The Maple Leafs’ prospects opened the 2026 Prospect Tournament with a 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators, but Marlies head coach Steve Sullivan came away encouraged by what he saw in nearly 65 minutes of hockey.
Sullivan said the group handled a heavy dose of special teams and a packed information load well in a game that asked a lot of them right away.
“I thought it was good. Obviously, there was a ton of special-teams play, which took away a little bit of the flow, but our process was really good to start the game.”
He said the players carried out the structure the staff had laid out in just two days of work.
“You could see that they were trying to do what we asked of them. We gave them a lot of information in two days, and structurally, it was really good.”
Toronto came out with energy in the first period, faded some in the second, then pushed back in the third.
“We had a ton of energy to start the first period, and you could see that we took advantage of it. We got a little bit tired going into the second, but we were resilient. We came back in the third period and found a way to take the lead.”
Sullivan also addressed the unusual number of game states the team had to navigate, including four-on-three, four-on-four, five-on-three and three-on-three situations. He said the coaching staff didn’t specifically prepare the group for all of those looks, but the players managed them as the game unfolded.
“I’m not sure there is one, to be honest.”
“We tried to give them so much information regarding our structure that we didn’t really get into many of those situations. We did some special-teams work-regular five-on-fours and four-on-fives-but we didn’t have time to touch on all of the extra situations.”
“I give the players credit for handling it on the fly, and our assistant coaches did a great job of giving them the information on the bench as we went along.”
“Now, we can cut the video, take a look at it, and if we get into one of those situations tomorrow, they’ll be ready for it.”
Before puck drop, the message to the players was simple.
“Be you inside of us.”
Sullivan expanded on that by saying the prospects should lean into what made them draftable in the first place.
“You know what your strengths are. You know why you were drafted. Somebody in the organization liked you for a certain reason, so show us what that is.”
“We showed them some structure, so the message was: Try to be you inside of us.”
Luke Haymes was one of the players Sullivan singled out, calling his development noticeable after the Calder Cup run.
“He is growing. I think the Calder Cup run was really big for him. He took a huge step.”
Now a year older and in a leadership role, Haymes drew praise for the way he was used in all situations.
“He is a year older and now in a leadership role. He was really good for us tonight and was obviously used in a ton of situations.
He is really reliable. He is a 200-foot hockey player, and it showed tonight.”
“He was part of the power play and the penalty kill, right through to the end. I’m excited about the step he has taken.”
In net, Timofei Obvintsev drew mixed but mostly positive reviews from his coach.
“He is very athletic. He might want one of those goals back, but he also made some huge saves for us coming down the stretch. He is an extremely athletic goaltender and made some really key saves for us.”
Sullivan also liked what he saw from Ben Danford, despite two penalties.
“Obviously, he knows he doesn’t want to take those penalties.”
“The player he wants to be is a good first-pass, defensive defenseman who gets up the ice, helps us out, and uses his feet to his advantage. We saw that tonight.”
“He isn’t going to continue taking those penalties as we go along here. We are just coming out of the summer, and it was Game 1, so we aren’t going to read too much into it. I liked his game overall.”
Alex Bilecki, meanwhile, stood out for his work in the offensive zone and at the blue line.
“He has been good. From the red line toward their net and in the offensive zone, you can see why we think he is a really good talent.”
Sullivan said the next step for Bilecki will come on the defensive side, along with added strength.
“Obviously, he is still young. He’ll continue learning on the other side of the puck-how to close on pucks in our zone-and he’ll get bigger and stronger, which will help him defend for us.”
“In the offensive zone and at the offensive blue line, his thought process, the plays he made, and the way he moved the puck were really, really good.”
Tinus Luc Koblar was another player Sullivan highlighted, especially for the push he is making to stick in North America with the Maple Leafs.
“There will be growth as he continues to get older. He played against men and went the distance last season.”
Sullivan said Koblar started strong before fatigue set in later in the game.
“Even tonight, I thought he started really well in the first period, and then a little bit of fatigue kicked in. Hopefully, he can take another step tomorrow. I think it will be day by day with him.”
He also said nerves may have played a part, while noting Koblar’s determination to remain with the organization.
“There were probably some nerves, too. He is pushing hard.
He wants to make the big club as much as he can. He knows he wants to stay.
He also knows he might go back home to play, but he wants to stay here in North America and play with the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
“As the game went on, he got a little tired, but hopefully he gets a good night’s sleep and gives us a good game tomorrow.”
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