“He’s relentless.” Marlies head coach Greg Moore said after Friday’s game in Rockford. “The way he works, the 50-50 pucks, blocking shots and taking hits to make plays and just trying to get to the net. He makes it really hard on other teams with a lot of the things he does.

“He’s a leader in our group for a reason.”

Noel Hoefenmayer remains consistent

It feels like Hoefenmayer is registering a point in every game I watch. The 23-year-old is on a three-game point streak and remains almost a point-per-game player in his second AHL season.

His 21 points in 23 games is good enough to place him third in the AHL for most points as a defenceman. Hoefenmayer is fourth on the Marlies when it comes to points, too.

It’s going to be quite fascinating to see what happens to this Marlies defence once Mac Hollowell (up with the Maple Leafs) and Filip Kral (injured) return. Toronto’s backend — although very young — has been really strong throughout the past couple of weeks with important players out.

Joseph Woll’s undefeated streak continues

It’s safe to say that Woll has had an incredible start since returning from his eight month injury recovery. The 24-year-old goaltender — after winning in Rockford on Friday — remains undefeated at 4-0 with a .926 save percentage.

“It was a long road,” Woll said earlier this month, “I was missing hockey a lot, truthfully, and I’m just happy to be back now.”

Woll shown glimpses of what the possibilities are with him in both the AHL and NHL last season. For him this year, though, a lot of what people will be watching for is if he’ll be able to maintain a good record and save percentage over the course of an entire season.

Other Marlies notes

Mikhail Abramov has only scored two goals this season, but both of them have been big for the Marlies.

Nearly a month ago, he recorded the game-winning goal against Abbotsford at Scotiabank Arena. On Friday against the IceHogs, Abramov did the exact same thing, though this goal was a bit more flashy.

“The talent in this kid is unbelievable. He’s working through his second year and trying to earn more consistency in his game and I really, really liked his game tonight.” Moore said to Crocker after Friday’s game in Rockford. “It was probably the best game he’s played all year but even if he hadn’t scored, he was working really hard.

“He was above the puck through the middle of the rink and you could see his confidence with the puck and that’s one thing that is special about him is he never loses his confidence regardless of how things are going for him during the season. He’s improving his defensive skills and his structured play but man, he can make plays with the puck at the right times.”

Tommy Miller, who has been a massive part of this Marlies defence core since injuries plagued the Maple Leafs, left Saturday’s game after the first period.

As you can see, Miller collided with the boards awkwardly, but did jump right back up to his feet. A few seconds later, though, he blocked a shot, too. There was no word on his status after Saturday night’s game.

Finally, Keith Petruzzelli has been sent back to the Newfoundland Growlers after the return of Erik Kallgren and Woll. In the two ECHL games he’s played in, Petruzzelli has one win and an .870 save percentage.