TORONTO — Jeremy Bracco is quickly learning that accomplishments at the junior level have little meaning when it comes to making the jump to pro hockey.



Last season the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect became the sixth player in the last 10 years to win both World Junior gold and a Memorial Cup in the same season. This season Bracco has watched 12 of the Marlies first 24 games as a healthy scratch.



“It’s a little different, you don’t want to sit out and watch games, but fortunately I’ve been able to play games lately and hopefully that continues,” Bracco said. “It’s obviously not what you want, but in my case it’s something I need to develop.”



Bracco has appeared in 12 games this season registering four assists. The Marlies have sat him out of games this season, not because of his play, but as part of a development model they’ve tailored for the 20-year-old.



“We just think that there’s a lot of gains to be made physically for him so we’ve made that the focus for him in the early going so because of that he hasn’t played as much,” Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe said. “It’s been hard him, but he’s handled it as well or better that we could expect frankly.



“It’s been hard for a guy that has had a lot of success coming in here and things generally come easy for him, by design we’ve made it hard and he’s responded extremely well.”



The Freeport, New York, native scored 25 goals and 83 points in 57 OHL games split between Kitchener and Windsor last season. Bracco added three goals and two assists in seven games at the World Juniors. Then at the Memorial Cup he registered three goals and five assists in four games.



In the Memorial Cup final Bracco scored once and set up two others, including the game winner, as the Spitfires edged the Erie Otters 4-3.



Now the Leafs 2015 second-round pick is learning what it takes to have success at the next level.



“We’ve got good resources here and the staff really cares about each and every guy and kind of caters to what your needs are and what you can develop in and what they see in your game that can evolve,” Bracco said. “Whether you can develop yourself in the summer or during the year, it’s important. It’s obviously something I’m taking head-on and I’m enjoying the challenge right now.”



At 5-foot-10, 190-pounds, Bracco noticed an immediate change in pace from the OHL game to the AHL level.



“The passes are little faster, harder, crisper, it’s a little bit faster, guys are bigger," Bracco said. "It gets, obviously not easier, but you learn what you can do and can’t do in a game. You just learn as you go."



Known as an offensively gifted forward, much of Bracco’s focus this season has been away from the puck and in his own end.



“Just skating, getting pucks off the wall is the big thing especially being a littler guy,” Bracco said. “Trying to create space for yourself so it’s something the development staff and I have talked about.”



Following the success the Leafs have seen in Mason Marchment thanks to a specifically tailored development program, the organization is taking a similar approach with Bracco.



Marchment, an undrafted forward, was among AHL rookies in scoring this season prior to suffering a knee injury last Saturday, which will sideline him for six weeks.



“With Bracs there’s so much opportunity for growth there, he’s a really smart player, skilled, generates offence, we just wanted to grow his capacity, his skating to handle bigger stronger men to play in tighter space,” Keefe said. “That’s why we put together an individual plan for him focusing less on his offensive game and more on the detail and structure in his game, work habits and all those things.



“We think if he continues to work on all of that, it really completes the package instead of just being a flashy offensive player that just makes things happen with the puck.”



With the World Juniors around the corner, Bracco hoping to use some of his down time with the Marlies to head to Buffalo and catch the U.S. Under-20 team in action later this month.



Despite the tournament being on home soil — and after winning gold last year — Bracco doesn’t believe there’s added pressure on this year’s squad.



“I don’t know if there’s pressure. Every year you want to win, I don’t know if there’s pressure,” he said. “Obviously the Canadians have more pressure than the U.S. in that way, but obviously the U.S. boys they expect to have a good showing, we’re a proud country that expects to win every year and I think they’ll be alright this year.”



Bracco is expecting big things from his former Windsor teammate, and Ottawa Senators 2016 first-rounder, Logan Brown at this year’s tournament, too.



“I played with Brownie in Windsor, he was one of the last cuts last year, but Brownie is a real special player obviously started the year in Ottawa, played well there and you see what he’s doing now in the OHL, he’s tearing it up," Bracco said. “I think he’s a player that can really be big for the U.S., big centre man that can play both ways. Skilled, good attitude, wants to win - he’s a guy that will be looked upon.”