The Toronto Marlies are AHL champions for the second time in their history, and it was a former Senator who helped lead the charge.
The Leafs’ top farm club edged the Chicago Wolves 4-3 in Toronto on Friday, winning the best-of-seven Calder Cup championship series in 5 games.
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Artur Akhtyamov made 27 saves for the win and won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the MVP of the AHL playoffs. But when it came time to bring out the biggest AHL Trophy of them all, that was presented to Marlies captain and former Senator Logan Shaw.
Shaw played sparingly in parts of two seasons in the Senators organization from 2020-22 and finished the postseason among the AHL’s leading scorers with 17 points in 24 playoff games.
His biggest connection to the Senators these days is Drake Batherson.
For many years now, he and Batherson have been members of the famous East Coast summer skate that features the likes of Sidney Crosby, Nate MacKinnon, and Brad Marchand. When Marchand won the Stanley Cup last year, Shaw (far left below) was part of the fun, along with Batherson and ex-Senator Chris Kelly (far right).
Now the group will have another day with another Cup this summer.
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Shaw’s biggest moment in the final was cramming home the overtime winner in Game 2, allowing the Marlies to take a 2-0 series lead and take control of the series and win it in 5 on Friday.
“This tops my hockey moments for sure,” Shaw said in a post-game interview with Shawn McKenzie on the club’s YouTube channel. “I hope these young guys get a lot more (championships). I hope to guide them to a lot more, as much as I can.
“But I’m gonna soak this one in for sure. And Toronto, they’re in a great spot. The prospects are awesome; these guys are awesome. The organization does everything the right way. And we’re champions!”
Shaw was the 2011 third-round pick of the Florida Panthers, and has appeared in 232 NHL games with Florida, Anaheim, Montreal, Winnipeg and Ottawa. But the 33-year-old has spent the past four seasons as the Marlies captain, providing a mentorship role for the Leafs young prospects.
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Another local connection is Marlies’ 22-year-old forward Luke Haymes, who grew up in Ottawa. Haymes made his NHL debut this season, getting into four games with the Leafs, including a game in Ottawa against the Senators.
In his first full pro season, Haymes is an AHL champion.
Marlies head coach John Gruden also figures in the Ottawa connections. Gruden played a couple of seasons with the Sens back in the late 90s. When the Senators sought to replace DJ Smith a couple of years ago, Gruden was said to be a possible candidate.
Meanwhile, Gruden’s boss, Marlies GM Ryan Hardy, was responsible for one of the most beautiful gestures you’ll ever see in a championship celebration. As the Marlies celebrated on the ice Friday night, Hardy joined his team for all the hugs, wearing Rodion Amirov’s No. 72 jersey.
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Amirov was the Leafs 15th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft, but passed away in 2023 after being diagnosed with a brain tumour a year earlier.
Akhtyamov, this year’s playoff MVP, was Amirov’s teammate at the 2021 World Juniors and was proud to pose with his friend’s jersey in the Marlies’ official championship photo.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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