Marlies have one last adjustment to make
Trophy would be the greatest benefit of a long post-season for the Maple Leafs’ hopefuls
Perhaps no one has benefitted more from the Toronto Marlies’ long Calder Cup playoff run, which comes to its Game 7 conclusion Thursday, than rookie forward Pierre Engvall.
The long playoff run has the dual purpose, in the case of Engvall and fellow Swede Carl Grundstrom, of giving the two prospects who came to the Marlies in April extra time to adjust to this city, their teammates, the English language, the structure of Marlies hockey, the personalities within the Maple Leafs organization, the size and speed of AHL players, and the smaller ice surface.
“Exactly, I’m really glad ... we’ve gone so long in the playoffs,” Engvall said as the Marlies prepared for Game 7 against the Texas Stars. “Of course, it benefits me, too. To get used to the game and everything like that. Everything, from outside to the ice, and what things mean. It’s a really big benefit for me.”
The six-foot-three Engvall came to the Marlies at the conclusion of his Swedish Hockey League season, instantly making an impact in the AHL with four goals and four assists in nine regular-season games.
Coach Sheldon Keefe wasn’t exactly sure what he was getting with the 22year-old seventh-round pick from the 2014 draft. This is Engvall’s first taste of North American hockey, after all.
But Engvall, known more as a scorer, impressed Keefe with his defensive ability and puck smarts to take on a big role. Engvall, Frederik Gauthier and Colin Greening have formed a unit of hockey behemoths who play a heavy forecheck, wearing the opposition down with their size and occasionally contributing some offence.
“You can start him in the defensive zone, the way he skates and handles the puck, and drives it up the ice,” Keefe said. “Once he gets going in the offensive zone, it’s hard to get the puck off of him. Gauthier and Greening are in the same mould and that’s why that line is so hard to play against.”
Grundstrom was a bit better known, having played last playoffs for the Marlies while also looking impressive in Leafs camp last September. But more time on the small ice and within a system he has to master helps.
“The longer we play, it helps all those guys to gain that experience we know that they need,”Keefe said. “They’re getting it now, not October or November.”
Engvall has eight points in 19 playoff games, a slower pace than he’s used to. But Keefe says he’s smart enough and strong enough defensively that scoring matters less.
“Offence is harder to come by as the playoffs have moved along here and we get deeper in this series, so it’s harder for Pierre to break through in that sense,” said Keefe. “The fact that he’s been able to be that guy that he is positionally — and be that player that plays against other teams’ best players on most nights because of how he retains possession of the puck — has made him a valuable piece for us.”
Engvall has been in big games before. Last season, he scored twice and assisted twice in a three-game sweep for seconddivision Mora IK over BIK Karlskoga to win the Allsvenskan league and a shot at promotion.
Then he scored three goals and three assists for Mora in the promotion/relegation series, beating Leksand IF and to earn a spot in the top-tier Swedish Hockey League.
Now Engvall, like all the Marlies, has a chance to make history, winning the first Calder Cup in franchise history.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Engvall said. “We had a chance (Tuesday), but we were not at our best. It’s nice to get one more chance to win the Calder Cup.”