Viktor Stalberg turned heads earlier this fall for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

After a strong rookie tournament in early September, the 23-year-old forward continued his momentum in training camp and exhibition action with the blue and white, playing eight of nine games in the preseason and scoring a team-high six goals.

Stalberg faced a major setback, however, in just his third game of the season. Stalberg injured his head on a hit from the Ottawa Senators defenseman Anton Volchenkov, causing him to miss the next two games. He was ultimately demoted to the AHL's Toronto Marlies after earning just one point and a minus-5 rating in eight games with the Leafs.

However, Stalberg has taken it all in stride. With three goals and seven points in seven games as of Thursday, he's made a big impact with the Marlies since he was reassigned. Stalberg is earning plenty of ice time with the Marlies and is hoping to get back to the level he was in training camp.

"After getting back from my injury I felt I played well, but for some reason ... I didn't feel my timing was there," Stalberg told the Toronto Star earlier this month. "Then my ice time went down and that's tough for me because I'm used to top-line minutes. But I have to find a role I can play here and make it work."

The Vermont alum received kudos from Marlies head coach Dallas Eakins for his strong start with the Marlies.

"He came down with a great frame of mind, and that's tough to do," Eakins told The Star. "A lot of guys will think this (AHL) is easy or they'll come down and sulk. Viktor did neither. He knows why he's down here. And he's not dumb; he saw (Maple Leafs general manager) Brian Burke in the stands ... he wanted to send a message, and he did."

Stalberg is just one of three highly touted prospects lacing up with the Marlies this season. As of Nov. 19, Notre Dame alum Christian Hanson was tied for fourth in AHL rookie scoring with 13 points (five goals, eight assists). The Venetia, Penn. native and the son of Dave Hanson – the only real Hanson from the movie "Slap Shot," is tied for first among all active Marlies with a plus-3 rating. Saskatchewan native Tyler Bozak, who played NCAA hockey at the University of Denver for two seasons, is third. Bozak has two goals and six points in 13 games for the Marlies.

During the trio's time with the Leafs during exhibition action, they were dubbed the "College Line" – all three rookies joined the pro ranks this season after playing NCAA hockey last season.

NOTES FROM AROUND THE AHL: Three-time Norris Trophy winner Chris Chelios has one goal, eight assists and a plus-10 rating in nine games for the Chicago Wolves. The defenseman is still hoping to catch on with an NHL club and continue his career at age 47. ... A 33-goal scorer in the AHL a year ago, Hamilton Bulldogs RW Mike Glumac ended a 13-game drought to begin this season with three goals in two games last week. ... Grand Rapids C Kris Newbury saw his AHL season-high seven-game assist streak (1-8-9) end along with his team's nine-game winning streak – and eight-game home skein – on Saturday in a 3-1 setback to Rochester. ... The Syracuse Crunch have signed LW Bates Battaglia to a professional tryout contract. Battaglia has 198 points in 580 NHL games. He has not played in the NHL season since 2007-2008, when he suited up for 13 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. ... New Jersey Devils prospect and Lowell defenseman Tyler Eckford was named the AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Nov. 15. Eckford had nine points (two goals, seven assists) and was plus-6 in three games for the Devils' affiliate. Eckford's play helped Lowell tie a franchise record with five straight wins. He was called up to the Devils earlier this week. ... The Atlanta Thrashers have assigned D Boris Valabik to Chicago for a conditioning stint. Valabik, the 10th overall pick in the 2004 entry draft, has appeared in 57 career NHL contests for Atlanta, earning five assists and 174 penalty minutes, spanning two seasons (2007-09). He has not appeared in any games with the Thrashers this year. ... D Mathieu Carle has been assigned from the Montreal Canadiens to the Hamilton Bulldogs. Carle, 22, made his NHL debut on Nov. 3 against the Atlanta Thrashers, playing three scoreless games with the Canadiens with four penalty minutes. ... Sergei Kostitsyn of the Hamilton Bulldogs still can't seem to find his way back to Montreal. Despite Brian Gionta breaking a bone in his left foot, Canadiens head coach Jacques Martin said the disgruntled winger would remain in the AHL in favor of Tom Pyatt and Ryan White. Kostitsyn, the younger brother of current Hab Andrei Kostitsyn, has nine points in 14 AHL games.

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