TIMOTHY GOES TO SCHOOL
Top pick Liljegren isn’t expected to crack Leafs’ D right away, and might need a little tough love
Gunnar Persson laughed over the phone from Sweden as he told a story about coaching Maple Leafs prospect Timothy Liljegren.
In the past two seasons with the Swedish league’s Rogle BK, Persson said one of his most difficult tasks was convincing Liljegren of the virtues of playing right defence — and not only because rightshooting defencemen like Liljegren, in a sport where left shooters are more common, amount to prized commodities. On many shifts, Persson said, Liljegren looked like a player who wasn’t content in his position. He looked like he’d rather be playing every position, all at once.
“Sometimes he wants to do everything. Sometimes he wants to be everywhere on the ice. Sometimes he’s all over the ice,” Persson said in a recent interview. “I told him, ‘You don’t need to skate it from the right side, to the left side, and back to the right side.’ If he plays simple, he’s great. But sometimes, he won’t.”
With that in mind, count this weekend’s Maple Leafs rookie tournament at Ricoh Coliseum as the beginning of a North American education for Liljegren, the 18year-old Swede who has arrived in Toronto accompanied by already rave reviews. Picked 17th in the June draft, this after a bout of mononucleosis conspired to sink his pre-draft stock, the early assessments have focused on his strong skating and slick puck-handling. Friday night, when the Leafs opened the tournament with a game against Montreal’s young assets, was an opportunity to see an in-game sample of what Persson calls Liljegren’s “great hockey sense.”
Toronto Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe, who is presiding over the Leafs’ entry, said Toronto’s players, Liljegren included, have been given an “introduction” into what the organization will expect when it comes to on-ice “structure.” But the point of this weekend, from the players’ standpoint, is to showcase one’s talent.
“The message will be, by the time puck drops, to not overthink it,” Keefe said. “You’re all here for a reason. Just play.”
Certainly the Leafs aren’t asking Lil- jegren to conceal his on-ice gifts in an overly conservative game. Mark Hunter, the Maple Leafs scouting guru, has promised Liljegren will “bring fans out of their seats.” Even Lou Lamoriello, who’s known for eschewing the hyping of young players, has sounded giddy in his assessments, acknowledging that Liljegren is possessed of “something that you can’t teach.”
Where he’ll play this season remains an open question. Going back to Sweden is a possibility, although Persson said he doesn’t expect to see Liljegren anytime soon. The most likely scenario will see the teenager log big minutes for Keefe and the Marlies.
Rare, after all, is the 18-year-old who plays more than a few token games as an NHL defenceman. In the past 20 seasons, only three blue-liners have logged 40 or more NHL games in their age-18 season according to hockey-reference.com. And it says something that all three of those outliers — Arizona’s Jakob Chychrun, Florida’s Aaron Ekblad, and Zach Bogosian of the departed Atlanta Thrashers — played for teams that missed the playoffs.
Still, it was 30 years ago that a playoffbound Maple Leafs roster included Luke Richardson, who played the bulk of 78 games on the blue line as an 18-year-old (and who happens to be Chychrun’s uncle). It’s been done more than once in Toronto. Al Iafrate did it in 1984-85, Jim Benning in 1981-82.
“When I was younger I could always skate with the puck the whole way. I (can’t) really do that anymore.”
DEFENCEMAN TIMOTHY LILJEGREN
And it’s not as though breaking into the Maple Leafs’ defensive corps as currently constructed would be considered a monumental task. Rookie tournament participant Travis Dermott, the 20-year-old New market-bred blue-liner, is considered among the candidates to do so.
Even so, it’s likely Liljegren would need to establish himself as a topfour defender to stick with the big club — a long shot. It’s safe to assume management would rather see Liljegren play prominent minutes in the AHL while quarterbacking a power play than see him burn a year of his entry-level NHL deal scrounging for the bottom-pairing dregs under Mike Babcock.
Still, injuries happen. The unlikely sometimes becomes the reality. And certainly the league is getting younger.
Player development, of course, is hardly an exact science. Persson, for his part, was asked how Liljegren reacted when his coach implored him to play a simpler style.
“He listened. And he’d do it. But after five or six shifts, he’s back (to roaming),” Persson said, laughing again.
Liljegren smiled on Friday when he was asked about his ongoing struggle to rein in his game.
“It’s actually harder than you think. When I was younger I could always skate with the puck the whole way. I (can’t) really do that anymore. It’s hard to adapt,” he said, “but I’ve been getting better at it this pre-season.”
He’s been getting heavier, too. Liljegren, who was listed at five-foot-11 and 188 pounds at the draft combine, said he has gained about seven pounds in the interim thanks to his work in the weight room. “I’ve been eating a lot,” he said. “I think I need a couple more kilograms on me.”
Persson, for his part, thinks Liljegren’s talent is immense enough to make the transition to the NHL quicker than many expect. (Persson said he believes Liljegren could play in the NHL this coming season if all goes well). The coach, who briefly worked with Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson during Karlsson’s formative years in Sweden, said Liljegren is possessed with a skill set comparable to that of the two-time Norris Trophy winner.
“Erik was just like Timothy is now,” Persson said.
Persson said two things will be required for Liljegren to prosper quickly. For one, a good partner.
“I think he needs the left D behind him to tell him what he should do and protect him a little bit,” Persson said.
For another, a vocal coach.
“He needs someone to tell him he needs to work on his defensive play every day. Every day and every night,” Persson said. “I never yelled at him, but maybe he needs someone now to (yell). I think he needs that now. He needs a coach who’ll tell him, ‘Do this or else you’re out.’ ”
It’s safe to say the Maple Leafs have just the man for that job.