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Justin Holl: From the ECHL to the Toronto Maple Leafs Blueline

By Jordan Maresky

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Michael Dal Colle #28 of the New York Islanders looks to block a second period shot by Justin Holl #3 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on November 13, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
UNIONDALE, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 13: Michael Dal Colle #28 of the New York Islanders looks to block a second period shot by Justin Holl #3 of the Toronto Maple Leafs at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum on November 13, 2019 in Uniondale, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Feb 25, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) defends Toronto Maple Leafs  . Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 25, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos (91) defends Toronto Maple Leafs  . Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Holl’s Continued Success

A large portion of the fanbase and the media alike were skeptical of whether or not Holl would be able to build off of last year’s career season. After all, he had never put up numbers like those before.

But safe to say, through the team’s first seven games (stats as of January 26th), Holl has been the Leafs  best defensemen. He leads the blueline in hits and blocks, is second in takeaways, and is first in expected goals above replacement by a large margin – Holl sits at 2.4 whereas Muzzin is second at 0.6 (stats; evolving-hockey.com).

On a league-wide basis as well, it is hard to not love the steps Holl has taken to even further his development. Among defensemen to play at least 30 total minutes at 5-on-5, Holl is fourth in Corsi-for percentage, fifth in Fenwick-for percentage, first in shots-for percentage, fifth in expected goals-for percentage, 10th in scoring chances-for percentage, and tied for first in high-danger goals-for percentage (stats; naturalstattrick.com).

It is astonishing to see how far Holl has gone in his career to get to where he is today. From not receiving an NHL contract from the Blackhawks, to making his NHL debut at age-27, and becoming a full-time NHLer at age-28.

It is quite the testament to Holl’s determination and resilience to battle through and surpass expectations at every level he has played at. But a ton of credit needs to go to Kyle Dubas and the Leafs development team.

No one was able to see Holl’s potential in the same light Dubas did. Under his guidance, Toronto was able to build their first homegrown, right-shooting, defensive defensemen in a very long time.

Next. Leafs Comprehensive: Stat, Game, Quote and Player of the Week. dark

Holl has been one of the best success stories to come out of the Toronto Maple Leafs over the last couple of years. Looking back at it, his three-year, $2 million AAV is looking rather pretty right about now.

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