It was no surprise that Martin Marincin was the first player the Maple Leafs acquired following the hire of new coach Mike Babcock.

A 23-year-old defenceman with size, reach and above-average skating, Marincin put up excellent possession metrics in Edmonton, making him an apparent good fit with Babcock’s systems, which use structure and puck possession as the foundation for success.

Marincin, who spent two years in the Edmonton organization, prompted local bloggers and analytics experts to rave about him after they customized algorithms for possession, zone starts and defensive zone entry breakups. They discovered the native of Slovakia was the Oilers’ best defenceman in those indicators (especially since he paired with Jeff Petry and Mark Fayne to face top opposition on a nightly basis).

Marincin, acquired from the Oilers for Brad Ross July 27 — 47 days after Babcock’s hiring — is now on the inside track to make a Leafs blue line, and brings a wealth of experience for a young blueliner that includes representing Slovakia at the Sochi Olympics.

“I think I can do everything . . . but skating is important for me,” Marincin said.

“I try to skate and be good at skating, it makes the game fun for me and it helps me to keep my game simple.”

Marincin’s presence in Leafs camp has been relatively quiet, but his solid reputation in Edmonton certainly caught Babcock’s eye when he coached Detroit, and the eyes of assistant GM Kyle Dubas and the Leafs analytics experts.

Marincin essentially played half-seasons in each of his two years in Edmonton, appearing in 85 games; he was on the ice for 45 goals against on a team that finished dead last in the NHL in goals against during his two seasons.

Marincin also performed well in the AHL after being sent down in both of his seasons with the Oilers. The knock against him was his lack of consistent physical play, and his ability to use his six-foot-four frame to slam opponents in front of the Oilers’ net.

But the contrast between some negative opinions on his physical play and the fact he got the puck going in the right direction during his ice time makes him an intriguing figure at Leafs camp.

Babcock’s Detroit teams steered away from fighting and reduced penalty minutes over his 10 years as head coach; now, Marincin’s survival from Edmonton as a solidly rated blueliner could be attractive to a Leafs team that is interested in young players with good possession tendencies.

“I played with the older defenceman Petry and Fayne) and they helped me a lot, they were always coaching me on defence and it was great for me to have that,” Marincin said.

Marincin does possess a nasty side — he was suspended four games for a hit to the head during the 2011 World Junior Championships — and his physical play was plainly evident for Slovakia during the Sochi Olympics.

His Sochi experience included daily exposure to one of the greatest defencemen in the game: Zdeno Chara. Marincin said he was like a sponge around Chara, watching his every move and discussing the game as much as possible.

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The Leafs blue line entering this camp appears to have certainties in the top four — with Dion Phaneuf and Matt Hunwick forming the top pair, followed by Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner.

Roman Polak appears a lock for the third pairing, with Stephane Robidas either taking the spot beside Polak or factoring in as a seventh. Marincin is in a battle for that sixth or seventh spot along with some excellent candidates in Stuart Percy, Mark Fraser, Andrew Campbell, Scott Harrington, Viktor Loov and Rinat Valiev.

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