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Maple Leafs ECHL prospects update
Written by: Holly Gunning on 02/06/2005 
The Ice Pilots lead the 28-team league with a 30-11-4 record and have one of the youngest line-ups in the league this season, with the average age currently at 23. Coach Farrish has been pleased with the progress the Maple Leafs prospects have made over the course of the season.
"They've all really come along very well," he said Saturday night preparing for the match-up against the Gwinnett Gladiators. "They've all been very good students, good listeners, and have bought into our systems, played very unselfishly. We've created a very good team atmosphere and they're all a big part of that."
Below is a look at how each of the Toronto Maple Leaf prospects are faring.
David Turon, D is in his second year as professional in North America, after playing one year in the WHL. The 6'3, 200-pound Czech defenseman played 42 games for affiliate Memphis of the CHL last season as well as 11 games for the St. John’s Maple Leafs. This season the 21-year-old Turon has been paired with 25-year-old Ryan O'Keefe and sees time on the power play. He has 11 points, plays a simple game and is +6. Turon was a fourth round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2002.
Farrish said of Turon, "He's a young offensive defenseman who's got some exceptional skill. Real good skater, great shooter. A young kid who needs to work on some defensive parts of his game, but he's got a pretty good upside."
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| Pensacola | 36 | 3 | 8 | 11 | +8 | 26 |
| St. John's | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 2 |
Scott May, C is a 23-year-old rookie out of Ohio State University. The 5'11 195-pound center was a 7th round selection of the Maple Leafs in 2002. After putting up only one point at St. John's in 16 games, May was assigned to the Ice Pilots on Jan. 15th. He's scoring at a point a game pace in Pensacola on a line with Alex Materukhin and Jordan Krestanovich. He has some offensive skill and also pays attention to his own end, coming back deep to help the defensemen.
"He's another late addition that we just got down, and he's instantly brought us some offense," Farrish said. "He's a very creative offensive centerman/right winger who can play both positions. Good skater, good playmaker type of guy, but can score goals too."
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| Pensacola | 12 | 5 | 8 | 13 | +7 | 6 |
| St. John's | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 21 |
Chris St. Jacques, C was the top scorer on the Medicine Hat Tigers last season with 92 points in 64 games. The 5'8, 181-pound rookie plays a feisty game. The 22-year-old was a free agent signee of the Maple Leafs this summer. He is playing on a line with Cam Keith and in penalty-killing situations. A willing hitter, his size limits his effectiveness.
Farrish said of St. Jacques, "He's a real good skater, a small guy, kind of a fireplug type of a player, likes to hit guys and is all over the ice. But also he has good offensive skill, he's scored some big goals for us this year. A promising young player."
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| Pensacola | 39 | 10 | 12 | 22 | -3 | 50 |
| St. John's | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Cam Keith, LW is a 6'3, 225-pound rookie out of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. In his last season in college, the left winger had 26 points in 36 games. He also played four games for Hartford of the AHL in 2003-04. The 24-year-old free agent signee is playing limited minutes on a checking line with Chris St. Jacques and Nick Lindberg or Bill Kinkel.
"Cam's a big strong powerful forward, his part of the game is just going to the net hard, using his size and strength to get to the front of the net," Farrish described. "He's got good soft hands for a big guy, also doesn't mind the physical play, and has scored some big goals for us as well."
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| Pensacola | 45 | 10 | 17 | 27 | +2 | 42 |
Currently with St. John's
Todd Ford, G spent four years in the WHL with Swift Current, Prince George and Vancouver, putting up less than stellar numbers. This season has been an exceptional one for the 20-year-old, putting up a 2.05 GAA, a .936 save percentage, representing the Ice Pilots in the ECHL All-Star game and winning the rookie of the month for December. He was recalled to the St. John's Maple Leafs recently, but has yet to play a game. The 6’4 goaltender was a former third round pick of the Leafs in 2002.
"He's done very well for a young goaltender coming out of junior," Farrish said. "He had a pretty good training camp in St. John's and then came to us early in the season. We thought we'd bring him along slowly and really introduce him to the league at a slow pace, and he's had a good mentor in Frederic Cloutier. He's learned a lot of things in preparation and those type of things from him. He's really advanced at a great rate, he's been a very solid goaltender for us and played some outstanding games.
Asked why Ford's numbers might be dramatically better this year, Farrish said, "Well, he's got a good team in front of him. We're in first place so we've got a good team in front of him which certainly makes the goaltender's job easier, but not to take anything away from him, because he's done a very good job. When he's been faced with quality scoring chances, he's been answering the bell real well."
| Team | GP | W | L | SO | AVG | SPCT |
| Pensacola | 17 | 12 | 2 | 1 | .936 | 2.05 |
| St. John's | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - |
Dominic D’Amour, D, another rookie, spent 12 games with the Ice Pilots before being recalled to the St. John's Maple Leafs. The 6’3 220-pound defender had an impressive 53 points and 211 penalty minutes in 61 games with the Gatineau Olympiques last season. He’s a player opponents hate to play against. The 21-year-old D'Amour was a third round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2002.
"He's a big, strong kid with some good offensive instincts," Farrish said. "He's kind of a power play guy, but also very tough. He had a couple hundred minutes in penalties last year in the Quebec League and had a couple real good fights earlier this year. But he can also play excellent offensively. He just needs a little experience I think to get himself to the next level, maybe get a little bit better defensively in his own zone. He certainly has the tools to move up."
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| Pensacola | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +1 | 21 |
| St. John's | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 45 |
Tyson Marsh, D started the season with the St. John's Maple Leafs, then was assigned to the Ice Pilots on Dec. 2, 2004. The 6'2, 210-pound 20-year-old rookie played 11 games with Pensacola, then was recalled back to St. John's.
"Didn't get a chance to see much of him, was only here for like three weeks then was recalled and broke his hand up there," Farrish explained. "But I like his energy, a real physical player, plays with his heart on his sleeve. He's good in all situations, he's a good two-way defenseman with some good size and speed and I think he's going to be a good contributor."
| Team | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| Pensacola | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +6 | 11 |
| St. John's | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 26 |
Copyright 2005 Hockey's Future. Do not duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.
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