The Calder Cup Playoffs are down to four teams.

Those four clubs bear some scars, too. They’ve all been through a scare or two to one degree or another at this point. And it’s a wide-open playoff field as well. The regular-season champion Providence Bruins are out. So are the Grand Rapids Griffins (second overall), Ontario Reign (fourth), and Charlotte Checkers (fifth). None of the regular season’s four division champions remain as the Laval Rocket also went home early.

Now the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Toronto Marlies both move on to the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals with ample scar tissue, resolve, and the reality that they are only eight wins away from lifting the Calder Cup. Game 1 of the Marlies-Penguins series is Wednesday night at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Toronto had to win back-to-back elimination games against the stubborn Cleveland Monsters to take the North Division Finals. They ticked off the first step of that project last Friday night at Coca Coliseum, taking Game 4 with a decisive 5-2 victory. Going to Cleveland last Sunday afternoon to settle the best-of-five series, they broke two Cleveland leads, coming down to the final 4:30 of regulation to do so. Then with 11.3 seconds to go in a 2-2 game, forward Easton Cowan shoved in a rebound for the series-clinching goal.

Now Toronto is back to a place that became a near-annual occurrence last decade. They went to the conference finals five times in seven seasons between 2012 and 2019, winning the Calder Cup in 2018.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the league’s third-place finisher in the regular season, went through its own severe scare. After handling the Hershey Bears to open their postseason, they had to go a full five games with the Springfield Thunderbirds. That Springfield club had already been on a tear even before meeting the Penguins, knocking out Charlotte and Providence to earn that match-up.

After taking Game 1, the Penguins held a 3-0 lead in Game 2 on home ice. They held full control of that series until, well, they didn’t. Springfield rallied for a 4-3 overtime victory that night. The Penguins had to sweat a Game 3 road victory only to see the Thunderbirds take Game 4.

That sent the series back to Northeastern Pennsylvania. Head coach Kirk MacDonald’s players did not repeat that Game 2 mistake, however. They took the Thunderbirds by the neck and never relented. They chased Springfield starter Georgi Romanov with four first-period goals and never let up, either. By the time that Springfield staggered away into the offseason, the Penguins had torn them apart, 8-1.

Maybe the Penguins needed that scare. Faced with their season ending on home ice to a team that finished in sixth place, the Penguins stepped forward and dominated. That’s encouraging for a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team chasing its first Calder Cup championship. In fact, the last time that a Pittsburgh affiliate won the Calder Cup came back in 1974 when they were affiliated with the Hershey Bears.

For some extra spice, the Pittsburgh organization is led by president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas. General manager of the Marlies in 2018, Dubas won the Calder Cup that year in his final AHL hurrah before moving on to become general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs until 2023.

Most of all, this playoff run for the Penguins has largely been carried by the team’s prospect base. When Dubas came to Pittsburgh three years ago, there was little to work with in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. With some holdover picks from the past management regime, some savvy signings, and continued strong drafting, Pittsburgh’s AHL pipeline again shows a great deal of promise.

Here are four players to watch for each club.

Toronto Marlies

Artur Akhtyamov: The Marlies needed Akhtyamov to get past a three-team North Division gauntlet. They’ll need him again against the Penguins. The 24-year-old has gone 7-4 | 2.18 | .922 to give the Marlies a solid chance. They’ll need him again. If he should falter, they do have Dennis Hildeby ready to take over.

Easton Cowan: Coming to the Marlies for the Calder Cup Playoffs after a full season with the Leafs, Cowan needed time to adjust. It’s a different league and a different style, and prospects often require that period to make the transition. He is finding his form. With 4-4-8 in 13 games, the production has mostly been there. It feels like there is even more that he can provide. This postseason has been an excellent opportunity to take on a different role and more minutes after a solid rookie NHL campaign.

Ben Danford: While Danford’s Brantford Bulldogs saw their season come to an inauspicious end in the OHL postseason, Danford has continued to cruise along. He joined the Marlies in time for their series against Cleveland and has not come out of the line-up. Taken 31st overall in 2024, he is getting an early start for when he turns pro next season.

Logan Shaw: The Marlies captain has become a fixture for the team. In his fourth campaign in Toronto, he jumped from 12 to 23 regular-season goals at age 33. None of that production has disappeared in the postseason, either, with 6-5-11 through 13 games. His third-period goal in Game 5 at Cleveland tied the game. He’s the face of the Marlies and a through-and-through leader for this club.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Tristan Broz: When the Penguins have Broz, they just look more dangerous. Feel more dangerous. The forward has an excellent motor, and that has shown in the postseason. He leads the team in scoring (3-6-9 in nine games) and just makes this team go. A 2021 second-round pick, he looks ready to compete for time in Pittsburgh next season. 

Harrison Brunicke: It has been a come-and-go season for Brunicke, who has moved between the NHL, AHL, WHL, and IIHF World Junior Championship. He has handled it all, though, and he has quickly become a relied-upon option for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton blue line. Pittsburgh grabbed him in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft, and he is already looking like a bargain.

Sergei Murashov: Where would the Penguins be without Murashov, their 22-year-old star goaltending prospect? He has taken all nine playoff starts, going 6-3 | 1.74 | .943. This postseason performance should make him a strong contender to stick with Pittsburgh come this fall. As long as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has Murashov, they are extremely dangerous.

Bill Zonnon: Talk about timing. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton caught a break when the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada’s postseason came to an end just in time for the Pens’ second-round series. The 19-year-old forward immediately stepped into the line-up and delivered three goals in his first three games. Pittsburgh selected Zonnon 22nd overall in last year’s NHL Draft, and he is quickly showing that he can handle the pro level even in the postseason.

A breakdown of the Western Conference Finals featuring the Colorado Eagles and Chicago Wolves will follow Thursday.

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