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TSN Toronto Reporter Mark Masters reports on the Maple Leafs, who skated in two groups at Ford Performance Centre on Wednesday ahead of tonight’s game against the Senators in Ottawa.

Petr Mrazek and Jack Campbell faced off in the preliminary round at the 2012 World Juniors. Mrazek stopped 52 of 54 shots as the Czech Republic upset the Americans. 

Has Mrazek brought up the game with Campbell since he joined him in Toronto? 

"No, not yet actually, but I might," Mrazek said before breaking into a smile. "At some point at dinner or somewhere I'm going to bring it up."

"He played well that game," Campbell recalled. "He's a competitor and you see that every day here. It's a lot of fun to bring that compete together [with mine] and it makes the team even stronger."

That's certainly what the Leafs, who signed Mrazek to a three-year deal in July, are banking on. 

"We have two guys that are confident and comfortable with who they are," said coach Sheldon Keefe. "They are easygoing yet serious and very competitive at the same time. So, it's just a really good fit."

Mrazek spent the last three seasons with the small-market Hurricanes, but seems unfazed by the move to hockey-mad Toronto. 

"It's going to be better, to be honest," Mrazek insisted. "The pressure is here every single day and that's something we want. I feel like that's the game we love and want to play ... I like to play under pressure."

Mrazek didn't always feel as confident in the mental side of the game. Three years ago, he started working with Marian Jelinek, the longtime sports psychologist of Jaromir Jagr, who taught him how to navigate the ups and downs in a long season. 

"He helped me so much," Mrazek said. "We're in contact every single day.

"I heard there's a lot of attention here and, you know what, if fans are nice, I don't have a problem to have a good conversation and have a picture and stuff like that."

While Campbell made his Stanley Cup playoff debut last season, Mrazek has a longer postseason track record (29 games). He helped the Hurricanes advance in both 2019 and 2020 playoffs.  

"He's established himself as a good goaltender in the NHL," said Keefe. "He's got good experience. He's played in the playoffs and played well in the playoffs. He's done well at sharing the net and having a guy that's pushing him and he's able to push the other guy. And he's just got a great personality about him."

Campbell is also a fun-loving character, which has led to some instant chemistry between the pair, who are also both 29 years old. 

"We've hung out a lot at the rink," Campbell said, "a little bit away from the rink and our girlfriends have gotten to know each other and it's a really fun relationship because we push each other so much. He's a competitive guy and so am I so it clicks."

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Ilya Mikheyev scored the shootout winner in Toronto's opening pre-season game on Saturday night. 

"I don't think about it. I just shoot," Mikheyev said with a laugh. "When I think a lot sometimes it doesn't work."

Mikheyev scored seven goals on 107 shots last season. His 6.5 shooting percentage ranked dead last among Leafs forwards, who played the whole season with Toronto.

"Of course, I need more work on breakaways, because I had lots of chances last season," Mikheyev said. "It's just the mentality. I need to score one and then it's coming." 

His teammates sense it. 

"His shot's always been solid, but he's been woking on it a lot so I'm looking for him to have a huge year for us," said Campbell.

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David Kampf has already made a big impression at training camp. 

"Kampf gives us the added depth at centre that, to me, we haven't had in my time here, in terms of that reliable player," said Keefe. "I feel comfortable playing David Kampf against anybody at any time and that's a very important thing as it's going to help manage the minutes of [Auston] Matthews and [John] Tavares a little bit better."

Matthews averaged 21 minutes and 33 seconds of ice time last season, which ranked fifth among all NHL forwards. Linemate Mitch Marner led all forwards at 22 minutes and 26 seconds. Kampf logged 14 minutes and 40 seconds per game with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

Kampf has skated on a line with Nikita Gusev and Ondrej Kase so far while also seeing time on the penalty kill.

"He looks really good," said defenceman Justin Holl. "Someone who I've noticed is a super smart player. He always seems to be in the right spot and is an outlet for us defencemen."

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The Leafs finished 24th in penalty-kill percentage (78.5) last season. The team will be changing its approach this year under new assistant coach Dean Chynoweth. 

"It's just about a little more aggressiveness," explained forward Alex Kerfoot. "That's something that Dean has preached from Day 1. There's some structural things that he'll tweak, but the main focus is just to be more aggressive and if we're going to get beat, we're going to get beat through aggressiveness not through passiveness."

"Trying to be as assertive as possible," echoed Holl, "and dictating the play as opposed to letting the power play dictate the play." 

Chynoweth guided the Hurricanes to the third-best penalty-kill percentage in the NHL last season (85.2). 

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Nick Robertson was scrolling through Twitter when he found out he would make his NHL debut with the Leafs in the 2020 playoffs. 

"Ever since I've been in the organization, maybe it's because I'm a young guy, but everything is kept quiet," the left winger said. "In the bubble I didn't know I was playing until I was on social media and saw it. It's kind of quiet. It is what it is, but I take it day by day and perform regardless." 

Even if he's curious about what's going on, Robertson has learned it's best not to get his news from social media. 

"Last season is when I stopped going on everything," he said. "It's one of the things they taught me here is to stay off it."

Robertson is also learning to live on his own. 

"I mean, don't ask my mom, but I can take care of my myself pretty good," the 20-year-old said. "It's just the little things. I always have to grab something or do something. I can never go home and chill. I have to go to the grocery store or do the dishes that I leave out all the time."

What would his mom say? 

"When she comes up and sees it, she's not a fan of how I keep the place," Robertson said with a laugh. "Little dirtier than she expects." 

Robertson appears to be facing an uphill battle to make the Leafs out of training camp. 

"The biggest hurdle for him is the fact that we have a lot of depth here," noted Keefe. "He is still a young guy trying to find his way. He is trying to sort through being the dangerous top-six scorer we think he can be. That opportunity may not be available for him. He is trying to figure out how to do the other things really well and be good in the other areas of the game. He gets a chance to kill penalties and do things that he has done at the junior level. He killed penalties with the Marlies last year, which was important for us to give him those minutes to do so. He is a young guy in the mix with older guys who are trying to compete for spots. He is certainly in the mix for us. He has a lot of tools we can utilize when the time comes for it."

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Lines at Leafs morning skate: 

 

Robertson - Kerfoot - Simmonds

Gusev - Kampf - Kase

Bunting - Semyonov - Ho-Sang

Brooks - Amadio - Gabriel 

Abramov

 

Sandin - Biega 

Dahlstrom - Dermott 

Kral - Liljegren 

Duszak - Villenueve 

 

Mrazek 

Hutchinson

 

Lines at Leafs practice: 

 

Mikheyev - Tavares- Marner 

Ritchie - Spezza - Anderson 

Kopacka - Seney - Gogolev 

Clune - Douglas - McKenna

 

Rielly Brodie 

Muzzin - Holl

Kivilhalme - Hollowell 

Rubins - Menell

 

Campbell

Kallgren

 

Absent: Nylander (personal)

Injured: Matthews (wrist), Engvall (hip), Scott (groin), Woll (undisclosed), Der-Arguchintsev (undisclosed)