4) He was very successful with the Toronto Marlies, winning the 2018 Calder Cup
Keefe has found success in all levels of coaching and his stint with the Marlies was no different.
Prior to this season, his record with the Marlies was 189-87-20-1 over four seasons as head coach. That’s a very impressive record. Immediately after taking over, he led the team to 54 wins as they marched all the way to the third round of the playoffs.
He would continue to lead the Marlies to more successful season, but his best season would come in 2017-18, where he led the team to 54 wins again, ultimately capping it off with the Marlies’ first Calder Cup championship.
Earlier this summer, he signed a well-deserved two-year contract to remain the Marlies head coach. It was rumored that the Leafs gave him NHL money to stay in the AHL so that they wouldn’t lose him to another team.
He’s been so successful with the Marlies, it’ll be interesting to see how this translates with the Toronto Maple Leafs.