The Monday Marlie: Mason Marchment Playing His Way On to Leafs Radar
5 years ago
Through the Toronto Marlies last three games–where they went 2-0-1-0–the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate received massive contributions from one of the organizations fastest-rising prospects
Mason Marchment, who has 13 points in 13 games with the Marlies this season, accumulated five goals and one helper over the last three games. Each of those five goals were significant for the Marlies. Two of his which were the Marlies’ first goal of the game, another pair of goals were overtime winners, plus one of them was a go-ahead-goal early in the third period.
Simply put, Mason Marchment has been the driving force of the Marlies’ recent resiliency.
“The biggest thing is that he’s continued playing with the same mindset that he had in the playoffs last year, which was that he’s a difference maker,” Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the team fell 2-1 (OT) to the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday evening.
In the playoffs last year, alongside his current linemates Adam Brooks and Trevor Moore, Marchment recorded nine points in 20 contests, playing phenomenally in a support role for the Marlies. But this year, Marchment is being called upon to be more than an excellent complimentary forward.
The Marlies– who just lost Adam Cracknell and Sam Gagner, not to mention the other departures from last season–need Marchment to deliver in a prominent role with the club.
For someone like Marchment, who has 13 points through 13 contests with the Marlies this year, it’s crucial for him to be difference maker at the AHL level before one can even ponder the idea of him getting a taste of NHL-action.
So far, he’s on his way.
Marchment picked up right where he left off last season with Moore and Brooks. Moore is a slickly skilled forward who can retrieve pucks and maintain them, like nobody else at the AHL level. Brooks is a fantastic distributor who looks to feed pucks to the slot for a quick-shot.
Marchment? He’s a big-body who has a rifle of a shot, coupled with a intimidating figure that he likes to plant in front of the net. Marchment’s line mates have helped him play the game that he hopes to one day translate to the NHL level.
“A lot of my goals are coming from the slot so [Brooks and Moore] are finding me,” said Marchment.
Yet, at the next level, Marchment’s game, at least to start things out, may not project to be all-that-focused on putting pucks in the net. Especially if you look at the Leafs depth chart–and where Marchment would likely fit in down the road–it’s likely that Marchment could become a staple on the Leafs fourth line.
And that’s ok.
If you factor in his size (6’4 204lb), his long reach, his abilities to keep the puck in the zone, cycle the puck and to provide physicality, coupled with his offensive instincts—he’s the prototypical modern day bottom-six NHL forward.
And it’s no secret that the Leafs have a big cap crunch on their hands at the start of this upcoming off-season. The Leafs may struggle to retain If Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen continue to excel, they could seek a dollar amount that the Leafs simply can’t pay. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner still need to sign their mega-contracts, and we can’t forget about William Nyalnder’s current negotiations with the club.
The Leafs could look different next year, and of course, Kyle Dubas continues to keep a close eye on the Marlies.
While Marchment may not get a shot to play in the big leagues this year, he could earn a “reward” call-up like we saw the team give Trevor Moore recently, as the Leafs try to identify how their AHL stars stack up against everyday NHL players.
So far, he’s on his way.
Eamon McAdam Standing His Ground Between the Pipes
A big reason why the Toronto Marlies appear to be on the upswing is the resurgence of goaltender Eamon McAdam.
McAdam, who the Leafs acquired in return for Matt Martin this offseason, has started to take on the reigns as the teams starting goaltender.
Sundays start against the Cleveland Monsters was McAdam’s third-straight for the Marlies. While Cleveland scored a quick tying goal in the last two minutes of the game and eventually won in overtime, McAdam was the Marlies’ backbone. Keefe says the team has confidence their 24-year-old goaltender.
“That’s why we continue to put him in the net,” said Keefe.
McAdam has been given the ball, now he’s just got to run with it.
“You always want to be in [the net] as much as possible,” said McAdam. “An increased workload’s good for me. I’m enjoying it and trying to make the most of it and win games where I can.”
In his last three games, McAdam has averaged a .907 save percentage, along with a 2.84 goals against average (even when you include Friday’s 6-5 overtime win against Cleveland on Friday).
News and Notes
- The Marlies are 7-7-2-2 (7th in North Division).
- Over the last five games, the Marlies power play has struggled mightily with a 10% efficiency rate.
- Jordan Subban has been a healthy scratch for the Marlies last three contests.
- Don’t expect Sam Gagner to be back with the Marlies, at least any time soon. Gagner has four points in two games with the Canucks, and he’s been playing on the Canucks second power play unit.
Next Up
The Marlies will travel back to Cleveland to face off against the Monsters, once more, on Wednesday. Then, the Marlies will host the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on the weekend.
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