Sunday's Prospects Showcase turned into quite the chippy affair, just a day after the Maple Leafs skated away with a 4-3 shootout win in the first game of the mini-series.
While in the Leafs' zone and battling for a puck, top Montreal Canadiens prospect Lane Hutson was caught looking the wrong way. Leafs invitee Marshall Finnie caught him with a massive, clean hit. It was a bit of a mismatch as the 6'2 center has 30 pounds and 4 inches on the former second-round pick.
It's not the first time Finnie hit a top prospect, as he took out Leafs' 2024 first-round pick Ben Danford earlier in the week during a scrimmage in Toronto.
There were no repercussions for Finnie himself, but as play went the other way, Rhett Parsons and Logan Nijhoff exchanged some words before the two squared off just inside the Leafs' blueline. It was a clear victory for Parsons who landed a number of shots before Nijhoff fell to his knees.
The Leafs ended up winning the game by a score of 5-4, sweeping the 2-game series thanks to a late goal for Easton Cowan with the man advantage. It was a very good weekend for top prospects like Topi Niemela, Roni Hirvonen, Fraser Minten, Cade Webber, and the aforementioned Cowan, who will all look to carry this momentum into training camp.
POLL | ||
15 SEPTEMBRE | 1005 ANSWERS Leafs Prospect Marshall Finnie Drills Habs Defenseman Lane Hutson With Nasty Hit Who impressed you most this weekend? | ||
Cowan | 518 | 51.5 % |
Minten | 200 | 19.9 % |
Niemela | 203 | 20.2 % |
Other | 84 | 8.4 % |
List of polls |