The Toronto Maple Leafs have not been shy of tapping into their American Hockey League affiliate since the dismissal of Mike Babcock in late November. GM Kyle Dubas brought up prospects Pierre Engvall and Adam Brooks (who have seen game action), along with Kenny Agostino,Timothy Liljegren, Teemu Kivihalme, and Jeremy Bracco) who were promoted and did not play.
For the final game of their two-game road trip, the Leafs have called up Mason Marchment and the winger will make his NHL debut against the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place on Thursday. The 24-year-old winger was thought to be a candidate for a fourth line spot entering training camp, but suffered a shoulder injury in the first preseason game and made his return until early December.
"We felt for a long time being with the Marlies that there would be a lot of guys that would have a chance to play and compete for jobs. This year in training camp there were a number of guys, not just those that have been in the organization, but those were added in the summertime. Injuries are an unfortunate but inevitable thing and what it does do though is create an opportunity to get looks at different people and just see what they might be able to provide." Head coach Sheldon Keefe said on Thursday morning.
"(Mason) has come very far. It's not just his skating in terms of speed, but it's also just balance and agility. There's been a lot of work that he's done. There's also been a lot of work from the player development staff in particular. He is a guy that started with somewhat of an unconventional approach, where he didn't play much at all in this first year of pro hockey and it was more time spent in the gym and with the development coaches.”
Marchment had four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 11 games and will replace Dmytro Timashov alongside Winnipeg native and longtime linemate Brooks and Frederik Gauthier on Toronto’s fourth line, adding some size and sandpaper to a Leafs lineup that is short on both.
“I was pretty disappointed (after the injury), but (getting called up) is a dream come true and I couldn’t be happier.” Marchment said. “(I’m going to) keep it simple and play my game, play hard, chip pucks in and go get them. Just play my role and hopefully I can help.”
Toronto has earned points in eight straight games (7-0-1) and will look to win their fifth straight game on the road before returning home for a three-game homestand on Saturday against the New York Islanders.
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World Junior Update
The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships reached the quarter-final on Thursday, and in a head-to-head matchup between Team USA and Finland, Leafs prospects Nick Robertson and Mikko Kokkonen went scoreless in a 1-0 Finnish victory.
2018 top pick Rasmus Sandin had another excellent outing for Sweden, with two assists in a 5-0 win over the Czech Republic. Sandin, who left the game against Slovakia earlier this week after being slashed, received a slash to the wrist on Thursday but remained in the game.
Sweden will face Russia on Saturday, while the Finns will play Team Canada.
Rasmus Sandin (TOR) feeds Samuel Fagemo (LAK) for the one-timer, and Nils Hoglander (VAN) ends up with a rebound right on the tape of his stick for the finish. 1-0 Sweden. #WJCpic.twitter.com/lQO1csxAli
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