NIAGARA FALLS, Ontario -- Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were born about five months apart in 1997.And its entirely possible both teenage prospects will be suiting up for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL next season.The Maple Leafs may be turning 100 years old next year, but the centennial edition of the team is likely to be brimming with youth and inexperience.Toronto could have as many as seven rookies on the roster in the fall, the first real signs the seeds planted in the Brendan Shanahan era are starting to blossom.I think well be really exciting, Leafs coach Mike Babcock said last month.For now, Matthews and Marner have to be content with top billing at the Leafs weeklong development camp in Niagara Falls.Toronto is getting its first up-close look at Matthews, the Arizona-born center who played last season for the top Swiss League team in Zurich.Like each of the 41 prospects invited to the camp, Matthews bounced from rink to rink at Gale Centre Arena on Tuesday morning to work on various skills.On one pad, Matthews and his group worked with Leafs skating coach Barb Underhill. The group looked at times like synchronized swimmers performing carefully choreographed movements, only on skates.Underhill quickly noticed a flaw in Matthews stride: his left shoulder wasnt coming across enough.She definitely paid close attention to it so Ill try and work on it throughout the week, Matthews said.Slight skating hitch aside, expectations will be high for Matthews. Hes a real threat to become the first Leaf to win the Calder Trophy as top rookie in 50 years.Hes likely to be joined in Torontos rookie spotlight by William Nylander, who shined intermittently with 13 points in his first 22 NHL games, and perhaps Marner, who dominated in the Ontario Hockey League again last season, leading all players in postseason scoring en route to the Memorial Cup.The ongoing question for Marner is whether hes physically ready for the NHL.Currently around 163 pounds, Marner is trying to get to 170 for the fall.I just want to make sure that I feel comfortable enough to go out against men and play hard and play my game and make sure I can go out there and do things I like to do, said Marner, the London Knights star and fourth overall pick of the 2015 draft.Its worth wondering how any added weight will affect the speed and shiftiness which helped the Thornhill, Ontario, native become one of the OHLs most productive talents. Marner recalled entering the league at 165 pounds and feeling a touch too slow.He dropped 5 pounds and felt like himself again.If the Leafs decide Marner isnt ready for the NHL, they can return him to the Knights for another season.Toronto will be young and inexperienced regardless of whether Marner makes the lineup or not. Just how young likely depends on how many rising talents are ready to make the leap.Nikita Soshnikov, 22, and 24-year-old Zach Hyman impressed during a brief NHL stint at the end of last season.So too did Connor Brown, a 22-year-old Toronto native who had six points in his first seven games, including a three-point game that preceded his return to the AHLs Toronto Marlies.Also joining the Leafs is 24-year-old former KHL defenseman Nikita Zaitsev.That could mean seven rookies on the roster initially (and perhaps more as the season wears on) as well as a number of others with limited NHL experience, including new No. 1 goaltender Frederik Andersen.How Babcock employs that young talent is worth watching. Will he lean toward veteran Matt Hunwick on the teams defensive top pair or opt to play 22-year-old Morgan Rielly with 24-year-old Martin Marincin, who offered glimpses of potential late last season?Shanahan was hired in April 2014, but the true fruits of his labor are only now beginning to show, just as the team sports a new logo and uniform both driven from his office.The Shanahan-led front office shuffled out stale personnel from old management groups in the previous two seasons while accumulating scores of picks and prospects.Now, however, the process begins turning toward players drafted and developed by the current regime, beginning with Nylander, the first pick of Shanahans tenure.Sensing that incoming infusion of youth, the Leafs sought veterans on the free-agent market. They signed 27-year-old Matt Martin and 30-year-old Roman Polak, who returns to the Leafs after being traded to San Jose last season.Other veteran roles for the Leafs next season will be Leo Komarov, an alternate captain last season, returning center Tyler Bozak and Brooks Laich, easily the oldest Leaf at the ripe age of 33.Stitched Jerseys .Y. -- Bills receiver Stevie Johnson has a bone to pick with the NFL schedule maker. Nike Jerseys . A statement from the worlds top-ranked player says all checks "were satisfactory and showed positive evolution" regarding the injury, which contributed to his loss to Stanislas Wawrinka in the final in Melbourne. https://www.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.com/ .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Adidas Jerseys . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. College Jerseys . -- Sergey Tolchinksy scored his second goal of the game 3:56 into overtime as the Sault Ste.SPOKANE, Wash. -- Washington State quarterback Luke Falk could blossom into a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate this season.Coach Mike Leach thinks Falk should have won the award last year, when he threw for 4,566 yards and 38 touchdowns in leading the surprising Cougars to a 9-4 finish.There was a time when the Heisman went to the guy who had the biggest impact and effect on their team, and if that was the case, he probably would have won it last year or should have, Leach said.Despite their dramatic improvement last year, the Cougars are projected to finish just fourth in the Pac-12s northern division, a prediction that is something of a surprise as Washington State returns most of last years key performers.A major returnee to Pullman is receiver Gabe Marks, who is back for his senior year after catching 104 passes for 1,192 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.Marks believes Falk is more than just Heisman material.I call him the `Messiah of the Palouse, and also the CEO of Washington State football, because he runs the show, Marks said.Without a quarterback that people follow, and thats a leader, you cant win, Marks said.Falk, a junior, was an All-Pac-12 first-team selection last season after leading the country in passing at 380.5 yards per game. He completed 69.4 percent of his passes in Leachs Air Raid offense as the Cougars won six more games than the season before.I guess one of his best qualities is he doesnt have a glaring weakness, Leach said. But, like anybody, he needs to improve.Falk and Marks have caught the eye of some prominent postseason awards committees. Marks is on the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nations best receiver, and Falk is on the watch list for the Davey OBrien Award, given annually to the best quarterback in college football.BIG SEASON: After winning just three games the year before, a perforrmance that had fans grumbling about the Leach regime, Washington State roared to a 9-4 record, including a Sun Bowl victory over Miami.dddddddddddd They went 6-3 in the Pac-12, including wins over Oregon and UCLA.SEASON OPENER: The Cougars host Eastern Washington of the Big Sky Conference on Sept. 3. The Eagles are no pushover, playing tough against Pac-12 teams in numerous games in recent years. Last year, Washington State opened the season with a shocking loss to FCS Portland State, a defeat that ultimately cost them a 10-win season.KEY GAMES: Washington State and Boise State square off on Sept. 10 in Boise in an intriguing non-conference matchup. The two programs have not played since 2001, and Washington State has won all four games in the series. But Boise State has become a national power since they last played.QUARTERBACK DEPTH: The Cougars have a legitimate star in Falk at quarterback, but not much behind him. Backup Peyton Bender, who played some last year when Falk was injured, transferred out of the program. That leaves untested Tyler Hilinski if Falk is injured. The Cougars also brought in a junior-college transfer, Anthony Gordon, in May.DEFENSIVE STRENGTH: A big reason for the Cougars improvement last year was the defense. New defensive coordinator Alex Grinch oversaw a unit that went from allowing 38.6 points per game to just 27.7 points last year. Grinch was rewarded with a three-year contract extension after the season.PREDICTION: The Cougars are picked by media to finish fourth in the Pac-12 North, behind Stanford, Washington and Oregon. Marks is not impressed by the athletic pedigree of the media panel. I bet over three-quarters of the people that vote on this thing never even played football, Marks said. ' ' '
