The Crown Report: Tested Marlies Welcoming New Challenges Upon Road Trip Return
As horses and the Royal Winter Fair took over Coca-Cola Coliseum, the Toronto Marlies embarked on their annual road trip with five games on the schedule. Beaten but not broken, they returned with lessons learned, fresh faces impressing and determination to overcome new challenges.
The road trip began with a second meeting against rivals Belleville Senators, where the Marlies welcomed back goaltender Dennis Hildeby for his first AHL game of the season. Staying true to their comeback character, Toronto fought back before ultimately falling 2-1 in a shootout. It was the team’s first loss of the season after seven games.
Defenceman Jacob Bengtsson and forward Braeden Kressler made their professional debuts against Belleville, while another new name introduced himself in the next game against Cleveland Monsters.
Connor Dewar skated in his first game of the 2024-25 regular season and recorded a game-tying goal before Toronto fell 4-2 in their second defeat. Back-to-back losses, however, did not derail the team. Instead, it offered a chance to look in the mirror and regroup.
“We knew they were going to bring their best. We adapted to that … but we didn’t do enough to win a game,” admitted head coach John Gruden after the loss in Cleveland. “It’s a good learning experience for us and we’ll get to work.”
And that they did. The Marlies returned to winning ways with a victory against Charlotte Checkers in game three, where the team opened the scoring and rallied for victory. Momentum was in full swing after analyzing the previous losses, which led to an all-around performance.
Eight players registered at least one point in the 4-3 win, with Gruden particularly impressed by how the team weathered the storm when pressure piled on.
“At the end of the day, it’s not easy,” he said. “We’re playing a really good team in their building, in an environment that some guys aren’t used to. The result we’re most happy about, things to work on but again, it’s a win.”
For Joseph Blandisi, who scored his second shorthanded goal of the season to tie the game in the third period, the result exemplified how resilient this team is.
“I wish lots of people could be in the dressing room just listening to the talk between (periods) two and three,” he said. “There’s a lot of belief in us. We know we have the character … that’s what good teams do, so, we’re pretty proud of ourselves.”
Blandisi continued his strong form into Toronto’s fourth road game with back-to-back goals during the team’s second meeting against Charlotte. Despite falling 5-4 in overtime, the performance showcased Toronto’s unity and further resilience, having come from behind twice.
Alex Steeves, in particular, was a standout performer against the Checkers and had his first career four-point game. He tied Ryan Hamilton for second in all-time points recorded as a Marlie (166).
The Toronto Maple Leafs eventually recalled Steeves on an emergency basis. But for him, carrying positive momentum into each game is the biggest lesson moving forward for the Marlies.
“We need to be better up and down the lineup. Everyone has more,” said Steeves on the team’s performance. “It is also a results business and three out of four (points) is pretty dang good, especially the circumstances of coming back. Would like us to play a little more consistently, keep building our game.”
The Marlies then concluded their annual road trip with a second meeting against the Cleveland Monsters. Another gritty showcase saw this never-down-and-out Toronto side come from behind before falling 3-2 in overtime for a second consecutive game.
Despite a fourth loss of the season, this game offered an opportunity for another new name to shine. Fraser Minten, who made his AHL debut during the road trip, recorded his first career professional goal against Cleveland. He registered points (1-2-3) in three consecutive games, highlighting a solid start to life as a Marlie.
ALL-STAR STATS
The AHL celebrated three Marlies players for their standout performances on the ice away from home. Steeves (one first star and one second star), Hildeby (one second star) and Blandisi (one third star) were the honoured players throughout Toronto’s five-game road trip.
Additionally, Blandisi skated in his 500th professional game against Charlotte on November 9. He has appeared in 400 regular season AHL games (114 goals, 177 assists) and has played for the Marlies since 2021-22.
Toronto’s roster depth also continues to shine during the 2024-25 season. Twenty-one different players have registered at least one point, while the Marlies have played with 31 different skaters so far.
Season leaders:
*Amongst active players
Goals 5 (A. Nylander)
Assists 7 (L. Shaw)
Points 9 (N. Grebenkin, L. Shaw)
PPG 3 (N. Grebenkin, A. Nylander)
Shots 3 (A. Nylander)
+/- +8 (M. Rifai)
PIMS 10 (M. Rifai)
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MARLIES MIC’D UP
Head coach Gruden on final away game: “I thought we played 50 out of the 60 minutes, I thought we played extremely well minus the first five minutes to start the game. There was a stretch there in the third period where they got momentum and scored. We started to get away from our game a little bit. All in all, I was pleased with our effort. I thought we got inside. I thought we were getting some really dangerous opportunities. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that third (goal) to get us more of a comfortable lead but again, I was happy with the performance and to get four out of six points against two pretty good teams, we’ll take it and now we’ve got to go to work back home.”
Head coach Gruden on Minten’s AHL debut: “He’s a smart player. He can play in all situations. You can see how smart he is. It was nice to see him get out there and get his timing back. Scored his first point, got a couple of penalties. It was a success for him and he’s healthy so, that’s the key.”
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