Leafs’ rookies ready to grind out second half of season Toronto is home to one of NHL’s biggest surprises. The next challenge for the team’s eight rookies is maintaining their high level of play in the second half of the season, Kristen Shilton writes.

Kristen Shilton TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter Follow|Archive

TORONTO — Nestled precariously in a playoff spot at the halfway point of their season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the NHL’s big surprises. The invaluable contributions of the team’s eight rookies have played a massive part in the success.

Auston Matthews leads the Maple Leafs in goals (21) and points (37). Mitch Marner leads in assists (25) and is tied for second in points (35). William Nylander is tops in power-play points (15). A trio of first-year players – Matthews, Connor Brown and Zach Hyman – has evolved into Toronto’s top line.

The Maple Leafs are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and haven’t lost in regulation on the road since Nov. 30. Expectations are higher than ever, so the prospect of crucial players colliding with the infamous “rookie wall” in the second half of the season could be worrisome.

“I don’t really know about the wall. I don’t think I want to know about it,” Hyman said with a laugh after Monday’s practice at MasterCard Centre. “There shouldn’t be a rookie wall. We’re all young, we have energy. If anything we should be getting better every game.”

At 24, Hyman and Nikita Zaitsev (25) are the oldest Maple Leafs’ rookies, ahead of Nikita Soshnikov and Brown (23), Frederik Gauthier (21), Nylander (20) and Matthews and Marner (19). James van Riemsdyk was 20 when his first NHL season started. He played in 78 games, and admits the second half wasn’t always smooth sailing.

“There are definitely some sorts of adjustments when you’re playing against the best in the world,” he said. “It’s an 82-game season, which is longer than most anyone’s played in a season before, so just being able to consistently get up for every game is key. There’s this mental aspect. I think every case is a little different so we’ll see how everyone stacks up in here.”

Matthews skated in 40 games a season ago with the Zurich Lions, his career-high in a year before Saturday’s contest in Ottawa put him at 41 with Toronto. The physical wear and tear isn’t what stands out for him about the NHL schedule.

“It’s a very mental [grind]. Fortunately we have a great group of guys that can help you get through that,” he said. “You know you have to be mentally tough and push through it and not think about being tired even though it happens to everyone. Just take it one game at a time, take care of your body and do the right things to stay ahead of the curve.”

Nazem Kadri has said throughout the season how impressed he’s been by the team’s rookie class. While he hasn’t seen any signs suggesting they’ll start to slow, Kadri remembers navigating his own learning curve.

“As a young player, you do start to feel exhausted,” Kadri said. “At this point, having the experience you have, you can mentally re-wire yourself in a way and understand that’s part of the game. It’s give and take. Early on it’s hard to deal with but you’re young, you have young legs. The game can take a toll, but everyone seems to be okay right now.”

“You look at guys’ fitness levels now, they have nutritionists and strengths coaches and skills coaches since they’re like 13 years old,” van Riemsdyk added. “All that stuff is kind of funny but I’m sure it helps when you get to this level to be a little more prepared for the grind.”

There was no preparing head coach Mike Babcock for what his team of mostly untested players would ultimately look like as this season has gone on. Babcock has repeatedly cautioned against anyone getting ahead of themselves as the hype around the Maple Leafs continues to grow. He knows the second half is bound to bring about its own challenges.

“I spend a lot of time in the summer doing things on napkins and stuff like that and you try to work all this out and you don’t know for sure,” Babcock said. “You don’t know who’s going to be ready. For me to be able to tell you who all was going to be on the team, I couldn’t even do that. In saying that, once they show they can play in the NHL, you expect them to be good NHL players and you expect them to get better.

“You want to be excited, you want to expect to have success, but you also want to be steady on the rudder here. Let’s just keep working. It’s Game 41.”