Auston Matthews has delivered and taken a few big hits over the first two days of Maple Leafs training camp. That includes being the recipient of big cross-check to the back, courtesy of six-foot-five defenceman Philippe Myers in a one-on-one drill.
Perhaps to the relief of the team鈥檚 fan base, the captain lived to tell the tale.
鈥淚鈥檓 super happy with how I feel and how the first two days have gone,鈥 said Matthews. 鈥淭hat’s all you can ask for.鈥
Intense battles, a first look at Craig Berube’s lines and a presence missing from the locker room highlight a busy day at Leafs training camp.
Intense battles, a first look at Craig Berube’s lines and a presence missing from the locker room highlight a busy day at Leafs training camp.
Matthews鈥 health is of paramount importance for the Leafs. He played through an undisclosed injury (believed to be a sore back) for most of last season and though he was still their best player, his offensive production fell off considerably.
He didn鈥檛 require surgery, just time to recover, and he believes he has.
鈥淵ou never really know until you get back out there,鈥 said Matthews. “You can do everything in the summer with training and skating. Once you get back into (training camp) you want to respond and feel really good and I definitely have.
鈥淚 was feeling good being out there, controlling play, skating up and down, feeling good, shooting. Through the first couple days here, it’s been competitive, it’s been physical, but I felt really good. I feel like the pace has been there for everybody, and the competitiveness is what you want to see.鈥
J盲rnkrok update
Forward Calle J盲rnkrok, who missed most of last season with a sports hernia, has been one of the early standouts at camp.
鈥淗e missed most of the year and came back and was still being bothered by the injury, and never really felt that good throughout the playoffs, either,鈥 said coach Craig Berube. 鈥淗e’s had a whole summer of training, and he feels really good and it’s noticeable. He looks really good to me. Got a lot of jump.鈥
J盲rnkrok has been skating on a line with David K盲mpf and Michael Pezzetta.
鈥淚鈥檓 all smiles right now,鈥 said the 33-year-old J盲rnkrok. 鈥淚t’s so much fun to be out there with no pain. Just focus on playing hockey and having some fun out there.鈥
Ekman-Larsson or Rielly?
Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson suggested in a scrum that he鈥檇 love to run the Leafs power play. But the job vacated by Mitch Marner would appear to be falling to Morgan Rielly.
鈥淔or me, it’s Morgan right now,鈥 said Berube. 鈥淗e’s done it in the past here and they’ve had success.鈥
Leafs notables
Forward Max Domi (lower-body injury) skated prior to the main groups taking the ice 鈥 The Leafs have a scrimmage planned for Saturday 鈥 Forward Tyler Hopkins and defenceman Blake Smith skated among one of the two main groups, with Miroslav Holinka and John Prokop bumped to the third group of mainly minor-league and junior players.
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