Unlike last season, the Maple Leafs’ brass made sweeping changes to the Toronto Marlies over the summer.
While the coaching staff remains firmly in place from the season before, many familiar faces among the player personnel have moved on to pastures anew this past offseason.
With that in mind, let’s break down the changes by position.
Goaltending
| Goalie | Contract |
|---|---|
| Dennis Hildeby | NHL |
| Artur Akhtyamov | NHL |
| Vyacheslav Peksa | NHL |
| Ken Appleby | AHL |
Toronto retains its strength between the pipes heading into the 2025-26 season. The departure of Matt Murray (Seattle Kraken) means Dennis Hildeby is the franchise’s number three goaltender after re-signing this summer.
That is assuming recently acquired Cayden Primeau steps up to the plate during Joseph Woll’s absence. If the gamble on the former Canadiens netminder doesn’t pay off, Hildeby might find himself back in the NHL earlier than expected.
Hildeby’s backup will be the promising Russian netminder Artur Akhtyamov, who made a strong impression early last season before hitting a rookie wall of sorts.
Ken Appleby is signed to an AHL deal to provide some veteran depth, as the organization has moved away from signing an NHL veteran in the vein of Murray or Martin Jones. The 30-year-old is pencilled to start the upcoming season in Cincinnati alongside Vyacheslav Peksa.
Defense
| Defenseman | Handedness | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| Matt Benning | L | NHL |
| Dakota Mermis | L | NHL |
| Marshall Rifai | L | NHL |
| Henry Thrun | L | NHL |
| William Villeneuve | R | NHL |
| Cade Webber | L | NHL |
| Noah Chadwick | L | NHL |
| John Prokop | L | NHL |
| Blake Smith | L | NHL |
| Ryan McCleary | R | AHL |
| Rhett Parsons | R | AHL |
| Chas Sharpe | R | AHL |
The blue line is set for a more youthful look as a quartet of familiar faces has moved on. The departure of Topi Niemelä (Malmö Redhawks), Mikko Kokkonen (Linköping HC), Nicolas Mattinen (Adler Mannheim), and Tommy Miller (Syracuse Crunch) opens the door for incoming rookies.
A combination of Matt Benning, Dakota Mermis, and Marshall Rifai will provide veteran leadership and experience, although Rifai requires wrist surgery and is set to miss time in the first half of the year. The 24-year-old Henry Thrun, who perhaps surprisingly passed through waivers (to Brad Treliving’s relief), adds over 110 games of NHL experience spanning his first three pro seasons.
William Villenueve signed a new one-year deal in the summer and will be looking to build on an impressive 40-point campaign last season. Shot blocker extraordinaire Cade Webber will be looking to add some strings to his bow in his sophomore season.
The rookie class includes Noah Chadwick, John Prokop, and Blake Smith. Although the latter two played some time at the back end of last season, they are still considered rookies by the league.
A large blueline contingent is supplemented by Ryan McClary, Rhett Parsons, and Chas Sharpe on AHL deals. Sharpe excelled in the ECHL with Cincinnati, scoring 25 goals and posting 46 points in 63 games. All three players are set to start the season on the Cyclones’ roster.
Forwards
| Forward | Positions | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| Benoit-Olivier Groulx | (C/LW) | NHL |
| Vinni Lettieri | (C/RW) | NHL |
| Travis Boyd | (C/RW) | NHL |
| Michael Pezzetta | (C/LW) | NHL |
| Luke Haymes | (C/LW) | NHL |
| Borya Valis | (RW/C) | NHL |
| Jacob Quillan | (C/LW) | NHL |
| Easton Cowan | (C/W) | NHL |
| Ryan Tverberg | (C/RW) | NHL |
| Braeden Kressler | (C/RW) | NHL |
| Logan Shaw | (C/RW) | AHL |
| Matthew Barbolini | (C/LW) | AHL |
| Ryan Kirwan | (LW/RW) | AHL |
| Marc Johnstone | (RW/LW) | AHL |
| Gunnarwolfe Fontaine | (LW/C) | AHL |
| Ben King | (C/RW) | AHL |
| Nick Rhéaume | (LW/C) | AHL |
| Luke Grainger | (RW/C) | AHL |
| Landon Sim | (C/RW) | AHL |
| Cédric Paré | (C/LW) | AHL |
| Reese Johnson | (C/RW) | AHL |
| Alexander Nylander | (C/RW) | AHL |
| Brandon Baddock | (LW/RW) | AHL |
| Marko Sikic | (RW/C) | AHL |
| Sam Stevens | (C/LW) | AHL |
The majority of the upheaval during the offseason came at the forward position, where veterans and offensively gifted players moved on. Franchise leading scorer Alex Steeves (Boston Bruins) opted for a new challenge along with Roni Hirvonen (Kärpät), Nick Abruzzese (Tampa Bay Lightning), Zach Solow (Adler Mannheim), Robert Mastrosimone (Charlotte Checkers), and Joseph Blandisi (SKA Saint Petersburg).
Kyle Clifford retired, and Ty Voit’s contract was terminated.
The veteran leadership and a chunk of the offense are replaced by the acquisitions of Benoit-Olivier Groulx, Vinni Lettieri, Travis Boyd, and Michael Pezzetta. On NHL deals with Toronto last season, Cédric Paré and Reese Johnson signed AHL deals during the off-season.
Also returning, but on AHL deals, are Alexander Nylander, Brandon Baddock, Marko Sikic, and Sam Stevens. Marc Johnstone (Pittsburgh Penguins), Landon Sim (London Knights), Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (Ohio State University), Ben King (Manitoba Moose), Nick Rhéaume (Northeastern Univ), and Luke Grainger (San Jose Barracuda) were acquired on AHL contracts. I expect that all, barring Johnstone and Sim, will be sent to Cincinnati along with Marko Sikic and Sam Stevens.
The final set of forwards on AHL deals includes captain Logan Shaw, rookie Ryan Kirwan, and sophomore Matthew Barbolini.
In terms of young forward prospects, there is more intrigue this season compared to last. The group consists of Luke Haymes, Jacob Quillan, potentially Easton Cowan, Ryan Tverberg, Braeden Kressler, and Borya Valis. I would not be surprised if the latter pair headed to the ECHL, at least to start the season. Neither should be too disheartened and only have to look to Bobby McMann for inspiration in that regard.
That aside, most of the intrigue will center around Cowan if he is reassigned to the AHL, whether at the start of the season or a short while into it. I agree with Anthony Petrielli’s stance on how the Maple Leafs should handle Cowan’s development and believe the 20-year-old will only benefit from a larger role in the AHL in his first taste of professional hockey.
Expectations/Schedule
For the second consecutive season, the Marlies stumbled into the playoffs as a low seed and were dumped out in the ’play-in’ round against a beatable opponent.
Head coach John Gruden will certainly be looking to extend past April during his third campaign behind the bench, but it starts with more consistency during the regular season.
The Marlies‘ main issue the past two campaigns surrounds their lack of success against division rivals. An 18-15-9 record against the North Division last season papered over the cracks as Toronto mustered a mere five victories in 22 combined games against Laval, Syracuse, and Cleveland.
With 38 of the scheduled 72 games against division opponents in 2025-26, it’s an area where Toronto simply has to improve for regular-season success.
The 2025-26 schedule has a very lopsided look to it, with the opening seven games against North Division opponents, five of which are played on home ice. That switches in November with a 14-day, seven-game road trip encompassing Chicago, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Lehigh, Hershey, and Grand Rapids.
It appears as if November will mark a pivotal point in the campaign, with 10 of 13 games outside of Toronto.
Chicago and Grand Rapids are back on the docket, along with Hartford, Springfield, and Iowa, whom the Marlies will face for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
Toronto fared well in pre-season action, out-shooting and out-chancing Laval in a 2-1 shootout loss before shutting out Belleville in a 2-0 victory.
The real action begins on Friday, October 10, in Rochester against a youthful Buffalo farm team featuring only four players aged 28+. The Marlies’ home opener is the following day against the Amerks.
