As we gear up for the NHL Draft, free agency, and the Maple Leafs\u2019 hiring of a new head coach, the Toronto Marlies keep finding ways to win playoff series.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t always been pretty, but the Marlies<\/a> are off to the conference finals after winning their third winner-takes-all game this postseason. It\u2019s only positive that they\u2019re continuing to push deep into the playoffs, especially with so many young players contributing, including Ben Danford joining the team, Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan playing prominent roles, and even less-heralded 21-year-olds like Noah Chadwick and Landon Sim playing their part.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Marlies<\/a> have played a number of games in which they have been heavily outshot and tilted in their own end. Game 3 in Toronto was the most surprising, given it was at home with new GM John Chayka in attendance; they were shut out 4-0 and outshot 30-16. It was a really disappointing showing, particularly because you\u2019d think the players would be chomping at the bit to make a big impression in front of the new boss. They weren\u2019t even close, and it marked the third game in a row that the Marlies<\/a> didn\u2019t surpass the 20-shot mark in the series.<\/p>\n The Marlies<\/a> were thoroughly outclassed by Cleveland over three games, but credit to them for digging in with their backs against the wall and finding another level.<\/p>\n Some notes and thoughts on the Marlies<\/a>\u2018 playoff run so far:<\/p>\n Artur Akhtyamov Shines <\/p>\n Dennis Hildeby received some recognition and praise in the NHL this season as he posted a .914 save percentage in 20 games in front of a rather porous Leafs<\/a> team. It was an exciting development for the young goalie in the NHL, but his AHL season hasn\u2019t gone quite as well. In the regular season, Hildeby posted an .898 save percentage, and Akhtyamov has effectively taken over the net for now as he\u2019s played in 11 playoff games compared to three for Hildeby.<\/p>\n Akhtyamov has easily been the Marlies\u2019 MVP to date in the playoffs and has helped them grind out several wins with big, timely saves, including all three wins against Cleveland.\u00a0<\/p>\n John Gruden has referenced it a number of times, but Akhtyamov won a championship in Russia\u2019s second-highest league, the VHL, in 2024, where he also won Playoff MVP. Not that Easton Cowan knows the AHL well, but it was interesting to hear him call AA the best goalie in the league after they beat Cleveland.<\/p>\n Both Hildeby and AA were born in 2001, and while AA has been better in the AHL, Hildeby had a really good NHL showing this season that can\u2019t be dismissed either. It sets up for an interesting offseason at the position, given Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll are under contract, and Hildeby is waiver-eligible. At the same time, AA has a three-year extension kicking in next season, so technically, AA and Stolarz are signed the longest, while Joseph Woll also has no-trade protection compared to Stolarz\u2019s 16-team modified no-trade clause.\u00a0<\/p>\n AA is waiver-exempt next season, so that\u2019s likely going to work against him \u2014 at least to start the season \u2014 but this is a really impressive playoff showing that will make the Leafs<\/a> feel a lot better about trading any of the other three, knowing AA would then be the third option if\/when the other two are unavailable. <\/p>\n The questions are: Can they justify keeping three goalies to start the season, given they can\u2019t trust any of them to stay healthy, or can they fetch a good enough return for one of them to make it worthwhile?<\/p>\n Ben Danford makes his pro debut\u00a0 <\/p>\n The AHL doesn\u2019t always get enough credit for how hard a league it is. It\u2019s full of veteran players with draft pedigree and\/or NHL experience; it\u2019s very physical and chippy, and it lacks structure at times, making it a particularly difficult league for \u201cskill\u201d players to navigate.<\/p>\n Danford isn\u2019t a \u201cskill\u201d player, but he is a structured one. He thinks the game really well and looks to break out on the tape. He\u2019s executed a number of really impressive little sequences like these:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u2013<\/p>\n AA handcuffed him with multiple bad passes, but Danford making reads off forecheckers under pressure while firing clean outlet passes is really impressive \u2014 in the playoffs, in his first time in the AHL, no less. He won\u2019t rack up points, but if he can translate it to the next level, he will be an effective NHL player.<\/p>\n Of course, the flip side is that Danford sometimes tries to force passes, or he\u2019ll hold onto the puck looking to make plays, leading to turnovers, rather than recognizing it\u2019s time to bail on a play and flip it out. Still, you\u2019d much prefer to teach a player when it\u2019s time to pull the plug on a sequence rather than teach them how to make real plays with the puck.<\/p>\n There have been some rocky moments for Danford, as you would expect, and the usual caveats apply: He\u2019ll need to get stronger, assert himself physically once he does, understand pro players and the pro game, and become a top-end matchup defender and a top penalty killer (where the Marlies aren\u2019t really using him right now).<\/p>\n It has been a promising pro debut for Danford, and it should give him something to build on over the summer and into training camp next fall.<\/p>\n William Villeneuve leads all defensemen in playoff scoring <\/p>\n Villeneuve technically took a step back this season in production, following up last season\u2019s 40 points in 55 games with 30 in 61 this year. But he finally received a look in the NHL this season, where he acquitted himself well (all things considered). Now, in the playoffs, he has found another level. His 11 points in 13 games so far lead all defensemen, and his vision and passing have been a standout. <\/p>\n This was a great pass:<\/p>\n \u2757\ufe0fBEWARE OF THE RHINO\u2757\ufe0f<\/p>\n Ryan Tverberg rips one home on the power play to make it 1-0! pic.twitter.com\/zmA7nZWqRf<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) May 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Leading the AHL in playoff scoring doesn\u2019t guarantee a clear path to the NHL. Kyle Capobianco was last year\u2019s leader. The season before, it was Cale Fleury and Chase Priskie. But we can find a few examples of defensemen who did it and went on to become pretty good NHLers, such as Ryker Evans and Zach Whitecloud. The Leafs<\/a> would be thrilled if Villeneuve could become anything close to that calibre of player (not that I would necessarily bet on it happening).\u00a0<\/p>\n Given he\u2019s a right-shot \u2014 which the Leafs<\/a> lack \u2014 and he can move the puck and provide some offense \u2014 which the Leafs<\/a> also lack \u2014 Villeneuve has at least put himself in the mix as an interesting option to keep an eye on, pending whatever changes the Leafs make on defense this offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n Easton Cowan and Jacob Quillan have been a mixed bag so far <\/p>\n Perhaps the expectations are too unreasonable on my end, but both players have left me wanting at times, while also coming up big in key moments. Cowan has eight points in 13 games, while Quillan has six in 13.\u00a0<\/p>\n I understand the limitations of the statistic, but Cowan\u2019s a team-worst minus-six, while the next-worst is minus-three. Not all of it is his fault \u2014 he was the victim of a bad line change in Game 5 in Cleveland, for example \u2014 but he\u2019s also made a series of poor plays with the puck that have led to goals against. He\u2019s forcing it at times, taking on defenders instead of making simple plays or using teammates more effectively, playing as more of a skilled player who wants to use his edges rather than the high-motor player who also has skill, which is Cowan at his best.<\/p>\n Cowan scored the dramatic series-winning performance against Cleveland, and he has contributed throughout the playoffs, but he has a whole other level he is capable of reaching. For what it\u2019s worth, he\u2019s also now through his 73rd game of the season in his first year of pro hockey. It has been a grind of a year, and now he is grinding through the playoffs. It\u2019s good for him in the long run, but it\u2019s fair to wonder whether the grind is getting to him, too.<\/p>\n Similarly, Jacob Quillan has experienced ups and downs. For Quillan, it got to the point where he was eventually moved to the wing, which isn\u2019t a great sign. But in Game 5, he moved to center while Bo Groulx didn\u2019t play in the third period, and he made an excellent play to get the puck to Vinni Lettieri in front of the net for the Cowan series winner. The whole sequence from Quillan was exceptional, starting with a backcheck that recovered the puck and turned it back up ice.\u00a0<\/p>\n In college, Quillan famously scored the national championship OT winner against Matthew Knies. He has a gamer quality to him. On top of his great play for the Cowan winner \u2014 while back at center \u2014 he also scored his first goal of the playoffs in Game 4. We\u2019ll see if he can build off of it now in the conference final.\u00a0<\/p>\n Landon Sim is a spark plug <\/p>\n An undrafted AHL signing out of London who earned a two-year ELC with the Leafs in April, Landon Sim received his first taste of playoff action in Game 4, with Marlies down 2-1 and their backs against the wall, and he delivered. He drew a penalty in both Game 4 and Game 5, he\u2019s been physical and effective on the forecheck, and he was driving opponents nuts.<\/p>\n To end a period in Game 5, he rounded the net and looked like he was about to get steamrolled, but he dropped his shoulder and went through the Cleveland defender, starting a skirmish. He adds a notable physical factor despite his size (he\u2019s 5\u201911).\u00a0<\/p>\n