{"id":1431,"date":"2016-09-19T11:14:41","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T15:14:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=1431"},"modified":"2016-09-19T14:22:02","modified_gmt":"2016-09-19T18:22:02","slug":"toronto-maple-leafs-wrapped-2016-rookie-tournament-sunday-6-5-overtime-victory-pittsburgh-penguins-rookies-leafs-completed-3-goal-comeback-second-period","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2016\/09\/19\/toronto-maple-leafs-wrapped-2016-rookie-tournament-sunday-6-5-overtime-victory-pittsburgh-penguins-rookies-leafs-completed-3-goal-comeback-second-period\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie Camp Day 3 Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the third and final analysis and scouting report from the Toronto Maple Leafs 2016 Rookie Camp. For similar articles from days one and two, with more information and interviews, look right here:<\/em>
\nToronto Maple Leafs Rookie Camp: Day 1 Recap
\n<\/a>Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie Camp: Day 2 Recap<\/a><\/p>\n

The Toronto Maple Leafs <\/strong>wrapped up the 2016 Rookie Tournament on Sunday with a 6-5 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins <\/strong>rookies. The Leafs completed a 3-goal comeback in the second period, and won the game on a goal from Jeremy Bracco<\/strong>, who slotted it five-hole on goalie Casey DeSmith<\/strong> after Leafs defender Andrew Nielsen <\/strong>sprung him on a breakaway with a beautiful pass.<\/p>\n

The Leafs improved to a perfect 3-0 on the weekend, coming out on top over the feisty Penguins rookies despite scratching most of their highly-skilled wingers. Mitchell Marner<\/strong>, Dmytro Timashov<\/strong>, Tobias Lindberg<\/strong>, and Colin Smith <\/strong>all sat, which gave players like Jeremy Bracco<\/strong> and Nikita Korostelev <\/strong>more time in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie Camp Day 3 Recap<\/h1>\n

\u201cI thought there was a lot of fire out there in that game tonight,\u201d said assistant general manager Mark Hunter<\/strong>. He was particularly impressed by the pace of the game, noting an organizational philosophy for drafting fast, skilled players.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one thing we\u2019ve addressed as a hockey club,\u201d he admitted. \u201cI don\u2019t think any team\u2019s going to be faster than us. We\u2019ve got good skating and we can get up and down the ice real quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheldon Keefe<\/strong>, coaching the baby Leafs this weekend, saw a lot of positives from the three games.<\/p>\n

\u201cA large number of these guys will move on to Leafs camp from here, so this is a bit of a head start for them,\u201d he pointed out. \u201cThat\u2019ll bode well for them once they get on the ice up in Halifax.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you look at this tournament, there\u2019s always evaluations that are going on; that\u2019s just the nature of sports, it\u2019s part of the business. From my perspective, from a coaching staff perspective, my job is to develop the players that we have here, introduce them to the concepts and the systems and the language, and reinforce it for those that have been through it before.\u201d<\/p>\n

With rookie camp now ended, there were several Leafs players whose performances stood out \u2013 both positively and negatively. Here are some scouting notes and interviews from game three.<\/p>\n

Nikita Korostelev<\/strong><\/p>\n

Korostelev is proving more and more each day that he had no business being available in the seventh round of the 2015 draft. He has an odd, choppy stride but he\u2019s still fast, with a healthy dose of puck skill when he has possession. He had a pair of goals and an assist on Sunday, and played well on the power play.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s working harder,\u201d Mark Hunter said about Korostelev. \u201cHe\u2019s got great puck skills, he\u2019s got to make sure he keeps his feet moving \u2013 he did tonight and he looked real good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Korostelev himself said he had been working on his defensive game, to go along with his natural offensive talent.\u00a0Asked if he wanted to prove he deserved to be drafted earlier, Korostelev shrugged.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to put it out of my head,\u201d he said, \u201cbut everybody has to prove that he\u2019s better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeremy Bracco<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bracco had a lot more exposure on Sunday with players like Marner and Timashov sitting out. He played on the first power play unit alongside Andreas Johnsson <\/strong>and Tony Cameranesi<\/strong>, and showed incredible patience while cycling the puck. Bracco is a top notch passer, particularly through the neutral zone but he\u2019s also very skilled at picking out receivers in traffic near the net.<\/p>\n

He is quite small, and as such Pittsburgh\u2019s defenders were often able to knock him off the puck when they pressured him hard. His skating helps him out there, though.<\/p>\n

Bracco finished the game with a pair of goals, named the first star. For the overtime winner, he gave most of the credit to Nielsen\u2019s pass. Asked if he had picked his spot while bearing in on DeSmith, he grinned.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that\u2019s usually where I go, five hole,\u201d said Bracco, \u201cbut we\u2019ll keep that a secret.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andreas Johnsson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Johnsson, like Bracco, was given a lot more ice time with so many other forwards scratched. Unlike Bracco, though, he did not stand out more like he was expected to. Johnsson played on both the power play and penalty kill, and never truly impressed.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say he was bad; he skates well and drives play in the offensive zone, taking charge of the cycle. It would\u2019ve been nice to see him show off his talent a little more.<\/p>\n

Travis Dermott<\/strong><\/p>\n

Playing with Keaton Middleton<\/strong>, there was very little room for error for Dermott. However, he struggled more in the defensive zone than he did the night before. A few costly errors led to Pittsburgh scoring chances, and with the liability that Middleton looks like this pairing was quite problematic for the Leafs.<\/p>\n

Kasimir Kaskisuo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kaskisuo needs some coaching in his positioning. His lateral movement is often out of control, and he plays very deep in his net. He was beaten five times on Sunday, a couple times quite egregiously. The Middleton-Dermott pairing didn\u2019t do him many favours, but he didn\u2019t inspire much confidence.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n