WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
Winger works on upgrading his shot and stamina entering his second full NHL season
Leafs knock off Sabres 3-0 in pre-season test at home of the Marlies
Mitch Marner couldn’t be blamed Friday for deflecting what could be a self-repeating topic this season: the so-called sophomore slump.
It’s a topic surrounding the Leafs’ sophomore contingent, a batch that includes Auston Matthews, Zach Hyman, Connor Brown, Nikita Zaitsev, William Nylander — and Marner.
Marner might be as prepared to annihilate the notion of the sophomore slump as much as anyone who was in last season’s prized rookie class. He entered the year as the smallest and lightest player in that group, but putting up 61 points and vaulting into Calder Trophy consideration erased any doubts attached to his size.
“The only time I ever hear about it is in interviews with the media,” the 20-year-old said Friday, prior to the Leafs’ pre-season game against Buffalo at Ricoh Coliseum.
“I don’t even think about it . . . you just go out and play hockey and try to get better all the time.”
That “get better all the time” phrase was like an unofficial slogan with the Leafs last season, one originated in the coaching ranks, and drilled home daily to a roster featuring all those rookies. As a result, it could be heard daily in the Leafs dressing room, and while it also morphed into something of a cliché, there was a certain weight to it beyond the repetition.
Marner, despite an eye-popping rookie year, didn’t waltz through the NHL as if it was like the OHL — where he was among the best teenagers in the world.
A gifted offensive player, he still held onto something of a lifelong penchant to pass the puck. The coaching staff wanted him to shoot more, but with that came the need to improve his shot.
Marner also learned, like every rookie, how difficult it is to manage the weight of playing in the NHL. As Leafs head coach Mike Babcock characterized frequently last season, the league is a “heavy haul,” and Marner found out how hard it was to manage the overall season when the Leafs entered the playoffs.
“Last year, not knowing how hard it was going to be in the playoffs,” Marner said about his rookie season, and the adjustments he’s had to make over the summer to prepare for this season.
“And in the summer, working on my skating, having more quickness in my first couple of strides. Being quicker off the start, a lot of players in the league have that, they’re real fast, so you have to make sure you have that yourself.”
Marner also said he paid strict attention to improving his shot.
“In the summer, yeah, just getting strong, strong in my wrists too, so I can improve my shot,” Marner said. “I have to change my mind, I have more of a pass attitude sometimes, and I have been told that a lot in my career. I pass a lot but I have to a mindset to shoot more, get more shots on net.”
Marner said he remains faithful to the basic stick design he’s had his whole career, using the same curve — but he’s gone to using a stick with less flex as a measure towards improving his shot.
Babcock, who worked with the entire coaching staff and sports science department in imparting extremely detailed, summer regimens for the players, agreed that Marner needed to make improvements on his shot.
“Mitch has to have a big shot. He’s worked hard and he worked hard over the summer. He skated hard but he has to have that big shot.”
All of those details factor into things Marner has taken to heart in the off-season. And they are part of the answer to defeating the nagging presence of the sophomore slump.
Mostly, though, Marner’s second year in the NHL will be bolstered by confidence he’s gained from his rookie season.
That is not something that can be taught — it must be acquired, and Marner absorbed it through the impressive chemistry that evolved on the roster and among the rookies a year ago.