Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Top Prospects That Could Soon See Action

Goalie Dennis Hildeby

When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Martin Jones this past offseason, they had already envisioned him as the team’s de-facto third-string goaltender.

Assuming that both Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll are healthy, Jones would see the majority of his time in the AHL with the Marlies to act as a mentor for many of the upcoming prospects, as well as providing steady netminding to give the young, developing team the chance to compete for an AHL championship.

However, to the surprise of many, it has been the stellar play of a rookie goaltender that has dominated for the Marlies so far rather than Jones.

Dennis Hildeby, the Leafs fourth round draft pick from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, had been turning heads with his stellar play in just his second season with the Marlies.

In 10 games this year, he has posted a 5-3-2 winning record including two shutouts, along with an impressive 1.80 GAA and .927 save percentage to lead the team. In fact, his GAA ranked him second and his save percentage fourth in the entire AHL. (All stats from hockey-reference.com)

With the Leafs running into some injury woes with their goalies as of late, they are perhaps one minor bump away from Hildeby getting the call to the NHL. In doing so, he could potentially surprise everyone, similar to what Woll did when he first arrived on the scene with the Toronto Maple Leafs, in that his game may be more advanced than what people have thought.

Nevertheless, it is great to know that the Leafs have some young and promising prospects that could be ready to step in to help the team if called upon in the near future.