Max Ellis becomes an intriguing option for Maple Leafs after strong start for Marlies

By Joshua Kloke, The Athletic

Max Ellis narrows his gaze toward his right arm as he reveals a tattoo hidden under a sweaty, blue sleeve. As the Marlies right winger points out a small group of numbers and letters, a wistful smile emerges.

“In God’s Hands,” one line of the tattoo reads, with “RIP JT 4/6/12” below it.

“JT” is James Tursky, Ellis’ grandfather, who died when Ellis was 12.

“An old-school guy,” Ellis said of Tursky, a Vietnam war veteran whom Ellis would stay with for months at a time as a child. Ellis proudly calls Tursky his “biggest inspiration in hockey” because of his message.

“If you start something,” Ellis said, his smile disappearing in favour of a hardened stare, “stick with it.”

Never was that message more important to the speedy and pesky Ellis than after an up-and-down 2022-23 rookie Marlies season. After signing a two-year entry-level contract following a strong three-year stint with the University of Notre Dame, there were times when Ellis’ puck skills looked capable of changing a game. But there were just as many times when he willingly ditched the puck and, unfortunately, did not make much of an impact.

The adjustment from college hockey to the professional ranks can be a trying one. But Ellis vowed to stick with it, and this season the 5-foot-9 Ellis has become one of the best Marlies out of the gate, in part because of the adjustments he’s made to his game, but also in part because of his grandfather’s message he’s carrying with him.

And with the increased understanding of the professional game and the offence he’s providing, Ellis could eventually put himself on Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe’s radar and become the next Marlie to get an NHL audition.

“I’ve found more in my game,” Ellis, 23, said, “than I had last year.”

For a player who was signed because of his hands, his quick feet and his ability to agitate the opposition, Ellis knows he wasn’t at his best through his 49 AHL games last season.

His 10 goals and 20 points were respectable enough, but short of expectations for a player who led Notre Dame in scoring in his junior season with 16 goals and 28 points in 39 games. Ellis needed to learn to master the defensive side of the game, sure. But he also needed to learn when to balance the need to make a risky but rewarding play with a safe one.

And he needed to get to areas where the self-professed pest could be at his most pest-like. The result was a player who looked like he was doubting himself, often ditched the puck from the perimeter and didn’t force his way higher up a talented Marlies lineup.

“You don’t always get to make the plays you want to,” Ellis said of last season.

Ellis retreated to his offseason Michigan home in the hopes of returning a better player. To do so, he surrounded himself with, well, better players.

His choice to join a gym and summer skating program with a group of NHL skaters for the first time helped him turn a corner. After morning workouts, Ellis would park himself in front of a pile of eggs at a local cafe alongside the likes of veteran Anaheim Ducks defenceman Cam Fowler, Ottawa Senators forward Josh Norris and Detroit Red Wings star Alex DeBrincat, among others. As he picked their brains, the morning conversations helped open Ellis’ eyes to his future.

If he was going to be an NHL player, he was told again and again, that he would have to trust himself. The Leafs signed him for a reason, he was reminded. Why wasn’t he letting that player out?

After breakfast, he’d join those players on the ice with a few goals, but one in particular that was always front of mind: Believe in yourself with the puck, and get to the middle of the ice.

That’s where he would be able to make a difference.

Rep after rep, Ellis was able to get by NHL players more. It didn’t hurt that a focus of his off-ice training was improving his stability so he could play in contact.

But the words of encouragement after drills were growing louder and louder from Ellis’ summer crew.

There were times in his rookie AHL season that the NHL felt far away. But beating the likes of Norris and DeBrincat to pucks and then making a skilled play against Fowler did wonders for his confidence.

That confidence was the first thing his frequent Marlies linemate Joseph Blandisi noticed in Toronto during training camp.

“(Ellis) is more willing to go inside and get to the harder areas this year,” Blandisi said. “He’s coming out of corners with pucks. And for a guy with his stature, that’s going to be a key ingredient to his game: winning battles against bigger guys. He’s been able to do that.”

With Ellis’ newfound ability to get to the interior of the ice has come one goal and five points in seven games.

“He’s a lot more comfortable playing in traffic, which, at the pro level, it’s all about. So that’s a good sign for him,” Marlies coach John Gruden said. “He’s making plays in those tight areas. Because it’s one thing to get yourself in those areas and have the puck at your stick, and then it’s another to make those plays that he’s making.

You can practically see the increased confidence in Ellis and his transformed game. On the ice, he’s getting in on the forecheck more and separating opposition players from the puck before making plays instead of dumping the puck in.

And the confidence is evident off the ice too, at least when he’s stepping off the bus en route to AHL rinks in Air Jordan 1 Travis Scott edition sneakers. Ellis is borderline obsessed with shoes. When he’s recovering from practice, he’ll often unwind by browsing sneaker websites. You might also find Ellis quietly studying the newest sneakers on Queen Street in downtown Toronto.

Ellis isn’t afraid to show off what excites him. He laughs when admitting that on Marlies road trips, he will likely pack a pair of dress shoes, white leather sneakers and two or three pairs of Air Jordans. He has grown confident enough showing off his distinct taste in shoes, whether that’s sneakers or even moccasins.

“It’s an aspect out of the game that you can express yourself through,” Ellis said. “You have to add some unique characteristics.”

At some point this season, Ellis might force his way to an NHL call-up and then be forced to choose his favourite pair of sneakers for a walk to an NHL rink.

The Leafs’ fourth line has struggled to create offence. Ryan Reaves, Pontus Holmberg and Noah Gregor have combined for just one point. It’s possible Keefe wants to bolster production from the bottom six or that injuries will necessitate a call-up.

That call could come for Ellis. He’s in the last year of his contract and without any NHL games under his belt. The Leafs could have an eye on the future, want to see how Ellis stacks up against tougher competition, and, potentially, whether he factors into their plans beyond this season.

Crucially, while other top Marlies scorers have found the back of the net in top-six roles, Ellis has put up the points he has in a third-line role and with limited power play time. The Marlies coaching staff appears to be preparing him for a bottom-six NHL role by learning how to succeed in the same type of role in the AHL. All five of Ellis’ points have come at even strength.

Ellis has spent most of this season playing alongside NHL veteran Kyle Clifford. That Ellis can make an offensive impact beside a physical player could be a boon to his chances of getting fourth-line NHL minutes.

Ellis was a standout with a goal and an assist in an Oct. 7 preseason loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

“The NHL has turned into a three-line league,” Gruden said. “That’s how we’re built too. So one day if (Ellis) ever gets that opportunity, he feels comfortable and confident where he can make a difference.”

That Ellis has become more inclined to bother the hell out of the opposition won’t hurt, either. At the Traverse City rookie tournament, Ellis was at his best when he was disrupting plays defensively or not backing down in scrums. Being a modern player who plays bigger than his frame and blends some snarl with some offence makes him the kind of player Leafs GM Brad Treliving seems to covet.

“As a smaller guy, you’ve got to be a pest,” Ellis said. “You’ve got to get in (opposition player’s) heads, make an impact and they have to know you’re going to cut them off and not just let them by.”

For Ellis, he’s not ready to let days go by any longer without improvement. With his adjustment period over, he wants to make an impact for the Leafs sooner rather than later.

And he won’t stop thinking of his grandfather’s message to get there.

“The mindset coming from him was to do the tough work,” Ellis said. “Not every day is going to be a great day.”