Rapid City of the ECHL. When a better opportunity didn’t materialize — satisfied with their depth in net, the Coyotes terminated Kallgren’s contract in November 2019 — Kallgren returned to Europe and performed well, giving himself another legitimate shot for an NHL contract.
Signing with the Leafs, the six-foot-three, 198-pound Kallgren said, didn’t involve much hesitation.
“I had a good talk with (Leafs general manager) Kyle (Dubas),” Kallgren said.
“I know (Toronto) is probably the best place to play hockey in the world, so that’s one of the big reasons I signed here. I got an overall great feeling for the organization, so it was an easy decision.
“The interest, I have never experienced something like it before and I haven’t even been here for a week. Just walking around the city, people wearing the Leafs jersey, you can tell the interest here is huge. That’s something I’m really looking forward to experiencing.”
How the Leafs decide to use Kallgren should become clearer once training camp starts next week.
With Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek solidified as the team’s goaltending duo, Michael Hutchinson slots in at third on the depth chart. Joseph Woll is bound to get the bulk of the starts with the Toronto Marlies, while Ian Scott, whose development has been stalled by a hip injury, likely is headed for bigger minutes with the Newfoundland Growlers of the ECHL.
For now, Kallgren is content with getting action at the development camp, which ends on Monday with a scrimmage before the Leafs send a team to take part in the Detroit Red Wings’ prospect tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
“I’m just trying to come over here and show my absolute best game and try to play as many games at the highest-possible level I can,” Kallgren said. “We’ll see how far it takes me.”
ABRAMOV ALL IN
After putting up points at better than a point-a-game pace in three seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, forward Mikhail Abramov knows it’s going to take something more for him to become an impactful player with the Marlies.
“They want to see if I compete, to see me winning the puck,” Abramov said of the expectations for him from Leafs staff at the camp. “Compete, work hard, show what I can do.”
The 20-year-old Moscow native, a fourth-round pick by the Leafs in 2019, acknowledged that the 2020-21 season, decimated as it was by the pandemic, was a “a tough year.”
Still, Abramov, the captain of the Victoriaville Tigres, led the club in scoring with 30 points in 25 games. In 19 playoff games, the six-foot, 185-pound Abramov recorded 24 points as the Tigres won the QMJHL championship, the only major junior title in Canada awarded last season. At the world juniors in Edmonton, Abramov had two points in four games for Russia.
Abramov, who amassed 160 points in 150 career QMJHL games, will be relied upon to make the transition to the minor-pro level that is necessary for all scoring forwards coming from junior — perform just as well without the puck.
“He is feeling more confident in his own game,” Leafs senior director of player development Hayley Wickenheiser said. “It’s just going to be his ability to execute at the next level.
“What he had the opportunity to do back in the Q was to be a leader and to step up his game in both ends of the ice. To play on the Marlies, that is essentially part of his game he is going to bring day in and day out ... the two-way game and really be able to play both sides of the puck, to be able to step into the American League.”