In Late September, Nazem Kadri, Viktor Stalberg, Tyler Bozak, and Christian Hanson were the talk of Toronto hockey. Over the past two months, the Leafs have been on a 33 game rollercoaster while the youngsters have been forgotten. 18-year-old Kadri was sent to the OHL and will restart the process next season. The NCAA trio has been dismantled, at least for now, and are fine tuning their games on the Marlies.

They've all had different paths since camp. 23-year-old Stalberg had one assist and two PIMs playing the first eight games of the season with the Leafs. Unfortunately he had a tough ride (along with the rest of the team), being run over and concussed by Anton Volchenkov then sent down shortly afterward. On the Marlies, Stalberg has 8 goals and 20 points, which is tied for the team lead with Hanson, although Stalberg has played only 18 games to Hanson's 20.

In the AHL, Stalberg is noticeable each time he steps on the ice. He flies and can get off a quick, hard shot. Oddly, the skill I noticed most in training camp, his ability to retrieve pucks off the boards in the offensive zone, is no longer as obvious. But he is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, and like I said before, he flies.

Hanson, also born in '86, had one assist and four PIMs in his six Leaf games. He's even bigger than Stalberg at 6-foot-4, 228 pounds, and is being developed for a grinding, power forward role, while Stalberg's scoring ability is his mantra (last season Stalberg was 14th in NCAA scoring with 46 points in 39 games while Hanson was not in the top 50 with 31 points in 37 games).

The equalizing point between these two, and what won Hanson the most recent call up, is his fore-checking determination. My press box seat at Leaf games is directly below Brian Burke and his entourage. One thing they are constantly yelling during games is for players to ‘finish' their fore-check (two players who often receive this call are Kulemin and Ponikarovski), something Hanson does throughout every shift.

Bozak, on the other hand, has had a different route. Also 23-years-old, his skill with the puck was noticeable right away in rookie camp and early in Leaf training camp. Unfortunately he's had a slow start offensively for the Marlies, with three goals and ten assists in 19 games.

His knock thus far has been his body and fitness. He's much smaller than the other two at 6-foot-0, 180 pounds (sopping wet). He played just 19 games last season at the University of Denver due to a knee injury. He was hurt again early this season with the Marlies, a high ankle sprain that kept him out five games. Hanson and Stalberg are said to be on top of their fitness and training. I've been told by a few sources that Bozak is now going full tilt along side his teammates, following players like Ben Ondrus and Ryan Hamilton around the gym. He was also on a recent trip to the grocery store with Leafs' Strength and Conditioning Coach Anthony Belza, but the proof will be in the pudding.

The question is how will these three look in February, March, and beyond? They played less than 50 games last year including playoffs, pre-season, etc. This year when you include the pre-season they're close to that total already.

But here is the point I'm trying to make: Brian Burke is involved in a re-build. He has put these three talented youngsters in the AHL for a reason - slow and steady wins the race, even if it's next season and beyond.