It's just one game, but the Toronto Marlies answered the call of their head coach and leadership group by delivering an overpowering performance against Iowa. Admittedly, the Wild are a young group missing some key pieces, but you can only beat the team in front of you. The Marlies did it with aplomb on Saturday, starting with a dominant first period.
The opening frame represented the Toronto Marlies' best chance to take anything from this game. After surviving a barrage in the opening five or six minutes, the Marlies generated a plethora of quality scoring chances. A lack of traffic in the crease and some subpar finishing led to only one Toronto goal. Ultimately, the Maries' performance in the second period sealed their fate.
I have a few thank yous I want to make sure I say, mainly to the Leafs organization, starting with Brad and working all the way down, for all of the support they've given me and my family for the last little bit. I have really been blown away by how much support I've received, and with that, a big thank you to my teammates as well. I have expressed that to them, for all of the support they've given.
December 18, 2015: The Toronto Marlies find themselves trailing 3-0 after 42 minutes on the road against a rolling Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins team. A wild, highly improbable comeback unfolds as Toronto scores three shorthanded goals in 2:34 before winning the game in a shootout. Roll forward almost 10 years, and the Marlies mounted a comeback as miraculous and impressive. Funny enough, it came during the same week the big club erased a 3-0 third-period deficit against the Penguins' parent franchise.
For the opening 25 minutes of this game, the Toronto Marlies produced some of their best five-on-five hockey this season. Organized breakouts, adherence to their structure, and a relentless forecheck allowed the Marlies to dominate offensive-zone time and force the Syracuse Crunch to defend for long stretches. Two defensive breakdowns later, Toronto allowed two goals in 37 seconds. Two penalties later, the Marlies were down 4-1, and the game was basically curtains.
Niemelä, 23, was a third-round pick by the Maple Leafs in 2020 and quickly became one of the organizations most promising prospects with a strong season as a teenager in the SM-Liiga in Finland with Karpat. Niemelä became a top-ranking name in the Leafs system at the 2021 World Juniors when he was named top defenceman at the tournament with eight points in seven games as Finland went on to win the bronze medal.
