Toronto Marlies Confirm Opening Night Roster Featuring Several Key Maple Leafs Prospects

Pro experience in the NHL and AHL are far from lacking for the Marlies, who head into their upcoming season with a well experienced team, especially on the offensive end. On defense, they have some productive youth accustomed to the team's style.

The Marlies announced their 32-man roster for the upcoming season, with captain Logan Shaw leading the way.

Brandon Baddock
Matthew Barbolini
Travis Boyd
Bo Groulx
Luke Haymes
Reese Johnson
Marc Johnstone
David Kampf
Braeden Kressler
Vinni Lettieri
Alex Nylander
Cedric Pare
Michael Pezzetta
Jacob Quillan
Logan Shaw
Logan Sim
Sam Stevens
Ryan Tverberg
Borya Valis

Matt Benning
Noah Chadwick
Dakota Mermis
John Prokop
Chas Sharpe
Blake Smith
Henry Thrun
William Villeneuve
Cade Webber

Artur Akhtyamov
Ken Appleby
Dennis Hildeby
Vyacheslav Peksa

The Toronto Marlies will be led by their veteran talent, but have a few young pieces that could be key contributors for the roster heading into this season.

One key name to watch on offense will be Jacob Quillan. The 23-year-old has been with Leafs and initially made the roster, but was sent down in lieu of fellow rookie Easton Cowan. The dream scenario for the Marlies is both players suiting up, and it could be possible.

Toronto lost a chunk of their scoring with the departures of leading scorers Alex Steeves and Nick Abruzzese to the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning respectively as well as Joseph Blandisi to SKA in Russia.

The Leafs signed veteran forwards Michael Pezzetta, Travis Boyd, Bo Groulx, & Vinni Letteri, all with NHL experience, to deals as replacements. Toronto also has NCAA signing Luke Haymes as a potential option.

Toronto placed David Kampf on waivers, now with the Marlies having cleared. He will provide depth for the Marlies and potentially a solid two-way game with what should be much more minutes in the AHL.

On defense, one youngster who will be looking to make an impression is Henry Thrun, who at 24 has shown flashes of being an NHL talent with 119 games played, but has some refining of his game to do that he didn't get to accomplish in San Jose with him playing heavy minutes before being entirely ready.

Also notable on the blueline is William Villeneuve, who was placed on waivers by Toronto but cleared. The 23-year-old has been a promising blueliner with the Marlies, and is hoping this is the year he can get in some NHL games. Toronto also has newcomer prospect Noah Chadwick as well as OHL signing Blake Smith.

In net, there's still a question how much Dennis Hildeby will play. The Leafs are without Joseph Woll for an unknown period of time, and it remains to be seen if Cayden Primeau is the answer as his backup replacement.

Any struggle for Primeau could hoist Hildeby into the backup spot, but luckily for the Marlies they have a reliable backup option in fellow youngster Artur Akhtyamov, with Vyacheslav Peksa in the ECHL. Veteran Ken Appleby was signed as depth.

Like the Leafs, size is playing a bigger role for the Marlies this season, with only four players on their roster under 6'0, and only two brought on under the leadership of Brad Treliving, that being Letteri and youngster Landon Sim.

The Marlies finished 37-23-12 last season, fourth in the North Division, swept in the first round of the AHL playoffs to the Cleveland Monsters.

The young talent the Marlies have will be impactful for the team going forward, especially in key pieces such as Hildeby & Quillan, if they're playing everyday, but the team will ultimately be led by experienced options, with the youngsters having to prove themselves.

With a more mature team, Toronto is looking to reverse their odds and take a more experienced team deeper into the playoffs, and with the Leafs existing depth should help the Marlies keep some of their key players in their own system.

Next season will look for the Marlies to go deeper into the postseason with a lineup of players who have both experience and offensive skill, but also with promising rookies, the two sides pivotal for the team's first championship win since 2018.