The Toronto Marlies are two wins away from the Calder Cup Final. It’s a crazy turnaround considering where this team was a few months ago, even as they entered the playoffs as a “wild card” team with the fourth-best record in the North Division. 

Yet, the Marlies have a 2-0 series lead against the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, the team that finished the season with the third-best record in the American Hockey League. It speaks to how the Marlies have become a tight-knit group and are playing like a complete team at the right time. “We’re a family up and down the bench. No one goes too hard on each other. Everyone brings each other up. And I think when you have that family, it's special,” Michael Pezzetta stated after the 4-2 Game 1 win. 

A lot must go right to become a red-hot team in the playoffs, and a lot has gone right. It’s why the Marlies are only two wins away from their first Calder Cup Final appearance since 2018.

Head coach John Gruden has gotten the most out of the Marlies all season. The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t provide him with a great farm system, and the NHL team’s injury woes forced multiple call-ups that depleted the Marlies. Gruden pivoted when needed to allow them to win games even when they were the less talented team. 

It’s what happened in the first two games of the Eastern Conference Final. The Penguins are a talented team that can gash teams on the rush. Gruden had the Marlies getting the puck in deep and protecting the neutral zone. “I thought we neutralized them a little bit better in this game and again, didn't give them as many great chances,” Gruden noted after Game 2, where they limited the Penguins to only one goal in the overtime win

Now, the Marlies are bought into the system that Gruden has wanted them to play all along, which is both fast and physical but more importantly, smart hockey. “We really came together in the playoffs and started playing really good hockey. It's a great group of guys, we’re all wanting this, and we all believe in each other,” Alex Nylander mentioned after Game 2. 

Nylander is one of the players who has stepped up in the playoff run and overachieved. It’s something the Marlies are seeing throughout their lineup. “It’s huge that everybody's contributing, and you need that obviously, especially in the playoffs to win these types of games,” Nylander added. The top six didn’t find the back of the net in Game 2; instead, it was the third and fourth line forwards who scored in the 2-1 win. 

Artur Ahktyamov is the 24-year-old goaltending prospect in the Maple Leafs system. While his regular season wasn’t anything special, as he had a .904 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.88 goals-against average (GAA), his play in the playoffs has been exceptional. He’s playing his best hockey but that’s an understatement. 

The Marlies starter has a .928 SV% and a 2.03 GAA with only nine goals in his last five starts. Game 2 was his most impressive game yet as he made 33 saves and outdueled Sergei Murashov, another Russian goaltending prospect, allowing the Marlies to win the game. 

More importantly, his play in the playoffs makes him look like a goaltender who can play at the next level. The Maple Leafs battled injuries in the net last season, and Ahktyamov could be the answer to those problems. He’s an athletic goaltender and has a great glove. The question is how his skills will translate in the NHL, and the only way to find out is by calling him up at some point. 

It’s hard to call Easton Cowan an AHL prospect considering how many games he played in the NHL this season. Regardless, he’s putting together a great playoff run, and this experience goes a long way for a young player learning the pro game. He didn’t play in Game 2 as he’s battling an upper-body injury but his five goals in the playoffs have given the Marlies an edge, and his eventual return to the lineup should give them another boost. 

The same is true about a lot of the rookies in the lineup. Luke Haymes has six assists, including a big one on the power play where he baited the Penguins into thinking he was going to shoot to spring open Nylander on the other wing. Ben Danford and Noah Chadwick are rookie defensemen, yet together on the third pair and rounding out the unit. 

Then there’s William Villeneuve, who has become the difference-maker on the defense. He has 13 points in 15 playoff games, while his puck handling has allowed the Marlies to maintain possession and turn defense into offense. “He's loved by his teammates, and for him to have this type of success and keep playing is very big for our group,” Gruden mentioned after Game 1.

Vinni Lettieri, Logan Shaw, and the other veterans have carried the Marlies. The Lettieri-Shaw duo leads the top line, and they’ve combined for 12 goals and 15 assists in the playoffs. Moreover, they’ve been valuable leaders in the room for the younger players. “I think we have great leadership. I mean, it starts from Logan Shaw, and it goes right all the way down,” Marc Johnstone noted after Game 2. 

It’s also allowed the Marlies to roll all four lines in the playoffs. “That's what we take pride in. We have four really strong lines and uh even if they're not in the lineup, we have a lot of guys that can provide good offense,” Johnstone added after Game 2. Johnstone is part of the Pezzetta and Reese Johnson line, known for its checking, yet it’s provided plenty of offense for the Marlies. 

The Maple Leafs can use some optimism these days, especially after a season where everything went wrong. After firing both the GM and the head coach, there’s an uncertain future for the NHL team. The Marlies provide hope. 

The prospects will head into training camp and next season with plenty of momentum and prepared to play in the NHL. Cowan will make the team, and there’s a chance Villeneuve and Ahktyamov do as well based on how they’ve played. Moreover, the future for the Marlies looks great.

It took a few years for Gruden to turn this team into a contender, and now he has. The last time the Marlies won the Calder Cup was 2018, and this team looks a lot like that one as a well-coached team that can get over the hump.