In 2009, us Raptors fans put our hope on the “Young Guns” – DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson, and Sonny Weems – to carry the future of our then-struggling team. While they weren’t very successful, they were exciting to watch and they showed potential in the era of Andrea Bargnani. Today, the Raptors led by DeMar and Kyle Lowry won a franchise-high 56 wins and reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time. Of the three Young Guns, only DeMar remains, but Amir was an important part of the team’s ascendance and he remains one of my favourite Raptors players ever for his loyalty to the city.
I should probably note that I’m just a casual hockey fan. I don’t dive into advanced statistics like I do with basketball and I only catch Leafs games when I can. I follow Leafs news and watch the highlights after the game, but I can’t name you all of the players on the roster by heart. But I’ve always loved watching hockey and how fast-paced and beautiful the plays can be.
While it’s only been two games and I should caution against blind optimism, the Maple Leafs have their own “Young Guns” (though I’d change it to “Young Ones” to mark how unique the Leafs are). Since Brendan Shanahan took over as the President of the Maple Leafs two years ago, the organization has completely turned around. Shanhan absolutely cleaned house and reformed the entire executive staff, hiring former Devils GM Lou Lamoriello as the Head General Management and young minor league stat-nerds, Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter, as deputies. They accomplished the impossible in hiring star coach Mike Babcock, who has Stanley Cups and Olympic Gold Medals to his name.
Most importantly, the team is developing a cadre of young players that they hope will relieve the team’s struggles, including a core of William Nylander, Mitch Marner, Morgan Reilly, and the superstar in the making, Auston Matthews. Nine of the nineteen players on the roster are under 24, according to Hockey Reference.
Time will test these Young Ones, but the excitement is palpable among Leafs fans. In their season opener, Matthews did an unbelievable feat by becoming the first rookie player to score four goals in their NHL debut. And in their home opener last night, hometown talent Connor Brown and Mitch Marner scored the opening two goals. I’ve gotta say, I am impressed. Watching highlights of the game afterwards, those goals were absolutely beautiful. The way they play is exciting.
There’s also something fun about Leafs talent being from the GTA or nearby: Brown is from Etobicoke, Marner is from Markham and Nazem Kadri is from London, ON. Zach Hyman, Peter Holland and Frank Corrado are also all from the GTA. The Raptors and Jays too their own homegrown talent in Cory Joseph and Russell Martin – both key players on their teams.
We should keep in mind though that on Matthews’ historic debut, the Leafs lost to Ottawa in overtime. It’s just exciting to see the Young Ones on the Leafs bring some excitement to hockey in the city. And the cross-pollination of Toronto sports has been fascinating to see. Players have been supporting each other, with Marcus Stroman and Jose Bautista watching Raptors playoff games, Lowry and Joseph supporting the Jays at their ALDS winner and Joseph at the Leafs game last night. Toronto has been starving for success from their major league teams and I, for one, am excited to watch the future.