WINDSOR, ONT.

Warren Rychel loves what Jeremy Bracco has brought to the Windsor Spitfires.

Since being acquired from the Kitchener Rangers in January, Bracco’s influence on the Memorial Cup host has been clear.

“He stirs the drink for our offence,” Rychel, the Spitfires general manager, said on Saturday. “When he has the puck, he slows things down.”

Rychel, however, does have a bone to pick with Bracco, the lone Toronto Maple Leafs prospect participating in the 99th Cup. Bracco lives at Rychel’s house; so does fellow Spits forward Julius Nattinen.

The latter doesn’t say much, Rychel said. Bracco? Different story.

“He never stops talking,” Rychel said. “It’s crazy. I wake up in the morning and I can hear him downstairs and it’s like, ‘Frick.’ Never in a bad mood. He’s always going.”

That desire to communicate on the part of Bracco goes two ways. Rychel and Spitfires coach Rocky Thompson both have been impressed with the 20-year-old’s willingness to absorb since the trade four months ago.

It’s a large reason why Thompson and Rychel think Bracco is setting himself up to one day flourish with the Leafs, even if there’s an initial stop with the American Hockey League affiliate Toronto Marlies next season.

Ask any of the Leafs’ youngsters: One-on-one instructional meetings with coach Mike Babcock are a part of everyday life.

“He has been willing to come outside the box,” Thompson said of Bracco. “His play without the puck — it has been something that I know is on the agenda with the Leafs, and it’s the way I coach.

“I think he is going to be a really good professional. The coachability, that’s what a player needs to go to the next level. You have to earn it, and you have to be coachable and have the foundation of skill and talent, and which he has.”

Bracco was the Spits’ best forward on Friday night when Windsor beat Saint John 3-2 in the tournament opener, scoring a goal and assisting on another.

As much as Bracco’s concentration has been on helping the Spitfires attempt to win the Cup — and certainly, they had a lot of time to prepare after the London Knights eliminated them from the Ontario Hockey League playoffs on April 4 — during the regular season he was keeping close tabs on what the Leafs were doing, taking note, like everyone else, of the impact being made by Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.

“I think everybody in Canada was watching them,” Bracco said. “Watching my buddies — A-Matts, Marns and Willie — it was pretty cool to see what they did.”

In 57 games with the Spitfires and Rangers, Bracco scored 25 goals and had 58 assists. In the seven-game series against the Knights, he had two goals and three assists.

Drafted by the Leafs 61st overall in 2015, Bracco, a native of Freeport, N.Y., signed an entry-level contract with Toronto in March.

“When you look at the youth they have, and you know you are part of that system, it’s a pretty special feeling,” Bracco said. “Whatever I can do ... I’m going to go into training camp and put my best foot forward. Wherever I fall in their plans, I kind of determine my own fate, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Said Leafs coach Mike Babcock during an interview with Sportsnet: “He’s a talented guy. One of those few players who is faster with the puck than without it. He can really make plays. We have a lot of talented guys up front in Toronto — it’s going to be tough for everybody.”

Rychel knows it’s going to be a lot quieter in his house once the Memorial Cup ends and Bracco heads home.

Rychel expects Bracco to keep making noise on the ice.

“He’s going to have to get bigger and stronger and change some of his off-ice eating habits, but he will do well,” Rychel said. “The way that hockey has gone in the last five, 10 years, he is the modern-day guy who has the puck and makes plays with it. He has also sacrificed a lot of offence in trying to improve his all-around game and I think that will bode well for him when he turns pro next year.”

SEA DOGS BEHIND 8-BALL

WINDSOR, Ont. — It was a bit of a subdued Danny Flynn who met reporters on Saturday at the WFCU Centre.

The coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs knows his club put itself behind the 8-ball with a 3-2 loss against the Windsor Spitfires the previous night, and he knows it’s not going to get any easier versus the Erie Otters on Monday night.

“In this (Memorial Cup), every game is a best of one,” Flynn said. “We have to get more offensive-zone time and we have to get better exits out of our zone. I don’t know that it’s urgency. I think we were a little star-struck (against Windsor) and it happens to teams when they get to this tournament.”

If the Otters prevail in regulation, it might come as a bit of a shock to the Sea Dogs. During the regular season, Saint John lost back-to-back games in regulation on only two occasions, most recently Dec. 31 and Jan. 4.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

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