How the Marlies won the Calder Cup

The Chicago Wolves were supposed to be a threat, especially after clobbering the Grand Rapids Griffins, notionally the best team in the league. The Wolves played under rookie AHL head coach Spiros Anastas, a mid-season replacement, and they looked like a serious threat at the start of the series, but continuously lost their stride against the Marlies with each game that passed, that was until game #4 where the Wolves finally turned the tables in the final period of the game and made a comeback to stop the Marlies from sweeping the series.

This all happened on the backs of the Marlies starting in the play-in round, somewhere they didn't want to be, especially after last year's early exit to the Cleveland Monsters there. Alex Nylander was clear toward the end of the season that best-of-three series was a challenge he didn't want, saying "I've done that play-in round and it's not where we want to be, we want to go straight to the playoffs." It didn't work out that way, and they slipped down the rankings to have to play the Rochester Americans in the play-in where they beat them in game #3.

But that would be the only time the Marlies had home-ice advantage in any part of the playoffs, as after that every team was ranked higher than them and so every game started on the road. The team persevered through many close calls, with John Gruden frequently noting "this team is at their best when their backs are against the wall." The series win against the Laval Rocket proved that, with it being a bitterly contested division semi-final between two teams that clearly didn't like each other at all, but every member of the Marlies came through to make it happen.

The Marlies lost game #4 of the series 4-0 to the Rocket with 80 penalty minutes handed out in the final two minutes of the game, but it makes sense when you are playing a team that has Florian Xhekaj on the roster.

After breaking the Rocket, the Marlies made quick work of the Monsters and then the W-B/S Penguins to win the Eastern Conference Championship, and then it was on to the finals.

The Marlies went up three games to none and then the Wolves finally got one back in OT. Anastas noted the Wolves had played the Griffins ten times in the season and were the only team to be able to consistently defeat the league's best team, however they had only played the Marlies twice in the early regular season and that "this is now a totally different team then the one we played before," and in particular citing that Akhtyamov was an unknown element in the equation to them, but that maybe they had cracked the code, but it turned out they didn't.

The Marlies won game #5 and picked up their second Calder Cup in franchise history, though if you want to go back in time you could include the Leafs' AHL affiliate in the early 1980's which was the New Brunswick Hawks who had some names play for the team you would recognise if you are old enough like Barry Melrose, Dave Farrish, Todd Gill, and Bruce Boudreau who had 231 points in 160 games during his time on that team, though Boudreau was called up to the Maple Leafs half way through the season and was not with them when they won the Cup.

But all that was a long time ago. What we really care about is how the Marlies won the Calder Cup here in 2026 and there's a complex answer and a simple answer, the simple one is Artur "Arty" Akhtyamov.

I first learned to call him Arty, or Artie, I don't think there's a clear idea of which spelling is correct, when Blake Smith looked at me with confusion over who I was talking about when I asked him about Artur after a game, trying my best to use the proper Russian pronunciation, it took him a few seconds of confusion before his face lighted up with a big smile and he said "Oh! You mean Arty!" Arty was clearly one of the most popular guys in that locker room this season.

This Calder Cup win was facilitated by Arty who was drafted by the Leafs in 2020 and signed to an ELC, then subsequently re-signed in March this year to a three year contract extension. He clearly has the support of the organisation, getting all starts in the last three rounds over Dennis Hildeby, and he ultimately won the Jack A. Butterfield award as the MVP of the playoffs. There's no doubt that he played a massive role in winning the championship, and as a man of few English words he would regularly say he was simply "grateful for the opportunity."

And of course, we have the photo with Arty and the Amirov jersey which was an amazing moment. John Gruden said they have kept it in the locker room this whole time. Amirov probably could have been playing in this game if he had not shockingly died from cancer in 2023 at the age of 21.

All of this leaves questions about Hildeby's place in the organisation, with both he and Akhtyamov 24 years-old and both will turn 25 this summer, but that will be after after July 1, so they will both remain eligible for our Top 25 Under 25 lists, and that will be an interesting ranking to look out for, but the debate on them is for when we do that later, not for here.

The more complex answer is literally everyone on the team chipped in, even Blake Smith scoring in the one playoff game he was in against the Rocket, but there's no one who made a name for themselves out there more in these playoffs than Easton Cowan. Our cowboy came through in many big moments in all of the series, but flying under the radar was one of his old teammates from the London Knights, Landon Sim. Out of nowhere, Sim showed up from the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones on to the Marlies and immediately had an impact right through the playoffs to the final game where he scored this goal.

Of course we can't forget about our favourite cowboy showing up all through the playoffs.

And Bo Groulx certainly made a case for an NHL job this coming season many times.

There's also much to the success of this team due to Vinni Lettieri and his ability to come up with goals right when they are needed.

As Gruden often noted, he was able to run a four line team and spread out the ice time so everyone got their chances from a 6th round draft pick like Landon Sim playing in the AHL for the first time, to the Captain Logan Shaw.

Last year, when the team was bounced out of the playoffs, Shaw said that he was aware some players would not return "but this team is family and we'll always be that way." He echoed those comments again this season. There will be players leaving the team, we already know a few who are confirmed or rumoured to be moving on, but that's life in the AHL, and he said "we'll always remember these moments together."

The End... For Now

After the on-ice celebrations were largely over, I packed up to head home, but walking outside the arena by the convention centre I bumped into a familiar face, Michael Nylander, and I had a chance to chat with him for a few minutes and I asked how proud he must be of Alex winning the championship and all that he has accomplished. His response very much echoed Logan Shaw's emotion and was also a statement you would expect from a 920-game NHL player, saying "I am proud of him, but it's the team, the whole team, they all deserve it."

This happened to be simultaneous to the end of the World Cup watch party for Mexico vs. Korea, so all the roads were blocked off and public transit was jammed full with thousands of people milling about the area.

Having a second wind from the exhausting day, and the pleasant evening cool air, I decided to walk out through the Princes' Gate and across Lake Shore Boulevard to Dan Leckie Way where I was finally damn lucky and managed to get a ride-share taxi home from there.

And with that, the Marlies season for me was concluded. Hit me like a ton of bricks when I got home that it was all over again for another season, but I'm grateful for having been able to be down on the ice for a second time to see the Marlies hold up the Cup again.

The only thing left is to add a special thanks to the friends I have made working there including Kate, Todd, Armando, Barry, Tomas, and of course, John Gruden; thanks to all of you.

Now let's win it again next season!