The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired a familiar face to be their new team host.
Ryan Leslie has spent the past decade covering the NHL for Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada and was most recently the rinkside reporter for the Calgary Flames. Now, he is moving his talents from Alberta to Ontario as the Maple Leafs' new team host.
Join us in welcoming our new team host: @ryanlesliemedia 🎤 pic.twitter.com/GcNyHPokv6
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) August 26, 2025
“Ryan’s knowledge of the game, his ability to connect with players and coaches, and his talent for telling the stories that matter make him an incredible addition to our Maple Leafs content team,” said MLSE Chief Marketing Officer Shannon Hosford, via the team's press release. “Our fans will benefit from his experience and his passion for bringing them closer to the action.”
According to the Leafs' press release, Leslie's new role will involve bringing the fans "closer to the team than ever before, prodiving unique insights, breaking news, and original features across the Leafs' digital, broadcast, and social platforms". Generally, Leslie is now the new voice and face for pre-game and post-game coverage for the Toronto Maple Leafs and someone we will be seeing a whole lot throughout next season.
A native of Port Dover, Ont., Leslie seems to be pretty excited to come back to his home province and get with the Leafs.
“The opportunity to work with the Maple Leafs — an iconic franchise with a passionate fan base — is something I’m incredibly excited about,” Leslie said, via the team's press release. “I can’t wait to share the stories of this team and help give fans a front-row seat to all the action.”
There are, of course, no details on the length of his contract or anything of that ilk, but the Maple Leafs did confirm that Leslie will start his coverage at the beginning of the upcoming 2025-26 NHL season.