When the Toronto Marlies won a record 54 of 76 games last season, it was expected. They iced a roster on a nightly basis that included a cast of the AHL’s longtime best players, including T.J. Brennan and Mark Arcobello among others, as well as its reigning highest-scoring rookie (Connor Brown) and its brightest young superstar (William Nylander).
After a summer that saw the AHL’s top team lose seven of its eight leading scorers, the chance to repeat as the AHL’s most dominant team this season should have proven difficult. Nylander and Brown graduated alongside Connor Carrick, Josh Leivo and Zach Hyman, while fixtures such as Arcobello, Brennan, Sam Carrick, Ben Smith and Matt Frattin left the Marlies for other opportunities.