A new season, a somewhat new roster, a new head coach, a new-old assistant coach, a new team in the division. Change is a constant each in the AHL each season, but there was something new from the start of the game. This team are the reigning AHL champions.
There it is. pic.twitter.com/rDi1ZPgutR
— Pension Plan Puppets (@PPPLeafs) October 3, 2026
With players who helped win that cup like Easton Cowan and Ben Danford promoted to the Maple Leafs, Alex Nylander off to the Calgary Flames, Dennis Hildeby traded away to the Penguins, and a brand new head coach in Steve Sullivan after John Gruden promoted to the Leafs, the team has a new construction for the season.
The Marlies were actually playing their second game of the season, the first being in Rochester against the Amerks, which they lost. This game went down very differently with the Marlies winning 5-3. The Hammers started Josh Kotai in net who went undrafted and became a free agent out of NCAA hockey at Augustana University in South Dakota. The Marlies put out the big shield in net, Arty Akhtyamov.
The Marlies came out to a commanding lead early, with Brendan Brisson getting his first goal with the team.
Brisson was drafted by the Golden Knights in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft, and yes he is the son of the famous hockey agent. He eventually wound up with the New York Rangers and then the Leafs signed him in September as a free agent when the Rangers did not give him a Qualifying Offer.
BRENDAN BRISSON POWER PLAY GOAL!
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) October 3, 2026
Marlies are up 1-0! pic.twitter.com/1z3juWT8JC
Because of the late signing he was not eligible for our Top 25 Under 25 rankings as we already completed it when he signed, and since he turns 25 next month, he won't ever be on the list, but he was impressive in this game as that was only the first of two goals in the game by Brisson, he got the second to put the Marlies up 4-0 in the first period.
🚨BRISSON GOES DOUBLE DIPPIN!🚨
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) October 3, 2026
Marlies up 4-0! pic.twitter.com/G8rTPTTCRR
In between those two goals another familiar prospect name picked up his first of the season.
CHADDY PICKIN' CORNERS 🚨
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) October 3, 2026
Noah Chadwick makes it 2-0! pic.twitter.com/nGvu5yV0Y2
But for all the other change on this team, there are still constants, one being Logan Shaw.
SHAWZY SNAPS ONE HOME 🏠
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) October 3, 2026
Logan Shaw makes it 5-0! pic.twitter.com/9VNuPqdHL4
I asked Coach Sullivan about Shaw's presence on the team and said "there's a reason why he keeps getting extensions, it's because of what he does in the dressing room, not just what he does on the ice. You look at John Gruden, last year, I thought he played him too much. I'm on the bench now and I'm playing him too much. I understand why Gruden put him on the ice all the time. He's just so reliable in every situation," adding "it's also good for the young guys they can have a leader like that to look up to."
Another constant is Arty Akhtyamov. With Leaf's GM Chayka executing a major restructure of the Leafs goalie framework this season, trading away Dennis Hildeby after him appearing in almost no playoff games for the Marlies last season on their way to winning the championship, and signing Sergei Bobrovsky to a three year contract to share responsibility for the Leafs net with Anthony Stolarz, Akhytamov has become the defacto starter for the Leafs, with Ken Appleby an AHL/ECHL journeyman as the backup for the Marlies.
This was still a team firing on all cylinders but may have taken their foot off the gas toward the end with Logan Shaw noting "there's some things we need to clean up." Sullivan pointed to them "a little inconsistency in our systems. We were playing slow and we want to play fast." He added "It's a new system, right, so there's a few things we are going through that the Leafs have changed and we're trying to implement here and it's going to take a while."
Next Games
The Marlies have this whole week to get ready to play the Hammers again on Thanksgiving weekend. With two games on Friday and Sunday at the renovated and renamed TD Coliseum in downtown Hamilton. The Friday game is the Hammers home opener.
It will be interesting to see the atmosphere in the arena. I still remember the first game I ever covered was William Nylander making his North American debut in a game for the Marlies at that arena against the Hamilton Bulldogs, now the Laval Rocket. There was an interesting split between Leafs fans and Habs fans, remember this was the dark days of the mid-2010 Leafs, and getting Nylander was a sign of hope and change.
From the PPP Archives in honour of today's events: William Nylander on his first ever shift on ice for the Marlies, January 23 2015, playing in Hamilton against the Bulldogs. The Marlies lost 3-0 with Antoine Bibeau in net (poor image quality due to circa 2015 cellphone camera). pic.twitter.com/KMAPzCiaEH
— Pension Plan Puppets (@PPPLeafs) January 9, 2024
It was a raucous crowd roughly half split between the two teams. Though some of that might have been because it was a $2 beer night and half the people there were McMaster University students, but this weekend we shall see how much Hamilton embraces the transplanted New York Islanders AHL team, the formerly formerly Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Friday's game is at 7:00 p.m., Sunday's at 3:00 p.m. in Hamilton.
Here's the game highlights pack.
