When the National Hockey League shut down for the Sochi Winter Olympics, some of the league’s younger players were sent down to the affiliated American Hockey League.
One such player was Scarborough’s Tyler Toffoli of the Los Angeles Kings who ended up as the AHL’s player of the week for a three-game stint with the high flying Manchester Monarchs in which he produced seven points, including five goals (with two game-winners) and two assists.
With his player-of-the-week honours in the bag, however, the 21-year-old former Birchmount Park Collegiate student was recalled by the Kings to resume practice last week in preparation for this week’s resumption of the NHL schedule.
In 39 NHL games this season, he has 19 points (10 goals, nine assists). Like most of his teammates, however, points have been hard to come by, as of late.
In the Kings last 21 games he only managed points in two of them (a goal and an assist in each of them). By contrast he potted eight points in his first seven games; 15 points in his first 18 games.
In his 18 games this season with Manchester, Toffoli has 23 points (15 goals, eight assists).
Toffoli is part of a relatively large NHL contingent from Scarborough. Here’s where some of them stand with this week’s resumption of play:
• Wayne Simmonds, former student at Birchmount Park Collegiate, with 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists) in 59 games, second on the Philadelphia Flyers. He is on his way to top his best ever season when he contributed 49 points (28 goals, 21 assists) in 82 games for the Flyers in the 2011-12 season.
• Joel Ward – who grew up in the same Scarborough neighbourhood as former NHL goalie Kevin Weekes, now a Hockey Night In Canada colour commentator, both attending Chester Le Junior Public School – with 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists) in 59 games, fourth on the Washington Capitals. He is on his way to top his best ever season when he contributed 35 points (17 goals, 18 assists) for the Nashville Predators in his first full year in the league in 2008-09.
• and Chris Stewart, former student at West Hill Collegiate, with 26 points (15 goals, 11 assists) in 57 games, 10th on the well-rounded St. Louis Blues. His best year, in what he hopes won’t be a career year, was 2009-10 with the Colorado Avalanche with 64 points (28 goals, 36 assists) in 77 games.