Ryan Hardy is the Toronto Maple Leafs latest hire. He will be the franchise’s new Senior Director of Minor League Operations.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a move to upgrade the front office. Their latest recruit is Ryan Hardy, a well known name around the United States Hockey League (USHL). The Leafs are hoping that with his help, they can achieve greater minor league success.
Hardy’s role in the Maple Leafs organization will be a significant one. He will hold the title of Senior Director of Minor League Operations while also serving as the General Manager of both the Toronto Marlies, the club’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, and the Newfoundland Growlers, their East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) affiliate.
Hardy is coming off a successful run as a general manager in the USHL. He ran the Chicago Steel for three years, long enough to prove that he is an elite talent, ready to ply his trade for the Maple Leafs.
Ryan Hardy and the Toronto Maple Leafs
His tenure with the Steel will be remembered by the club’s USHL-best 116-39-8-2 record as well as it’s remarkable collection of hardware. Hardy captured a Clark Cup championship, the title earned by the USHL playoff champions.
That’s not the only victory Hardy had in Chicago. Along with the Clark Cup, his squads also won two Anderson Cups as the USHL regular season champions. They also managed to win two Eastern Conference titles. For his work, Hardy was even named the USHL GM of the Year in 2019.
We’ve hired Ryan Hardy as Senior Director of Minor League Operations. #LeafsForever
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 25, 2021
At age 35, Hardy happens to have a relationship with one of the hottest young talents to be available at next year’s draft, Adam Fantilli. He has the skills and potential to be a generational talent. If there is a way to reunite the pair in Toronto, it would certainly be an enormous acquisition for the Maple Leafs.
Hardy is also connected to some already with the Leafs. Marlies coach, Greg Moore, is a former Steel head coach. Moore replaced Sheldon Keefe when Keefe was promoted from the Marlies to coach the big club. Prior to coming to Toronto, Moore coached for Hardy as his GM. There are also two recent draft picks that played for Chicago during Hardy’s tenure. They are Joe Miller and Nick Abruzzese. Miller was last year’s Leafs sixth round (#180 overall) draft pick. Abruzzese was selected by the Maple Leafs in the fourth round (#124 overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. This is Hardy’s chance to reunite with them all.
In it’s press release, the Maple Leafs shared that “Hardy will oversee hockey operations for the Marlies and Growlers, including roster decisions and staffing. He will also work in unison with the Player Development department to track drafted prospects and participate in player personnel and scouting initiatives as needed.” This means that Hardy should have his finger prints all over the organization and can help build success from the bottom up.
There is no doubt that the Leafs are hoping that Hardy is able to replicate the same success he had in the USHL in both the ECHL and AHL. This appears to be a great fit for the Maple Leafs organization and a natural next step in Hardy’s blossoming career.