Due to a recent transaction, the Toronto Maple Leafs had to fill a goaltending spot as the New Year begins.
On Monday, the Leafs announced they are recalling Dennis Hildeby from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.
The moves comes less than 24 hours after Toronto placed Ilya Samsonov on waivers, as the former Washington Capital has had an abysmal first half of the 2023-24 season.
This is Hildeby’s first call-up to the NHL, as he in the middle of his first season in North America. The former Färjestad product has been one of the top rookie goaltenders in the AHL, posting a 7-5-3 record with the Marlies, with a 2.20 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage and two shutouts.
Hildeby has gone winless in his last three starts, including an overtime loss to the Belleville Senators this past Saturday. The former fourth-round pick is 2-2-2 when facing 30 or more shots in a game. Currently the Marlies (13-10-4-1) are tied for fourth in the North Division, the last playoff spot in the division, 12 points out of first place.
Hildeby brought a winning pedigree to the Leafs’ organization, as he was the backup to Dominik Furch in Färjestad’s run to the SHL Championship in 2022, just months before getting drafted by the Leafs.
Hildeby also backstopped Färjestad during its run to the quarterfinals of the Champions Hockey League last season, ultimately losing to Mountfield HK (Czech Extraliga). In four appearances, Hildeby went 3-1 with a 1.78 GAA and .910 SV%.
The Maple Leafs begin the “Death Valley” road trip through California this week, starting with a matchup against the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night. All things considered, Toronto will most likely go with Hildeby’s former goaltending partner with the Marlies, Martin Jones, against the Kings. That leaves the opportunity for the 22-year-old to make his NHL debut on Wednesday night, when the Leafs take on the Anaheim Ducks.
The opportunity for Jones and Hildeby to reunite with the big club all started when Joseph Woll went down with an ankle injury in early December. With the Missouri native out week-to-week, Jones took over the No. 1 job as Samsonov’s play floundered.
At the time of this post, Samsonov has yet to clear waivers.
As 2024 begins, the Leafs (17-10-7) are tied for third in the Atlantic Division with the Tampa Bay Lightning, trailing the first-place Boston Bruins by nine points.
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