The NHL Combine is over, the Stanley Cup Final is reaching its conclusion, and the 2026-27 calendar is set to begin with the NHL Draft and free agency. It has been 10 years since the Maple Leafs last missed the playoffs, the same year they drafted Auston Matthews first overall. While the Leafs had been […]
The post Weighing the Maple Leafs’ first-overall pick debate: Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and the wildcards appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
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“We made a few mistakes which ended up biting us. We’ll clean a few things up, but it’s all about wins right now. I thought we did a lot of good things, had some opportunistic scoring, and obviously our goaltender was pretty big when he needed to be. I expect us to be even better […]
The post Vinni Lettieri comes up clutch again, Ben Danford scores first pro goal as Toronto Marlies take Game 1 in Chicago appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s 4-2 win over the Chicago Wolves in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Final. On the “feeling out” process in Game 1: There were times when we did a really good job of it, and then there were times when we made a few mistakes that […]
The post John Gruden on Ben Danford bouncing back from a mistake to score a big goal in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Final: “If you’re going to play hockey at this level and the next level, you need a short memory…...
The Toronto Marlies have qualified for the Calder Cup Final for the third time in franchise history. Despite some Jekyll-and-Hyde performances in the postseason, the Marlies have come out on top in three winner-takes-all encounters. The Marlies have also won seven of 10 road games, including three consecutive wins in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to eliminate a very […]
The post Toronto Marlies vs. Chicago Wolves: Calder Cup Final Preview & Schedule appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
The 2026 NHL Draft is two weeks away, and the Toronto Maple Leafs have been blessed with the opportunity to select a franchise player with the first overall pick. According to most scouts, the best available player is winger Gavin McKenna, a native of Whitehorse who most recently played at Penn State University in the […]
The post A college hockey expert’s breakdown of Gavin McKenna, the first-overall debate, and his fit with the Maple Leafs appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Ahead of the start of the Calder Cup Final on Friday, Toronto Marlies GM Ryan Hardy discussed the team’s playoff success, John Gruden’s coaching work, Artur Akhtyamov’s superb postseason play, Easton Cowan and Ben Danford’s development, and working with the Leafs’ new management group. How fun has this run been for you? Hardy: Oh, it’s […]
The post Marlies GM Ryan Hardy on Easton Cowan’s continued development in the AHL playoffs: “He is going to have a massive impact on this organization ove...
With the Maple Leafs’ head coach search well underway, we are starting to hear certain names emerge or recede with more clarity, one way or another. As the search continues, I wanted to explore coaches I would be interested in for various reasons. While it’s stating the obvious, we should note that all we can […]
The post A shortlist of head-coaching candidates for the Maple Leafs as the hiring process continues appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
The Toronto Marlies just keep finding ways to win, and now they’re off to the Calder Cup Finals. Two overtime wins, an entertaining 5-1 victory, and a win in which they were outshot 36-16 helped them take their best-of-seven series against the WBS Penguins and capture the conference title. This was, for my money, the […]
The post What have we learned from the Toronto Marlies’ Eastern Conference championship playoff run? appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
“It hasn’t been easy. It’s not supposed to be easy at this time of the year.” “ A lot of the credit goes to the other guys; we have a really good mix of great, older guys who have been around, have great leadership qualities, and who led us. And then we have a bunch […]
The post Artur Akhtyamov’s superb performance, Alex Nylander’s OT winner punches Toronto Marlies’ ticket to the Calder Cup Final appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s Eastern Conference title after a 4-2 series win over the WBS Penguins. On winning the East as the fourth seed in the North Division: It hasn’t been easy. It’s not supposed to be easy at this time of the year. A lot of the credit goes […]
The post John Gruden on the Toronto Marlies winning the Eastern Conference championship: “No one was expecting anyone to put on a show… They just played as a team… All they care about is winning” a...
“He has been a breath of fresh air for us. He brings a lot of jam and energy. He is making plays. He is doing his job and is doing a really good job in his role. He brings a lot of jam to the group, and it couldn’t be more fitting for a guy […]
The post Redemption for Easton Cowan, and a first-star performance from Landon Sim: Toronto Marlies one win away from the Calder Cup Final appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s 5-1 win over the WBS Penguins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final. The Marlies now lead the series 3-2. On Landon Sim’s goal to tie the game at 1-1: He has been a breath of fresh air for us. He brings a lot of […]
The post John Gruden on Easton Cowan bouncing back with a goal and an assist in a Game 5 Marlies victory: “That is what big-time players do” appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
At the 2026 NHL Draft Combine, John Chayka spoke to Ryan Leslie about his takeaways from the combine, his meetings with Ivar Stenberg and Gavin McKenna, his discussions with Auston Matthews, the coaching search, and his first month on the job. What can you share about the discussions and meetings with your staff and also […]
The post John Chayka on his patient process for hiring the Leafs’ next head coach: “It has been a while since the organization has done a full search” appeared first on ...
At the 2026 NHL Draft Combine, Maple Leafs Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Leach discussed the evaluation process, the opportunity to draft 1OA, working under John Chayka, and his thoughts on Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Chase Reid. How many players have you interviewed over the last week or so? Leach: Well, we take advantage […]
The post Maple Leafs draft czar Mark Leach on whether he dug into Gavin McKenna’s bar fight incident in his combine interview: “I didn’t really dig into that...
“We missed a couple of coverages in front of our own net. They didn’t do anything other than just put pucks to the net, which you do at this time of year, and they got rewarded. “Our guys do a lot of good. We just have to eliminate the catastrophic. If we do that, we’ll […]
The post Backs against the wall, Toronto Marlies face pivotal Game 5 after blowing two-goal lead in Game 4 appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
At the 2026 NHL Draft Combine, GM John Chayka discussed his visits with Gavin McKenna and Ivan Stenberg, his coaching search, Max Domi’s health situation, his meetings with Auston Matthews, the hiring of Freddie Hamilton as Chief of Staff, and much more. What is this experience like for you in anticipation of the first-overall pick? […]
The post John Chayka on his meeting with Auston Matthews: “I saw a happy captain, someone who has a lot of pride in being the captain of the Leafs, someone w...
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s 4-3 loss to the WBS Penguins in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference final. The series is now tied 2-2. On the team conceding three goals in the second period: Their goalie made some really big saves early to keep it at 2-0. They got a […]
The post John Gruden on Easton Cowan’s giveaway costing the Marlies late in Game 4: “It’s not going to define who he is as a Toronto Maple Leaf… He’s a pro and a gamer, and he’ll bounce back” appeared...
“I thought we did a lot of good things. We scored the late goal in the second. I thought we came out really well in the third. We got playing in a four-on-four with these guys, and we missed a check down there. They had a line rush 3-on-2, and they made us pay. They […]
The post William Villeneuve sets franchise playoff points record, Toronto Marlies in need of a response after a frustrating, controversial Game 3 loss appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s 5-3 loss to the WBS Penguins in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final. The Marlies now lead the series 2-1, with Game 4 set for Wednesday in Toronto. On the deciding factors in the result: I thought we did a lot of good things. We […]
The post John Gruden on the officiating in the Marlies’ Game 3 loss to WBS: “They’re trying to protect the goalies, and they should… They said they would start taking one, but it just seems like it’s ...
John Chayka continued to reshape the Maple Leafs’ front office on Monday, hiring Judd Brackett as an AGM (Player Evaluation) and Freddie Hamilton as Chief of Staff. It’s hard to figure out what’s going on with this theme of Leafs managers owning restaurants outside of hockey, but maybe it’s part of why Chayka and Judd […]
The post John Chayka continues reshaping Maple Leafs’ front office, hires Judd Brackett as new AGM appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
“It was one of our better games, I thought. Over 60 minutes, we did a lot of good things. We were better tonight than we were in Game 1. We have to bottle up a lot of what we did there and use it. We have to realize that, at the end of the day, […]
The post Michael Pezzetta comes up clutch again, Toronto Marlies head home with a 2-0 series lead in Eastern Conference Final appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s 2-1 overtime victory over the WBS Penguins in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final. On Michael Pezzetta scoring a game-winner in back-to-back games: If you look at the playoffs for any team that continues to have success, the top lines neutralize themselves, and it is […]
The post John Gruden on the Marlies’ fourth line scoring back-to-back game winners to take a 2-0 series lead: “We have four lines that can all play the game” app...
“I thought we played really well in moments, but we still know how dangerous they are in their transition game. We got a little cute on a few shifts there, but again, it is a bend-don’t-break mentality, and when it matters the most, our group finds a way to show up. This is a best-of-seven, […]
The post Pezzetta scores game-winner, Akhtyamov wins goaltending battle as Toronto Marlies score late goal to stun WBS in Game 1 appeared first on Maple Leafs Hotstove .
Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden discusses his team’s 4-2 victory over the WBS Penguins in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final. On starting the fourth line (Pezzetta-Johnston-Johnson) to begin the game, and the line coming through with the game-winner in the third period: They’re the heartbeat of our team at times. When we […]
The post John Gruden on the Marlies’ fourth line scoring the winner in Game 1 of the ECF: “They’re the heartbeat of our team at times” appeared first on Maple...
Against all expectations, the Toronto Marlies have bested the rest in the North Division. They did it the hard way, becoming the third team in AHL history to win three winner-take-all games in a single Calder Cup postseason. Now playing with house money, the Marlies’ reward is a matchup with the vaunted Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Regular […]
The post Toronto Marlies vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins: Eastern Conference Finals Series Preview & Schedule appeared first on Maple Leafs Hots...