The final score Saturday won’t be remembered by the Maple Leafs talent evaluators as much as the spirit of their rookie squad.
Opening the Prospects Showdown at the Bell Centre in Montreal against the Ottawa Senators’ freshmen, they were down three at one stage before a strong rally nearly tied an eventual 4-3 loss.
Luke Haymes, Jacob Quillan and Ryan Kirwan scored for the Leafs, while their most watched youngster, winger Easton Cowan, helped get Quillan’s goal rolling and took a lead role during a determined 6-on-5 push at the end.
Artur Akhtyamov, the Russian who is starting his second season in the AHL, made 27 saves, including a few early in the third period to keep the Leafs in the game. But the second goal from Senators’ 2024 first-rounder Carter Yakemchuk restored the two-goal lead. Toronto had 30 shots on OHL goalie of the year Jackson Parsons of the Kitchener Rangers.
Assisting on the Kirwan power-play goal in the final period were Haymes and defenceman Noah Chadwick, the latter teamed with 2024’s top pick Ben Danford in the game. Haymes had first put Toronto on the board, finding a puck in the slot for a spinaround goal. Miroslav Holinka, a mid-round pick from 2024, missed a couple of good chances from the slot late in the final period.
The Canadiens were to play a sold-out evening game against the Winnipeg Jets with another full house Sunday at 3 p.m. when they take on the Leafs. Toronto will likely use ECHL goalie Vyacheslav Peksa.
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