The addition of seven players to the Toledo Walleye roster from the higher level on the final day of the regular season unquestionably made the team bigger, faster, and more talented.
But questions remained whether the reassembled Walleye would rediscover the chemistry and be able to jell in time for the Kelly Cup playoffs.
The team answered with a resounding and convincing sweep of the Indy Fuel in the first round. The Walleye outscored the Fuel 17-7 in the Central Division semifinals with key contributions from the players who were assigned to the team from its American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Forwards Trenton Bliss and Kirill Tyutyayev and defenseman Seth Barton are among the team's top five scorers, while goalie John Lethemon won two games in the sweep.
The reunited top line of Bliss, Brandon Hawkins, and Gordie Green did not miss a beat, accounting for 17 points, and are the team's top three leading scorers.
Bliss, who had missed the final 15 games of the ECHL regular season due to a call-up to GR, leads the Walleye in scoring with seven points in the four games.
Tyutyayev, a rookie from Russia, ranks fourth on the team in scoring with five points after missing the final 14 games of the regular season.
Lethemon, who won the ECHL's goalie of the year award, had been called up to the Griffins for the final 12 games of the regular season. Lethemon won Games 2 and 4 in the Indy series.
The Griffins sent forwards Bliss, Tyutyayev, and Drew Worrad, defensemen Barton, Donovan Sebrango, and Eemil Viro, and Lethemon back to the Walleye on April 16. They had four days of practice to get reacquainted with their Toledo teammates.
Those seven players aren't “ringers,” however, added at the last moment to unfairly tip the scales of a deep run in favor of the Walleye. All seven spent significant time with Toledo during the regular season. Lethemon and Bliss finished with the second and third most “stars of the game” honors at the team's 36 home games.
Success in the postseason often comes down to goaltending, special teams play, and a consistent effort defense. And the Walleye have been able to match the complete team effort they had put together during a record-setting 18-game winning streak during the regular season that came with many of the AHL players on the roster.
Toledo is the only team in the ECHL to sweep its first-round opponent and was the first to advance to the second round. The Walleye will play either Cincinnati or Fort Wayne in the Central Division finals.
“These guys are focused,” coach Dan Watson said. “They know we have a job to do. We talked about not getting too high and too low. The next series is going to be a tough one, no matter who it is. So our guys are going to celebrate this one here and take some time off to get some rest and we'll be right back at it.”
Here are three things we learned about the Walleye in the first round:
1. The team is deep and dangerous.
The Walleye certainly have the big top line of Bliss, Hawkins, and Green but nine other forwards also have made considerable contributions. In total, 16 of 19 skaters have recorded at least one point, while 11 different players have scored at least one goal in the playoffs. Eleven players have tallied multiple points.
“We have a deep, deep team,” Watson said. “All the guys are stepping up and filling their roles. Everybody has been involved.”
The pressure hasn't been on one line to produce. And the players that haven't gotten on the scoresheet (Conlan Keenan, John Albert, and Thomas Ebbing) have contributed in other areas.
The depth extends to the goaltending position, where Watson has had the luxury of rotating rookie Sebastian Cossa and Lethemon. Cossa, the highly regarded Red Wings prospect, has continued his late-regular season surge. Cossa leads the league with a 1.00 goals-against average and save percentage (.958).
Each goalie has won one game at home and one on the road.
“We give each other full support,” Cossa said. “This system can work well with both of us getting rest and, hopefully, we can both be at the top of our games.”
2. Special teams have been special.
The Walleye led the ECHL in both key special teams categories during the regular season and have continued excelling in the playoffs.
Toledo cashed in on the power play at a league-high 24.5 percent during the regular season. The Walleye also had the top penalty kill percentage (85.2).
In the four games against Indy, Toledo scored on seven of their 19 chances. The 36.8 percent success rate ranks second in the ECHL playoffs. Bliss leads the ECHL with three power-play goals (3) and in power-play points (5), while Tyutyayev ranks second in power-play assists (3).
The team's PK limited the Fuel to just one power-play goal on 14 chances. The Walleye are tied for the ECHL lead at a 92.9 percent successful kill rate.
“It's huge, obviously,” Lethemon said. “We knew that coming into this that special teams were going to be the name of the game in this series and all playoffs. We're pretty dangerous on the power play with our offense up front. We can make teams pay.”
The Walleye have used four forwards on the penalty kill that are not part of the power play and seven forwards on the power play that don't play on the penalty kill.
“That keeps us fresh,” forward Andrew Sturtz said.
The team must stay disciplined to keep out of the penalty box and continue to make teams pay for their infractions.
3. Unshakable confidence and determination continues to grow with success on the road and at home.
The Walleye never trailed in the first three games of the Indy series. It felt as if Toledo controlled the majority of play throughout the series, even when it trailed in Game 4.
Winning the first two games at the Huntington Center was significant for the team's confidence. The Walleye struggled at times at home during the regular season, finishing with a 19-12-5 record.
The Walleye lead the ECHL in playoff attendance with 16,341 attending the first two games against Indy (8,171 per game). Both games were sellouts.
“There are 8,000 people out there and they're raring to go,” Watson said. “I thought our guys just channeled it and they were focused. They used that energy the right way.”
The Walleye won 26 of 36 road games during the regular season, tying an ECHL record for the most road wins in a season. They have now won their first two games on the road in the playoffs.
“We're playing to our identity. We've played smart, hard road hockey,” Watson said. “There's some sacrifice to avoid trying to make those fancy plays and try to keep it more simple. When you play in [another team's] building, they're going to be amped up. We want to suck the life out of them by wearing them down with our team type of game.”
First Published April 30, 2023, 10:31 p.m.
