The Crown Report: Marlies Aim To Use Road Trip Form As Fuel For February

The 2025 Boat Show Road Trip lit a fire under the Toronto Marlies in January, and the team looks ahead to the season's second half, wanting to continue such positive trends. Here is everything you missed from the 10 games on the road leading to a 7-2-0-1 record. 

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With their bags packed, Toronto found their groove after scoring three unanswered goals and holding off a threatening comeback to beat Syracuse Crunch 3-2. One day later, Alex Steeves scored after just 3:07 against Utica Comets, hinting at his electrifying form to come. A slight defensive dip led to a 3-1 loss, but a new line of Marlies talent dragged the team over the line next time out.

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Matthew Barbolini opened the scoring during the third road game against the Manitoba Moose courtesy of an assist from Jacob Quillian, who earned his first multi-point game. Head coach John Gruden had nothing but praise for the duo after the 3-0 victory.

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"They were the drivers tonight. They can skate. They're strong," he said. "They continue to get more confidence and every time you score pretty early in the game, it seems to give you a little more confidence, a little more jump and it definitely did so that was definitely a huge bright spot."

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The win paved the way for an even better result against the Moose on the second time of asking. 

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Toronto earned back-to-back shutouts for the first time this season thanks to stellar performances from veteran Matt Murray. The goaltender stopped a combined 55 shots over two games. In the second win over Manitoba (a 5-0 rout), all five goals arrived from separate skaters. Barbolini and Quillan impacted again, while Alex Nylander, Marshall Rifai and Cedric Pare also scored.

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Gruden highlighted Murray's reliability between the posts and insisted his leadership not only impacts his performances but spreads throughout the team.

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“[Murray is] solid. You don't know if he's given up three or if he's given up any," he said. "He's unflappable back there. He's won a couple of Stanley Cups and he's been around a long time. It's contagious through the team and through the defence. It trickles down. I can't be more proud of him."

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That surging energy later trickled down to other players, and a 3-1 win over the Bakersfield Condors was the mid-way mark on the road. Steeves notably registered two goals and an assist, while assistant captain Joseph Blandisi did the reverse. Blandisi notably set up both of Steeves' goals.

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"That was their best game," said Gruden on the duo. "Alex obviously had those two big goals and I thought that was Joe's best game in a while, too. I thought he was outstanding. Seems like one line steps up each night and we're going to continue to need everyone, but it's always nice when it's somebody different."

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"We were excited. We were happy with the way we started the road trip and we just wanted to continue it," added Blandisi, who was sure to spread the support to his teammates. "We're getting good efforts from everybody right now. It's taking 20 bodies to win games and when Murray is playing the way he is, he's going to give you a chance to win every night, so, we want to take advantage of that.”

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The second half of the road trip became more intense, tighter contests. Still, Toronto's gritty character (evident earlier in the season) helped the Marlies prevail even when their backs were against the wall.

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Toronto first fought back from a goal down to beat San Jose Barracuda 4-3 in overtime. Steeves continued his trek up the AHL scoring charts while Logan Shaw shone. The captain registered an assist and Steeves set up his winner.

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"We won and sometimes you have to win the games where you're not supposed to. We stuck with it. We chipped away at it,” reflected Shaw on the result. “Going down 2-0 and coming back is resilient but we know we have better. We can definitely improve on that game, but the good thing is that we came out on top.”

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The Barracuda returned with some firepower of their own and beat Toronto 4-2 in the second meeting despite a late push in the third from the visitors. As just the second loss on the road overall, the Marlies quickly snapped back into form three days later. 

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Two victories over the San Diego Gulls saw a handful of skaters impress on the ice. The first result, a 5-3 win, featured 11 Marlies players earning at least one point. Zach Solow (two goals) registered his first career AHL multi-goal game, while Pare (one goal, one assist) hit his second game-winning goal of the season.

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The second win arrived courtesy of another Steeves goal and Nylander finding his form with two goals as Toronto beat the Gull 3-1. The Marlies were 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and recorded multiple power-play goals for the eighth game this season. The Sweden international earned plenty of praise from Gruden after his solo performance.

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"He was much heavier on the puck. He was playing in straight lines. He was forechecking and he had his feet moving. He was just way more dangerous out there,” he said. “[Alex] told me the other day that he wasn't playing to his standard and I thought the last two games, he was absolutely outstanding and I'm glad he got rewarded for it as well."

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The final road game was again a close contest with the Condors, as Toronto rallied in the third period before ultimately falling 3-2 in overtime. Still, the stats from a lengthy and demanding schedule remain impressive. The Marlies outscored their opponents 31-21 overall, with Steeves leading the team in points (8-2-10) and goals, while Nick Abruzzese led in assists (seven).

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As the team returns to Toronto, a proud Gruden knows his side has made considerable strides in terms of development and will continue to throw everything forward ahead of the second half of the season.

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"It was a long trip. It was good for us to grow as a team, become closer. Same thing all year, the boys played great and then we just stuck with it. There's no quit in our room," he said. "Whether it's 2-0, 5-0, we're still going to play, we're going to play hard and play the right way. You get away from that every now and then but for the most part, we believe in ourselves and each other and good things happen."

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ALL-STAR STATS

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Multiple Marlies players were championed for their efforts on the ice across 10 games, and three were especially honoured by being invited to the AHL All-Star Game. Forwards Shaw and Steeves and goaltender Dennis Hildeby, along with head coach Gruden, represented Toronto in the competition. 

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Additionally, 10 Marlies earned AHL Three Stars honours throughout the road trip. Steeves led the way with three awards, followed by Blandisi, Murray and Qullian, all with two each.

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Season leaders:

*Amongst active players

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Goals 25 (A. Steeves) 

Assists 18 (L. Shaw) 

Points 40 (A. Steeves) 

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PPG 8 (A. Nylander, A. Steeves) 

Shots 133 (A. Steeves) 

+/- +14 (A. Steeves) 

PIMS 42 (M. Rifai)

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