The Toronto Maple Leafs' prospect cupboard isn't as bare as everyone thought. Easton Cowan, Ben Danford and playoff MVP Artur Akhtyamov contributed to the Toronto Marlies' Calder Cup championship.
The Toronto Marlies are Calder Cup champions for the second time in eight years.
It should be noted that once the Calder Cup got in to Easton Cowan's hands Friday night after their 4-3 win and 4-1 series victory over the Chicago Wolves, the first player he handed it to was Toronto Marlies teammate and rookie defenseman Ben Danford.
The symbolism in that should not be overlooked.
That's because Cowan and Danford are the Toronto Maple Leafs' top prospects, but you'd have to think that goalie Artur Akhtyamov is probably rising the charts after taking the Jack Butterfield Trophy as MVP of the playoffs.
Does this mean the big team will follow it up with a championship of their own? Not necessarily, but having guys who have won at this level is always a good thing.
Doing so as the seventh-placed team in the Eastern Conference says even more about their playoff success as well.
Watch the video blog above for the full story from Coca-Cola Coliseum.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.