The Toronto Marlies made a quiet move towards the end of their season when they signed former Mississauga Steelheads captain Chas Sharpe to a two-year American Hockey League (AHL) contract beginning at the start of next season. Sharpe grew up in Orillia, Ontario which is about an hour north of Toronto and jumped at the opportunity to play for his hometown. He joined the team at the end of the season on an amateur tryout contract and got into one game at the end of the regular season.
Why Choose the Marlies?
Sharpe had offers from several different pro teams, but he wanted to wait for the end of his season in Mississauga before he made any decisions on what team he was going to sign with. “As soon as [the playoffs] ended I had a lot of decisions to make with my family and my agent,” said Sharpe. The defenceman decided to sign with the Marlies over several other teams because he felt that they would give him the best opportunity and the Maple Leafs just so happened to be his favourite team growing up. “At the end of the day, Toronto just seemed like the best fit for me and it works out because they are the hometown team.”
Sharpe even took a step back to realize how special it is for him to now be a part of the organization that he has loved ever since he was a young kid. “It’s super special, every kid from our area dreams of being a Maple Leaf one day and now I’m one step closer to my dream… I think wearing that Maple Leaf one day would be very special.”
What Does Sharpe Bring to the Marlies?
Sharpe brings several different important tools to the Marlies lineup. He is a right-shot defenceman, which comes at a premium in the pro levels since more players shoot left. He came off of his best junior season this year in Mississauga as he produced 19 goals and 34 assists for a total of 53 points in his final junior season. “I think I had my best year,” said Sharpe. The numbers back up this quote since his career high in goals before this season was six and his career high in points was 31. His scoring output this season was a shock to most especially his total goals. His game in past years was low scoring but he made up for it with his defensive play. He commonly played key minutes on the penalty kill for Mississauga and was on the ice in key defensive situations such as keeping a one-goal lead with less than a minute left in the game.
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The Marlies could use all of those strengths on their team next season. Toronto has very skilled players like Topi Niemela and Miko Kokkonen who get a lot of praise for their play, but the team could use more players who are defensively responsible along with having offensive upside. Sharpe has those traits. He may not score as much as he did in junior, but he can still be a physical defenceman that can help his team kill penalties and help protect leads. The Marlies do seem to like what he brings to the table since they have asked him to stay in Toronto all offseason instead of going back home to Orillia. They want him to become more comfortable with the Marlies system and its players so that he is ready to take the ice with the team in September for training camp. It seems that they plan on having him play a big role come next season.
Every young hockey player dreams of playing for their hometown team but not all of those dreams become a reality. For Sharpe, although he is not a Maple Leaf yet, this signing has gotten him one step closer to potentially putting on that Maple Leafs jersey and playing an NHL game in front of his family.
