As we approach the halfway mark in the season, The Hockey News spoke with Marlies head coach John Gruden about some of Toronto's top prospects.

When the Toronto Marlies embark on their eight-game "Boat Show" road trip, they'll be approaching the midway point in their season.

While there's been a fair bit of ups and downs throughout the first 33 games of the year, it's clear Toronto is focusing on the bigger picture of developing the next crop of Maple Leafs talent.

Fraser Minten, Nikita Grebenkin, Jacob Quillan, and Cade Webber, among countless others, are in the midst of their first pro season. All four players, although at different points in their development, could very well have an NHL future.

The Hockey News spoke one-on-one with Marlies head coach John Gruden to get an understanding of how their development is going this season.

C Fraser Minten — 5 goals, 5 assists in 16 AHL games

Minten, specifically, has had a strong year for the Marlies — when he's been with the team, I might add. The 20-year-old played 11 games with the Maple Leafs shortly after returning from a high-ankle sprain in mid-November. 

Minten got off to a hot with the Maple Leafs, scoring four points in his first five games before going pointless in his next six. Since returning to the Marlies on Dec. 17, Minten has three goals and three assists in 11 games.

It's not flashy, however, the young forward continues to prove he can be reliable on both sides of the puck.

"For a young player, we all know he plays the right way, he plays a 200-foot game. And by playing with us, he's getting it in all situations. He's playing penalty kill, power play, all five-on-five situations, so he's getting a lot of experience," Gruden told The Hockey News.

"Because it's a big difference between juniors and even the American Hockey League. So this is allowing him to understand how he's going to be the best version of himself."

As pointed out previously, Minten's personality is that of a veteran who's been in the league for a long time. He acts, plays, and talks as if he's played in both the NHL and AHL for quite a long time.

"It honestly feels like he’s been around for a while. It’s hard to believe he’s only played a couple of pro games," Marlies captain Logan Shaw said in mid-November.

For the most part, Minten has lined up this season alongside Nikita Grebenkin and Alex Nylander. Gruden mentioned earlier this season that his 200-foot game helped those two players. The trio has since been split up, with Nick Abruzzese skating alongside Minten.

It's up in the air as to when the young forward could get another taste of NHL hockey, but he's developing well down in the AHL this season.

"The one thing I like about him is he comes to work every day. He never takes a day off," Gruden added. "He just has to continue to grow his game and understand what works and keep building and keep growing and help him out as he moves forward."

LW Nikita Grebenkin — 8 goals, 7 assists in 26 AHL games

Similar to Minten, Grebenkin had some time up with the Maple Leafs while they were decimated with injuries earlier this season. He didn't have a point, though you could see in spurts that there's an NHL future there.

Grebenkin began the season with 10 points in his first 13 AHL games before being called up to the NHL. The 21-year-old has struggled offensively since returning to the Marlies, scoring just five points — four of which are goals — in his last 13 games.

It's not the point production he or the Maple Leafs would like. However, Gruden believes Grebenkin is continuing to learn what playing the North American game is like.

"I think he's taken a step," Gruden said. 

"He's adjusting to the North American game better. He's understanding when to get inside of where his ice is. Sometimes, when you're used to playing on the bigger ice, you like to go and get to the perimeter a little bit. 

"He's done a much better job of getting into the interior, and because of that, he's scored some nice goals here in the past few games."

Grebenkin has all the tools to be an NHL player: strength, smarts, and physicality. The next step for Toronto's 2022 fifth-round pick is to be consistently strong on both sides of the puck.

"He's gotta continue to build that, and then, be a straight-line player. I mean, for any coach, regardless of whether he's here or he's (in the NHL), the coach has to know they can trust him. Defensively, he's responsible and he understands what his job is when he's in those situations."

C Jacob Quillan — 4 goals, 7 assists in 33 AHL games

The 22-year-old made headlines when he signed a two-year entry-level contract following his season at Quinnipiac University in April. He was touted as one of 2024's top college free agents.

However, similarly to most players who come out of college, there's an adjustment period to the professional game. 

With Minten and Shaw making up the top two centers on the Marlies this season, Quillan has played most of his minutes as Toronto's third-line center. He had four points in his first 21 AHL games this season as he adjusted to the different level of play. 

In Quillan's last 12 games, the forward has scored seven points and even went on a six-game point streak during that stretch.

"I really believe that he continues to grow. Like, he's understanding the game's not played all at one speed. He has great speed. To understand how to change gears, and when to attack, he's done a really good job," Gruden said.

"Starting to get more comfortable out there, controlling the puck and making plays," Quillan said. "I'm just looking to get better every day and keep making progress."

What are some of the areas in which Quillan can progress in?

"Just little things. My defensive game, scoring, stuff like that," he said. "Being a little bit more physical. Just winning battles, getting better at faceoffs. Kind of just everything."

It can be difficult to come into the AHL as a rookie and be strong on both ends of the puck. Gruden, though, preached that Quillan has been strong in that area since coming from college.

"I think, defensively, he's been really good. He's got a great motor on him. He uses his speed to chase down pucks. He uses his speed to get in on the forecheck. So he's understanding the difference between the two and I think his game has grown these first 30 games," the head coach said. 

"I think he's gotta continue to work on the things and he's done a really good job."

D Cade Webber — 0 goals, 5 assists in 27 AHL games

When Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving acquired, and then signed Webber to a two-year, entry-level contract, there were a lot of question marks about his ceiling coming out of Boston University.

The 6-foot-7 defenseman, though, has given answers to those queries.

Webber set the NCAA single-season shot blocks record with 137 blocks last season. And he's carried that over to the Marlies, where he's had a lot of success defensively this year.

"I think he does a lot of the intangible things to help the team win," Gruden said. "You can tell he came from a winning program at Boston University. And he's got great feet for a big guy. He's got great edges. But him, it's just understanding the pro game and when to live the fight another day, and when to make that next play."

Gruden adds that when Webber joined the Marlies, he had an understanding of how to play at the professional level.

"I think, he came in understanding, he's a defenseman. He doesn't get caught out of position very often," Gruden said. 

"When the puck gets on his stick, he understands what his outs are and he can make that quick first pass because that's where he's going to be effective: being strong in his own end, and then, when the puck is on his stick, understanding where he needs to go with it to make that next play."

Because the AHL doesn't make blocked shots a public stat, it's difficult to put a number on how many times a shot has hit Webber this season. But his teammates have taken a liking to the defenseman's ability to get his body in front of shots.

"That's what the guys talk about sometimes; he always finds a way to be in the lanes, so that's pretty impressive. He's a big part of our PK and especially in the defensive zone."

Other Maple Leafs prospects with the Marlies

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