Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
Friday brought another get-to-know-you night for the Toronto Marlies.
There are plenty of them this spring – but so are their rivals.
Knowing the usual division opponents during the regular season is one thing. But the Calder Cup Playoffs are a different story. That adaptation process becomes more and more challenging as the postseason progresses, as the opponents are much smaller.
The Marlies learned everything they ever cared to know about the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, their foe in a hard-fought, six-game sweep of the Eastern Conference Finals. Next up, the Western Conference champion Chicago Wolves.
Toronto and Chicago actually met in the 2025-26 regular season — a rarity for Calder Cup hosts. But plans have changed. Some of the players are not the same. And those who remain have been strengthened by almost two months of final battles.
The teams met again in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals, winning 4-2 against the Marlies. That natural feeling phase is done. Now it has become commonplace. If they don’t know each other well yet, they will soon meet. Game 2 is this afternoon at Allstate Arena (4 ET,
Sportsnet One) before the series moves to Toronto for about three games in four nights starting Tuesday.
The Marlies made sure that opponents needed to know each other equally, and the Wolves got a solid look at what Toronto is all about.
It wasn’t a perfect game for the Marlies, but it was enough to win – and set a good foundation for this series. A flawless game is not necessary for a head coach John Grudenplayers ‘s. This is a team that has developed enough of the winning habits needed to still be playing in mid-June. Create enough of those habits, spread them throughout the team, and a team can work toward great success, as the Marlies have shown.
“For our first game trying to get along on the outside, I thought we did a lot of good things,” Gruden said at his postgame media availability. “It’s all about winning right now.”
Marlies ahead Vinnie Lettieri came up again in Game 1, dishing out a first-time assist before scoring the game-winning goal on a spectacular rush in which he passed four Chicago players. He added an empty insurance goal to seal the win. Lettieri arrived in the Maple Leafs organization with just 15 games to play in his first eight seasons. He currently leads the way with 10 goals and 20 points this season.
Gruden and Lettieri spent the 2022-23 season together in the Boston Bruins organization, and the forward’s growth in his rotation game is evident. Since becoming a full-time starter with the Hartford Wolf Pack in 2017 after his senior year at the University of Minnesota, Lettieri has never been questioned about his offensive talent. But building a game around it helped him become more useful. His third-period goal came from those focused practices: he positioned himself well to win a loose puck high in his defense, then used his puck skills to create something.
The empty netter comes because Gruden feels comfortable enough to let him save one goal in the final minute of play.
“He’s becoming a complete player, which I like,” Gruden said.
Lettieri’s growth reflects Toronto’s roster. Start with Artur Akhtyamovwho continues to shine in the net. His 16th consecutive start ended with him stopping 24 shots on a Chicago team that had figured out how to solve the Colorado Eagles defense in the previous round. Rookie blueliner Ben Danfordall 12 games into his professional career, he gave up his first professional goal. Borya Valis divided by two assists. All but three Marlies players recorded at least one shot. Toronto erased Chicago’s lead en route to its fifth straight road win.
The ability of different players to play important roles at different times has been a dominant theme of this playoff game. Dennis Hildeby came in for Akhtyamov to get the Marlies in their first series against Rochester. Michael Pezzetta accomplished back-to-back game-winning goals to open the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton series. Marc Johnstone again Landon Sim they have given strength. Contributions by Danford and other rookies Easton Cowan again Luke Haymes be large.
If it’s not a goal or a savings, it’s a lot of unsightly, menial and dirty work.
As previous opponents had to do, Chicago is still learning the intricacies of the Marlies, but Toronto’s operational integrity is quickly apparent. Gruden’s players love him, as does his game plan. He went out and took it out. It’s no-frills, hard-nosed, grind-it-out hockey, the kind of way that would win a Calder trophy.
“They dive in front of pucks, they block shots, they do whatever they have to do to win games,” Gruden said, “and that’s what this time of year is all about.”
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
