The Boys Keep Rolling

Emily

Hey everybody, Emily here! Welcome back to This Week in Blue & White—honestly, I still can't believe it's already episode four. Today, I wanna start with something I absolutely look forward to: a spotlight on the people behind those face cages and visors. Yup, it’s Player Feature Spotlight time! You know, we've talked team chemistry, we've talked clutch performances… but—uh—let’s just zero in on a couple of standouts off the ice and on.

Emily

First up: Adam Kalantzakos. This guy—okay, if you’ve ever watched a Marlboros breakout, odds are you’ve seen Adam flying past everyone. He reads the ice so quickly. Like, it’s not just skating fast, it’s that split-second decision making. Total “get the puck and go” energy. And, yeah, I asked him what he’d want as a superpower—he said super speed. No shock there! Actually, he said, “I like going fast.” Adam, you already do!

Emily

Off the ice though? The dude’s got taste. Outer Banks is his go-to chill show—total vibes… maybe a little escapism from practice, I get it. And pre-game tunes? He’s got “9” by Drake on repeat. Only fitting for a Toronto kid, right? Oh—how could I forget—if he got to escape Canada for a bit, Bora Bora is his spot. Respect, can’t blame him!

Emily

When it comes to hockey role models, Adam patterns his game after Zach Werenski. A super skilled, puck-moving defenseman—honestly, I think that lines up pretty well with how Adam approaches the game.

Emily

Alright, switching gears to the other featured player this week: Caden Duke. If you were around last season, you’d remember us talking about players who just never, ever take a shift off. Caden is that guy. If you ask him about his best skill, he’ll give you one word: compete. That says it all—he’s just relentless, all out, all the time. It’s kinda awesome, actually.

Emily

Now, Caden would choose invisibility if he could pick any superpower. Maybe to sneak past a few defenders, or just… I dunno, dodge chores at home? Ha! Mexico’s his top travel pick, and—oh man—his show right now is Prison Break. Not sure if that relates to his game, but he definitely hustles like he could break through a wall of defenders.

Emily

I tried to get some warm-up playlist secrets outta him, but Caden gave me nothing—just said, “my playlist.” Stone cold, total poker face. Must be good though. As for NHL inspo, he’s all about Zach Hyman: hard work, team play, grinding it out. You can see that influence every time he’s on the ice.

Emily

And, you know, talking to these guys always gets me hyped up for hockey, too. Not gonna lie—back in my old rec days, I totally had a secret playlist for big games. No, you’re never hearing it! Anyway, it’s always fun to see these personalities coming through every week.

Emily

So, building on that energy—let’s talk about some on-ice results. The Marlboros absolutely rolled in this one. 7—1 over the Don Mills Flyers… Yeah, not a typo. And what stands out to me? It wasn’t just top-end scoring. It was like… everyone, all over the ice, just dialed in.

Emily

The stat line is wild—Toronto outshot Don Mills 41 to 10. I mean, shoot, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen domination like that since… well, maybe last year’s playoffs, but still! They controlled possession, set the pace, and honestly just suffocated the Flyers from puck drop onward.

Emily

You’ve got Ethan Thompson putting up two goals, Jayden Challenger and Cal Ryan with three-point nights—just total team depth flex right there. Add in scores from Hanson, Mancino, and, yeah, our guy Caden Duke. Then there’s Hunter Nadeau and Adrian Leung from the blue line, both logging huge minutes and keeping things locked down.

Emily

Beyond the box score though, I keep thinking about what these kinds of balanced games do to confidence in the room. Like, when every line is producing, you can just feel that good vibe spread to the whole team. Reminds me of this one time I interviewed a team right after a big win—energy was buzzing, like, you could barely get a word in between celebrations. And it’s contagious! You get that depth, that everyone-chips-in thing going, and suddenly every player’s thinking, “Yep, we got this.” It’s special.

Emily

Also, gotta give a shout out—the combination of Birch, Kalantzakos, and the rest of the D was money on transitions. Faceoffs were solid, zone time kept stacking up, and the chemistry on that Mancino-Thompson-Challenger line made life basically miserable for Don Mills. I mean, if you’re a defenseman on the Flyers, you’re just hoping that clock runs out at some point, right?

Emily

I might be overusing the word “depth” but, honestly, week after week, that’s what keeps putting this team above the rest in the standings. We talked a bunch last episode about resilience and adapting in tight contests; this time, it was more about asserting dominance, top to bottom.

Emily

Now, rolling right into their next big outing—the Marlboros took on the Toronto Titans, and it was another statement. The final? 6–1 for the Marlboros. The way this game started, I’ll be honest, for about a period and, things were… well, a little sleepy. Titans struck first, and it looked like maybe we’d get a battle. But then? Just boom—Marlboros hockey broke out. They flat out dominated the second period.

Emily

Like, four goals in the second, constant pressure, outshooting the Titans 20 to 3—if you blinked, you missed something. That puck movement and zone exits, it’s exactly the brand of hockey they’ve been working on since the start of the season. Clean, fast, and just ruthless in the O zone.

Emily

The special teams also stood out again. One for two on the power play, a perfect penalty kill, and blocking shots like it’s pouring rain—the energy was just everywhere. Nadeau and Thompson both continued their point streaks; Lamming led the way down the middle and absolutely owned the dot with a 75% faceoff win rate. Honestly, it’s another reminder that, yeah, stars will shine, but in this league, depth and structure win games.

Emily

Goalie Heath deserves a ton of love for this one, too—super steady, 24 saves, just giving his team the confidence to play aggressive. And I know it’s easy to miss, but the work from guys like George, Heine, and Birch on D, and the grind on the penalty kill, makes a huge difference even if it doesn’t show up on the scoreboard.

Emily

It makes me think—I mean, structure versus star power will always be a debate in hockey, right? You get a team that’s buying in, rolling all four lines, and it’s tough to stop them. I actually watched a middle school championship a while back, and it was the deep, structured team that hoisted that trophy—not the one with the one-star kid. The Marlboros, they’re building that model right now.

Emily

So, top to bottom, it wasn't one of the cleanest team efforts of the season—but it was a real masterclass in grit, chemistry and execution. The vibe in the room must be something else. And hey, it’s just another step in what could be a pretty amazing run. That's it for today, but make sure you’re back next episode—we've got lots more to come, including new player spotlights and, who knows, maybe a story or two from inside the dressing room. See you then!