Weighted TOP 5 Maple Leafs Top Scorers 2012-2013

Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects Scoring Race

Josh Nicholls, Saskatoon Blades

The following scoring standings reflect Maple Leafs players or prospects currently playing in the KHL, AHL, NCAA or CHL.

11NOV12 - Overall top 5*

1. josh nicholls 25 whl

2. nikolai kulemin 22 khl

3. mikhail grabovsky 22 khl

4. keith aucoin 22 ahl

5. tyler biggs 21 ohl

5. morgan reilly 21 whl

* ahl / khl points = x 2

ncaa = x 1.5 (shorter season than canadian junior)

chl (whl/ohl/qmjhl) = 1

Tyler Biggs, now with Oshawa Generals

All of the above are playing up to expectations, while other Leafs prospects off to strong starts include Leo Komarov (with 5 goals, 7 points and a Marlies-leading Plus 5 rating), Mike Kostka (2 goals, 6 assists) and Jake Gardiner (4 goals and 3 assists). Jussi Rynnas has two shutouts and a 0.98 GAA after 3 starts.

Joe Colborne and Nazem Kadri appear to be rounding into form, and the Marlies have been looking tougher by the week.

Marlies: McKegg in as Frattin, Kadri, Zigomanis out with injuries

Time for Joe Colborne to step up and shine


Greg McKegg has been practicing with the Marlies for the past couple of days so look for him to crack the Marlies lineup, either for the opener in Norfolk or further down the line. With Frattin, Kadri, Zigomanis and Ashton all out, McKegg's scoring could be a welcome addition in the Calder Cup finals.


The key player to watch for the Toronto Marlies will be Joe Colborne. He started the season spectacularly and played well during a callup to the Leafs in November / December, however struggled mightily when sent back down to the AHL. It is now time for Joe to put the Marlies on his back and carry them to victory, which will go a long ways in convincing Brian Burke and Randy Carlyle that he is ready to join the Maple Leafs for the 2012-2013 season. 

Crabb, Colbourne and Boyce power Marlies to 3-2 AHL opener

Victory over champs led by Toronto Leafs late cuts

Even though the Leafs pulled last night's game out of a rabbit hat in the end, they did dominate Ottawa for long stretches, and Brian Burke must be smiling today. As the Leafs enter a week of practice, the Toronto Marlies are showing the depth the Leafs GM can benefit from. When Connlly and Mac Arthur return, both Kadri and Frattin could also find themselves on the Marlies, strengthening this club even further.

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (CP) - Darryl Boyce scored the power-play winner with one minute left in the second period as the Toronto Marlies defeated the defending Calder Cup champion Binghamton Senators 3-2 in American Hockey League action Saturday.

The Marlies scored three times in the second period to earn the win. Joey Crabb got Toronto (1-0-0) on the board at 3:24 of the period, then Joe Colborne and Boyce scored power-play goals to give the Marlies their first lead of the game.

Kaspars Daugavins and Eric Gryba scored in the first period for the Senators (0-2-0).

Ben Scrivens made 23 saves for the Marlies, who went 2-for-7 on the power play.

Mike McKenna made 35 stops for the Senators, who were blanked on four power-play chances.

Frattin makes Leafs; Kadri out 3 weeks with knee injury

With Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nazem Kadri out two to four weeks with a torn knee ligament, Matt Frattin will step in to play wing on the Buds' 3rd line. With that decision settled for October, here's what to look for in this weekend's games versus Detroit Red Wings:

Ben Scrivens versus Jonas Gustavsson

Leafs fans have been let down too many times by The Monster, so look for Scrivens to get the home start and Gustavsson the game in Detroit. I'd like to see Ben make the big club, primarily because the Leafs have not played well or confidently in front of Jonas.


Will Lombardi or Bozak heal in time for opener?

It'd be nice to have Mike Brown healthy, but i don't mind him starting the year on the injured list, as insurance for Colton Orr. The really important thing will be finding out whether either of Bozak or Lombardi will be healthy enough to start the season as the Leafs 3rd line centre.


Will Gunnarsson start year with Marlies?

Gunnar had been having a good camp, however his difficulties versus Ottawa the other night mean that he may be the odd man out to start the season. Another possibility would be to bit the bullet on Komisarek, and if no trade partners emerge, let him clear waivers and join the Marls as a high priced defender, a la Jeff Finger.

Should be a rockin' weekend for Leafs fans!!!

GTA Leafs fans: Buy The Star today

Okay peeps, I know it is July 6th however I was as happy as a kid in a candy store when I saw a full page of Toronto Maple Leafs coverage (page S2) in today's Toronto Star. Alright, the bottom story is about Tomas Kaberle signing with the Hurricanes (4.5 mil a year for 3 years, great for Kabs!), but his elegant and intelligent departure from the Buds means he'll always be a Leaf (unlike Sundin whose exit was unnecessarily messy and unrewarding for Leafs Nation) in the heart of a true fan.


Clarke MacArthur, Tyler Bozak both re-sign with Toronto

Stories on new Swedish goalie Mark Owuya, on the MacArthur and Bozak signings, and an excellent piece by Kevin McGran on Gardiner's and Blacker's reactions to the trade for Cody Franson.

If you don't live in the Greater Toronto Area, you can read the stories online at The Toronto Star articles on Toronto Maple Leafs.

Maple Leafs must re-sign own players before July 1st

Signing Luke Schenn the #1 priority; then MacArthur, then Bozak

Although there remains the possibility that deals can get done after July 1st, having the gusto to get the club's own players signed over the next two weeks will provide guidance for the free agent season, as we'll know which holes remain to be filled.

After signing James Reimer and Carl Gunnarsson over the past week, the Buds now need to buckle down and get Luke Schenn signed, followed by the balance of the RFAs, namely Clarke MacArthur, and Tyler Bozak. Even if you plan to trade some of these names, they are much more valuable when signed to prudent, medium-term deals.

Additional RFAs that should be signed to medium term deals include Matt Lashoff, Mike Brown, and Ben Scrivens.

When you get to the Unrestricted Free Agents (UFAs), things get a little trickier. Most agree that Tim Brent should get a reasonable offer, and I concur. Darryl Boyce and Joey Crabb should follow, then Jay Rosehill, and for trade purposes, Fredrik Sjostrom.

Although we will likely be outbid for his services, I would still try to sign J.S. Giguere as a backup to James Reimer, though for about 1.6 to 1.7 mil (Reimer makes 1.8 mil) rather than the 7.2 mil Jiggy made last year. If another team wants to pay him more they can try him, however if he signs here for that price, then Owuya, Scrivens and Rynass will be in a hot 3-way battle for the Toronto Marlies goaltending duties, and the AHL squad may have to start the season with 3 goalies.

Brad Richards, Dallas Stars part ways

Rangers, Maple Leafs in hunt for star center

Now that Brad Richards and the Dallas Stars have officially parted ways (Richards announced he won't negotiate with the Stars until they have an owner; Stars GM said no offer possible before July 1st), it's time for the Leafs to launch a full court PEI press to land Richards in Toronto.

Manhattan's bright lights, or hero of a nation?

If it boils down to the N.Y. Strangers and the T.O. Buds, our ace in the hole will have to be the PEI connection (Darryl Boyce is from PEI, as is Phaneuf's mom, who figure skated for the province). Burke must plan a trip to Charlottetown, where he and Phaneuf can schmooze Richards about the young, energetic and fast improving Leafs team. Brad Richards needs to land somewhere that will be a competitive team over the next 3 to 5 years, and the Toronto Maple Leafs have a young, talented core (Phaneuf, Schenn, Kessel, Reimer) that can help keep Brad Richards vital and winning for many years to come.

As probably 80% of PEI hockey fans are also part of Leafs Nation, the chances of Toronto landing Richards are much better than most hockey writers realize.

Leafs sign goalie / rapper Mark "Markindapark" Owuya

Markindapark joins colourful cats Optimus Reim, The Monster and Jiggy in Toronto nets

Swedish hockey player / rapper Mark Owuya's father is from Uganda and his mother is from Russia. Owuya is also known in Sweden for rapping on popular talent show Idol as "Mark In Da Park."

Please enjoy these photos and videos of new Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender signing Mark Owuya.



Mark Aloysius Opoya Owuya (born 18 July 1989) is a professional Swedish ice hockey goaltender, currently a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization of the National Hockey League, having been signed by Toronto on 28 April 2011.



Owuya began playing junior hockey with Djurgårdens IF in the 2005–06 season when he began playing with the U18 team. The following season Owuya played with both Djurgården's U18 and J20 team and also played most of the games with the Djurgården's J20 team in the 2007–08 season. While Stefan Ridderwall joined team Sweden for the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Owuya made his Elitserien debut on 3 January 2008, against Brynäs IF.






He was loaned out to Mälarhöjden/Bredängs IK during the 2007–08 winter, later was loaned out to Almtuna IS for the entire 2008–09 season. Owuya was also on loan during the 2009–10 season, first to Örebro HK and later Mora IK. In the 2010 pre-season, Owuya was moved up to Djurgården's senior team, to compete with goaltender Stefan Ridderwall to be the first choice in the goal.




Ultimately, Owuya played in 32 out of 55 games in the 2010–11 Elitserien season, with a 2.18 goals against average and league-best save percentage of .927. He also played in all of Djurgården's seven playoff games, with a 1.66 goals against average and .924.


























Peace!

Twenty Young Buds; Best Maple Leafs players and prospects

Top 20 Maple Leafs players and prospects aged 25 or under (Born 1986 or later):

Player Position Age

James Reimer, G 23

Phil Kessel, F 23

Luke Schenn, D 21

Nazem Kadri, F 20

Nikolai Kulemin, F 24

Keith Aulie, D 21

Carl Gunnarsson, D 24

Joe Colborne, F 21

Matt Frattin, F 23

Matt Lashoff, D 24

Jake Gardiner, D 20

Tyler Brenner, F 23

Greg McKegg, F 18

Jussi Rynas, G 23

Simon Gysbers, D 23

Ben Scrivens, G 24

Korbinian Holzer, D 23

Bradley Ross, F 18

Josh Nicholls, F 19 on April 27

Tyler Bozak, F 25


I'm probably forgetting a few solid young defencemen as they don't usually get the props that forwards and goalies get. If you add the 26 and 27 year olds (Born 1985 and 1984) to this list, the depth and strength of the Leafs Youth Corps becomes increasingly apparent:

Dion Phaneuf, Born 1985

Mikhail Grabovski, 1984

Clarke MacArthur, 1985

Mike Brown, 1985

Jay Rosehill, 1985

Jonas Gustavsson, 1984

Darryl Boyce, 1984

Tim Brent, 1984


That's 28 players aged 27 or younger, a really solid core to build upon! We'll update this list after the draft, and after any major trades that Burkie pulls off.