Connor Brown’s return to practice with the Toronto Marlies Tuesday marked another step in the club’s attempts to return some of its top young players to its first-place lineup.

Brown, who hasn’t practised at full stride since suffering a cracked bone in his ankle in late October, worked out with the rest of the players in advance of a two-game trip to Manitoba this weekend.

The 21-year-old Brown, who led the AHL in rookie scoring last season, is about two weeks away from returning to a game.

“Connor would play this weekend if it were up to him, and the way he’s worked at getting back, the things he does to recover, improving other parts of his body, I’m not concerned with the layoff,” Marlies GM Kyle Dubas said.

Brown, when he does return to game action, could eventually team up with former linemate William Nylander, who has yet to return to Toronto after a hit to the head suffered during the world junior championship in Finland. Dubas said he is not certain whether Nylander has recovered sufficiently to allow him to travel by plane.

The Marlies remain in first place in the Northern Division and have won six of nine games in the two weeks since Nylander and Finnish forward Kasperi Kapanen left to play in the junior tournament.

Dubas acquired American-born Jeremy Morin from the Blackhawks organization in exchange for Richard Panik over the weekend, in part because of Morin’s solid shot metrics.

Dubas said the goal is to build up Morin’s game, to the point where he may help the Leafs later this season.

“I try to be a shooter first,” said Morin, who had nine goals and 13 assists in 28 games for Rockford in the AHL so far this season.

“I try to build my game by going to the net and creating opportunities. When I heard I was going to the Leafs, I was excited, it’s a new opportunity for me.”

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