Calder Cup final preview: Toronto Marlies vs. Texas Stars Prospects rise and fall at combine
Leafs’ Liljegren talks up Swedish buddy Dahlin with draft around corner
THE MARLIES ...
Beat Utica in five, swept Syracuse and Lehigh Valley ... Reached the Calder Cup final for the second time in franchise history ... Led the AHL with 112 points in the regular season ... Are on a nine-game winning streak.
OFFENCE: Andreas Johnsson is second in AHL playoff scoring with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in nine games. He carries a six-game points streak into Game 1 ... Carl Grundstrom has six playoff goals as well, plus four assists in 13 games ... Frederik Gauthier, Colin Greening and Pierre Engvall wear down lines and add some scoring ... Fourth line of Mason Marchment, Adam Brooks and Trevor Moore possesses ample speed and skill ... The Marlies are 15 for 64 on the power play (23.4 per cent). DEFENCE: Martin Marincin stands out as a steady veteran hand, working well with Justin Holl ... Travis Dermott and Timothy Liljegren form a dangerous pair ... They have killed 34 of 42 power plays (81 per cent) and scored short-handed once. GOALTENDING: Garret Sparks is 10-2 with a 1.96 goalsagainst average, .926 save mark and two shutouts. Was voted the AHL’s top goalie in the regular season.
THE STARS ...
Beat Ontario in four, Tucson in five, Rockford in six ... Dallas’ top farm team ... Have won seven of nine overtime playoff games ... Had a seven-game win streak halted in the Western Conference final. OFFENCE: Veterans Curtis McKenzie, 27, and Travis Morin, 34, won the Calder Cup with Texas in 2014. McKenzie leads Texas with 14 points ... Rookie forward Roope Hintz scored the game-winner in Game 6 against Rockford and is second in rookie playoff scoring with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) ... Jason Dickinson split the season between Dallas and Texas and has eight points (two goals, six assists) in 15 playoff games ... The Stars are 11 for 50 on the power play (22 per cent). DEFENCE: Brent Regner leads Texas blue-liners with eight points ... Gavin Bayreuther (one goal, five assists) logs big minutes as a rookie. GOALTENDING: Mike McKenna is 11-4, 1.97, .940 with two shutouts in the playoffs. The 35-year-old backstopped Syracuse to a second-round elimination of the Marlies last season en route to a Calder Cup final appearance. Maple Leafs prospect Timothy Liljegren said he went through an amazing growing experience a year ago in Buffalo.
That’s when he, and about another 100 draft-eligible players, showed up at the annual NHL combine to be poked and prodded — mentally and physically — by any and every team that wanted to take the measure of him.
“It was a far different experience than I expected it to be,” said Liljegren, as he prepared for Saturday’s Game 1 of the Calder Cup final against the Texas Stars. “You learned how to talk to people a little bit better, and to get pressed a little bit by teams. It was a great experience to be there. I think I grew up a little bit by getting roasted by some teams.”
Teams would show him clips, and question his playmaking decisions. “They want to see how you handle it. I handled it pretty good.”
So he has some sympathy for his friend and former roommate Rasmus Dahlin — the presumptive No. 1 overall pick later this month — and everyone else at this week’s combine that culminates with the for-show physicals Saturday after five days of meetings with teams in Buffalo.
“I think he’s handling it pretty well,” Liljegren said of Dahlin. “He’s going to be a great player.”
The combine has become far more formal over the years, certainly since its move to Buffalo from Toronto. At its core, it’s a last chance for teams to get to know a player before the draft with one-on-one interviews. And on Saturday, it’s physical testing.
Some teams ask questions they already know the answer to, says Mark Edwards, founder and director of scouting for hockeyprospect.com.
“It’s a good way to get a feel for the kid because you know if he’s telling the truth,” said Edwards, adding players have been known to hide embarrassing situations that teams have nonetheless dug up. “It’s the last phase of questioning for the guys they’re really targeting.”
Players are not likely to move up or down the draft board based on interviews, but Saturday’s physical fitness tests can affect draft position.
“They’re looking for a red flag, more than anything,” said Edwards. “It’s weight issues, or an agility issue. Just stuff that’s a stopper. A player might drop from the third round to the seventh.” Leafs GM Kyle Dubas returned to Toronto on Friday for the Marlies’ Calder Cup run after having spent the week with staff in Buffalo meeting the prospects. He said the Leafs weren’t interested in off-thewall questions, wanting players to be more introspective.
“You have 20 minutes with each player, so you’re trying to get a glimpse into their personality. You’re not grading them, saying: ‘Hey you got this answer right and this one wrong.’
“You learn about them on the ice, and by talking to their coaches and to their families. Then you tie it together with what they tell you when you meet them to give you a light into what their character and personality is.”
THE WINNER IS ... Marlies in six Kevin McGran