Happy Fourth of July – Celebrating the Toronto Maple Leafs American Players

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had some great American born players over the years.

Two of the best players the Toronto Maple Leafs have had in the last decade where Americans Auston Matthews and Phil Keesel.

Since today is July 4th, Independence Day, what better time to look at the Leafs current roster and celebrate their American Born Players.

Let’s go!

Toronto Maple Leafs American Born Players

Auston Matthews is the best player in Toronto Maple Leafs franchise history, and he is well on his way to being the second best player in the NHL after Connor McDavid.

I think it’s safe to say that if he plays a full career, Auston Matthews will easily be the best American born player of all-time.

Though he hails from Arizona, Matthews was born in California.

Another American on the Leafs roster is Justin Holl.  Holl recently defied Mike Babcock to become an NHL regular, playing top four minutes on the Leafs blue line partnered with Jake Muzzin.

The two formed a great shut-down pair and Holl, at age 27, has emerged as a halfway decent top four option.   He hails from Minnesota like my friends Bob Dylan and Prince.

The final American on the Leafs roster is Jack Campbell, the back-up goalie. Campbell was acquired mid-season and really solidified the Leafs back-up position, which, until then, had been an absolute blackhole of mediocrity.

Campbell is from Michigan.

The Toronto Maple Leafs started the year with two other Americans on the roster: Trevor Moore from California and Nick Shore from Colorado.

The Leafs traded Moore to L.A in a surprise late-night trade earlier this year that netted them Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford.  It was a spectacular deal for Leafs GM Kyle Dubas who is yet to lose a trade in his tenure as the best GM in the NHL.

Nick Shore was barely played by the Leafs, and then he was waived and claimed by the Jets.  He’s a pretty good fourth line option, and I kind of wish the Leafs could have kept him, but they are so deep a player like Shore had no chance.

So despite only having three Americans on the roster, the Toronto Maple Leafs make up for it in quality over quantity, as Auston Matthews is by far and without a doubt their best player.

We wish all our American friends a happy fourth of July holiday.