LONDON, ONT – For Brad Ross, it was quite the adjustment. Willie Mays Jersey . A second round draft pick in 2010, Ross was still cooking from a year that saw him score 42 times, adding 12 more in the playoffs for the WHLs Portland Winterhawks. But there with the Toronto Marlies in the fall of 2012, Ross, a rookie, was on the outside of a veteran squad peering in. "It wasnt too good to be honest," he said of his introduction to pro hockey during a conversation with TSN.ca. "The games that I would get in I would only play four or five shifts so its hard to really improve doing that. "But its hard to talk to the coach and be like Look I want to play when you have Matt Frattin, Kadri, all those guys down [in the AHL]." Ross tiptoed in and out of the lineup for 40 games, scoring only eight goals, and even spent a bit of time in the ECHL. This year promises to be different for Ross and a barrage of other top Leaf prospects though with the once potent and veteran Marlies veering in a youthful direction. Gone are a cast of mainstays who helped the club to a Calder Cup final two years ago, among them captain Ryan Hamilton, Mike Zigomanis, Will Acton, Greg Scott and the man who led the resurgence, Dallas Eakins. His replacement behind the bench, Steve Spott, will focus on the development of a youth-infused group. "And thats why Im excited about it," said Spott with enthusiasm, "because were going to see the progression." The head man in Kitchener for the past five seasons, Spott has a track record of cultivating young talent, a challenge hes prepared to take on at the next level in Toronto. "I dont have a lot of ready-made guys," he said of the roster hell guide with the Marlies. "Ive got guys that Im going to have to work with and develop along with Gord [Dineen] and with Derek [King] to get them ready to play in the next step. I take a lot of pride in that challenge. Its going to be a lot of video, a lot of teaching and something that we pride ourselves in, but ultimately, yeah, theres not a lot of ready-made products we have with our team." The Marlies will be built on the foundations of those looking to rise up to the next level of their respective careers. There will be the likes of Jerry DAmigo and Carter Ashton, aiming for the NHL stage and those like Ross, Greg McKegg, Tyler Biggs, Stuart Percy, Josh Leivo, David Broll, and Petter Granberg, trying to assert their place on the still new stage of the American League. An offensive star in junior, McKegg waded uncomfortably in his first year with the Marlies, gaining some steam late in the season. Training camp last fall brought with it a loaded roster, NHL talent in the form of Frattin, Nazem Kadri and Jake Gardiner lingering because of the lockout. The results saw McKegg, among others, dangling on a tight rope of sorts. "Even if you make a mistake in junior youre used to going right back out the next shift and that wasnt the case when we turned pro last year," he told TSN.ca, noting the constant worry of tripping up with mistakes. "I was a lot more nervous last year," added Ross, who hopes to rediscover the feisty offensive game which made him successful with the Winterhawks. "With the lockout it was so tough to get a spot." Each player will, in many ways, represent a project for Spott and his staff, an opportunity to shape individuals through their habits on and off the ice and "transform them into becoming day-to-day professional players." "I think thats maybe a big reason why Im here," said Spott, a longtime protégé of Devils coach Pete DeBoer, hired by the Leafs organization in early July. "…the pride in the development and making sure the players, once they have a chance to play, that theyre complete players. When you look at the Skinners, and the Landeskogs and the Roys, those guys we took a lot of pride in developing them the right way." For Percy, a first round pick in 2011 who thrived in Mississauga last season, that process involves "putting the pressure on himself to become an elite player". For Biggs, selected three picks before Percy that same year, its "playing with that passion every night", Spott stressing the physical elements required of the 6-3 winger. Leivo, a power winger who drew acclaim from Leafs brass for his goal-scoring efforts last season, will be equally tested under Spott, having spent 39 games under him in Kitchener. "The training, the nutrition side of the game, thats all going to be new to him," Spott said. "Those are the types of projects individually were excited about." Brandon Crawford Jersey . Eller said the Oilers were a "junior team" that was "all over the place" before Edmontons 4-3 victory over Montreal on Tuesday night, Oilers head coach Dallas Eakins took offence to Ellers comments and used it to motivate his youthful team. Deion Sanders Jersey . Torres tells Spanish daily AS "in football you never know where you will be inside one month. Im going to work hard, thats all you can do with this last part of the season so important. http://www.sfgiantsapparelsshop.com/buster-posey-jersey-c-6/ . Ashley Wagner will skate in the womens short program for a U.S. team thats in seventh place. Davis and White won the silver medal at the Vancouver Games and are two-time world champions.Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - The fourth-ranked Louisville Cardinals will begin a three-game homestand on Tuesday that will close out the 2014 calendar year, as they welcome the Cal State Northridge Matadors to the KFC Yum! Center for non-conference action. Rick Pitinos Cardinals were in a battle with Western Kentucky as the team played short-handed with its star forward being ejected in the first half. However, Louisville showed its resiliency and held off the Hilltoppers in a 76-67 decision. The win kept Louisville unbeaten on the season at 10-0. Reggie Theus Matadors have not had the kind of start the team hoped for, as CSUN comes into this contest sporting a rather ugly 3-9 ledger. Northridge seven of its last eight games, including two straight. The lone victory over that span cam against Vanguard (70-58), but the Matadors have dropped two straight since, including a 75-68 setback to Texas A&M-CC on Saturday. This is the first-ever meeting between these two teams on the hardwood. Stephen Maxwell erupted for 23 points, but it wasnt enough to push CSUN into the win column over the Islanders on Saturday. The Matadors opened strong and led 9-0 through the first six minutes of action. However, the team struggled after the break to contain the Islanders, who netted 52 points over the final 20 minutes of action to earn the win. Stephen Hicks joined Maxwell in double figures, finishing with 14 points in the loss. The Matadors are posting modest offensive numbers on the season, averaging 66.1 ppg on .421 shooting overall. The shooting percentage is weighed down heavily by an ugly .243 effort from long range, as the 33-pointer is not a weapon in the teams arsenal (just 2. Custom San Francisco Giants Jerseys. 3 made 3-pointers per game). Hicks however, has not been victim to shoddy shooting, as the 6-foot-6 senior is converting a healthy .558 from the floor and tops the team in scoring at 17.5 ppg. Maxwell is next in line at 1.6 ppg and is the teams leading rebounder at 7.6 caroms per contest. The scoring pool dries up fast after that however, as Aaron Parks is third in the scoring column at just 7.6 ppg. All-America candidate Montrezl Harrell lost his cool in the first half and was ejected for a flagrant foul, leaving the Cardinals in a bind against a dangerous WKU squad. Fortunately for Louisville, Terry Rozier came to the rescue, scoring 26 of his career-high 32 points in the second half to keep Louisville unbeaten on the season. Despite playing just 17 minutes in the first half, Harrell still had a solid outing, netting 14 points and grabbing six rebounds. Chris Jones also finished in double figures with 10 points for Louisville, which shook off a tough first half to shoot .500 from the floor over the final 20 minutes to earn the win. The Cardinals will be without Harrell and his 16.7 points and 10.0 rebounds per game for this contest, as he will serve a one-game suspension for his antics against Western Kentucky. Still, there is every reason to believe that Louisville can overcome the loss against the Matadors. With his offensive performance against WKU, Rozier now sits atop the teams scoring chart at 16.8 ppg. Jones (12.6 ppg) and Wayne Blackshear (12.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg) will also be called upon to pick up the slack in Harrells absence here. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap Cheap Authentic Jerseys Stitched NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Hoodies Cheap Jerseys Throwback Wholesale Jerseys 2018 ' ' '