The Toronto Marlies are heading into a season with a target on their backs after winning the Calder Cup, and a handful of players could end up forcing their way into the Maple Leafs conversation along the way.
With much of the roster intact, William Villeneuve, Ben Danford, Miroslav Holinka and Ryan Tverberg stand out as the names worth circling. Each brings a different storyline, but all four have a chance to shape what comes next for Toronto’s depth chart.
Villeneuve is the headliner. He’s coming off a strong year in which he paced the Marlies’ blue line with 30 points and 27 assists, then turned around and delivered 23 points in 24 Calder Cup playoff games. That kind of production made him a driving force last spring, and the expectation now is simple: keep pushing those numbers higher and lock himself in as the organization’s top defenceman.
Danford gives the Marlies another intriguing blue-line story, even though this will be his first full regular season with the club. He did get a taste of the group during the 2024-25 AHL playoffs, posting three points - one goal and two assists - in 16 games.
As the Maple Leafs’ first-round pick, he’ll draw plenty of attention just to see what he can do with a bigger role. And if he ends up paired with Villeneuve, that’s the kind of young defensive duo that would make people stop and watch.
Holinka is in a similar spot in terms of being new to the league setup. This will be his first full season in the AHL and in the Leafs organization, and he arrives with a big offensive resume from last year with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL.
He put up 80 points, scoring 37 goals and adding 43 assists, finishing second on the team in points while leading all Oil Kings skaters in goals. With Alex Nylander on a PTO with the Calgary Flames, Holinka is also stepping into a situation where there’s room for him to help absorb some of that production, even if no one is expecting fireworks right away.
Tverberg may not have carried the same spotlight, but his case is strong in its own way. He was productive for the Marlies in the playoffs with 14 points in 24 games, and he backed that up in the regular season with 36 points in 63 games. At 24, he also finds himself in the mix to help cover for the Nylander departure, and his recent trend suggests he’s in position to handle that responsibility.
For the Marlies, it’s a big year. For these four, it could be even bigger.
Some are trying to keep building on what they already showed. Others are trying to get their AHL start off to a fast one.
Either way, they’ll be front and center on a team that just won it all.
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