I think we’re going to be in for a good, hard fought season, with some great games to come. If there is one thing this line-up has shown off the bat, it’s their good work ethic. This has been not only evident in the games, but also in the way they practice. Good habits are formed in practice that can carry over into game action, and while they are still trying to find their chemistry out there on the ice, you can see it coming and this Marlies team will win its fair share of games.

Great to see Jiri Tlusty find the back of the next in the last two games. Three goals against Grand Rapids and Rockford is a good way to kick start his season and start him rolling. Boy, will he be able to do some great things with Tyler Bozak and Christian Hanson on his line, if he can start to find the form he showed last year when he was the AHL Player of the Month in February and lit the lamp just about every game. As for Bozak, I like what I’ve seen so far. While he hasn’t scored yet, you must remember that he only played in 19 games last season with University of Denver. You can practice and train all you want, and even see some pre-season action, but it is nothing like the regular season in pro hockey. I see a lot of potential in him and it’s going to break through in the next week or two as he really gets his groove on.

There are so many new faces on the team this year, that as the season goes on, you the fans will get a chance to find out what some of these young Leafs prospects are all about and we’ll see them develop their character as the year goes on. I really feel that this season, more than any other in the five years of the Marlies being in Toronto, the line-up is fully of future Maple Leafs and it’s exciting to watch.

The month of October is always a tough one in the American Hockey League when it comes to the schedule and how far apart games are. People here in Toronto ask me all the time why it is that way now, when so many 3 in 3’s or 4 in 5’s get crammed in down the road. Well, it has to do with the scheduling against other sporting events in the United States, primarily football. Friday night lights and college football Saturdays take away a lot of the sporting eyes south of the border this time of year. And, when you factor in that some of the AHL cities are college towns or have other pro sports to contend with, they try to avoid too many home games at this time of year to go up against them. While the NCAA and high school football doesn’t dominate here in Canada, you can see why the question is raised as to the schedule. It’s just all part of life in the minors.

The first road game of the year comes up this week and it will be a good chance for the team to get away and do a little bonding on the bus. While the pre-season trip to Scotland is a good way to bond, the roster did not look much like the current one for Toronto. And with a long road week after the home and home with the Amerks, this team will have a little more time to come together. Two games in Abbotsford followed by a travel day and off day before a date with the Griffins in Grand Rapids, will really give the guys a chance to know each other away from home.

The Marlies have a much different feel to them this year, and there is a sense of bigger and better things to come, and it will all come in good time.

And finally, thanks to everyone who voted. It was close at times, but as decided by you the fans, Thunderstruck by AC/DC is the Best Hockey Warm-Up Song of All-Time. We'll have some fun and do another vote on something else later on in the season.