3 Marlies who could be dark horse call-up candidates for the Maple Leafs

Just like the Toronto Maple Leafs’ roster in the wake of the departure of Mitch Marner, the Toronto Marlies are going to have a vastly different look this season. With the departure of top players and regular contributors like Alex Steeves, Fraser Minten, Joseph Blandisi, and Nick Abruzzese to other teams, there are going to be some new players competing for jobs in the top-six and on the top pairs for the Marlies.

It’s worth noting that because of the sheer amount of forwards the Leafs have competing for roster spots, players like Steeves didn’t get into a ton of NHL action despite their AHL totals showing they were more than ready to play in the NHL. That may remain the same this season, especially if Easton Cowan starts the season with the Leafs, so it’s hard to predict as of right now who might get significant playing time with the Leafs this season if anybody does. This also depends heavily on how the Marlies start the season and who’s contributing to that.

Outside of the obvious names like Cowan, here are a couple of Marlies who could be dark horse call-up candidates in 2025-26.

Luke Haymes

The Maple Leafs signed Haymes, a 6-foot-1, 203-pound centre after he was named as one of the top NCAA free agents following the 2024-25 season. He appeared in nine games with the Marlies at the end of last season and impressed with two goals and six points in those nine games. He spent three seasons with Dartmouth College and scored 12 goals in 22 games in his final season with them, and he can play both wing and centre, which will always give you a leg up with your head coach.

Haymes should get an immediate shot to play in the top six for the Marlies, and while fellow NCAA signing Jacob Quillan will likely be ahead of him on the list of calls to the big leagues, a strong start to the season could give Haymes a real chance to get noticed by Craig Berube.

William Villeneuve

While Topi Niemela owned the title of top defensive prospect for the past few years, William Villeneuve, who came from the same draft class, has quietly been working his way up the depth chart. The 6-foot-2 right-handed defenceman already has an advantage in that he’s right-handed, and he brings an element of puck-moving that the Leafs have sorely lacked in previous seasons. After back-to-back 25-point seasons in his first two years with the Marlies, Villeneuve had a breakout season last year and recorded 40 points in 55 games along with two assists in two playoff games.

The issue that presents itself with Villeneuve is that the Leafs already have a bunch of fringe NHL players competing for playing time should anybody on the back end get hurt. Philippe Myers, Henry Thrun, and Matt Benning are first, second, and third in line on paper to step in, but none of those players have the same power play quarterbacking ability that Villeneuve does. Should there be a situation where somebody like Morgan Rielly gets hurt or has to miss a few games, Villeneuve could be a sneaky candidate to get a call for a few games.

Borya Valis

Valis is on this list for a different reason than the other two. The Maple Leafs signed him out of the WHL as an undrafted free agent following a 2024-25 campaign that saw him put up 34 goals and 81 points in 66 games for his overage season. While his offensive numbers last season were attractive, it’s actually the other parts of his game that could earn him a call-up.

Valis is a physical power forward standing at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, and in his most recent preseason game, he skated on a line with David Kampf and Michael Pezzetta. Neither of these players are expected to crack the opening night roster, with Kampf possibly finding himself on the trade block and Pezzetta expected to provide a physical presence when called for it. Still, the fact that he skated with two fourth-line candidates in a preseason game tells me that he could be somebody in consideration should the Leafs have to fill a role on the fourth line for a few games. He might not provide the 34-goal offence we saw from him in junior, but if Craig Berube is looking for somebody to throw the body and be hard to play against, Valis could hear his name called.

The Maple Leafs will open the season on October 8 against the Montreal Canadiens, while the Marlies will kick off their season on October 10 against the Rochester Americans.