Alec Brownscombe
Alec Brownscombe is the founder and editor of MapleLeafsHotStove.com, where he has written daily about the Leafs since September of 2008. He's published five magazines on the team entitled "The Maple Leafs Annual" with distribution in Chapters and newsstands across the country. He also co-hosted "The Battle of the Atlantic," a weekly show on TSN1200 that covered the Leafs and the NHL in-depth. Alec is a graduate of Trent University and Algonquin College with his diploma in Journalism. In 2014, he was awarded Canada's Best Hockey Blogger honours by Molson Canadian. You can contact him at [email protected].
Can Brandon Duhaime help the Maple Leafs become a faster, harder, and more irritating...
The Maple Leafs’ UFA offseason additions up front made their priorities at the position pretty clear. After finishing as one of the league's worst defensive...
Darren Raddysh doesn’t need another 70-point season to help transform the Maple Leafs’ blue...
Darren Raddysh’s rise from undrafted OHL overager to $68-million defenseman is one of the league's great late-bloomer stories. Naturally, it is also the source...
The Gavin McKenna era begins with immense promise, and a developmental balancing act for...
Gavin McKenna could be anything from a supporting piece to a game-breaking star in his rookie season, and how the Maple Leafs manage the...
Jack Roslovic fills a few needs for the Maple Leafs; now they need to...
The Jack Roslovic-Auston Matthews connection has been played up often since Roslovic signed in Toronto on July 1. The two played together for the USNTDP...
Emil Andrae brings youth & upside to an aging Maple Leafs blue line, but...
The Maple Leafs are hoping that Emil Andrae can add a few much-needed elements to their blue line this upcoming season: youth/upside, mobility, and...
A healthy Chris Tanev can change the Maple Leafs’ defense, but they must manage...
Assessing Chris Tanev’s first season in Toronto was fairly straightforward: He was exactly the player the Maple Leafs hoped they were acquiring. His second season...
The Maple Leafs made big changes around Auston Matthews; now he needs to be...
Auston Matthews’ 2025-26 season made one thing abundantly clear: The Maple Leafs need their franchise player back. The flashes were still there. There were nights...
After an inconsistent and injury-riddled season, can Dakota Joshua carve out a firmer role...
Dakota Joshua’s first season back in the organization that originally drafted him was a mixed bag. There were a few stretches when he looked like...
Morgan Rielly’s Maple Leafs story isn’t over, but something has to change [2026-27 Player...
Morgan Rielly’s long-awaited bounce-back season never arrived in 2025-26. After a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, Rielly and then-GM Brad Treliving held what Treliving described as a...
Easton Cowan ended his rookie year as an AHL champion; is he ready for...
Easton Cowan’s first professional season was rarely straightforward. He made the Maple Leafs out of training camp -- even though he did not dress in...
Troy Stecher was a breath of fresh air for the Leafs; now a more...
Troy Stecher was a breath of fresh air when he arrived in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs needed him far more than they ever...
After a forgettable 2025-26, Anthony Stolarz gets a fresh start alongside a familiar legend...
Anthony Stolarz’s 2025-26 season was strange, injury-disrupted, and ultimately forgettable — a fitting description of the Maple Leafs’ season as a whole. After leading the...
Oliver Ekman-Larsson can play almost anywhere on the Leafs’ blue line, but where does...
Oliver Ekman-Larsson's individual season was one of the Maple Leafs’ more positive stories in a mostly miserable 2025-26 campaign. At 34, he produced eight goals...
John Tavares keeps delivering, but finding his optimal role is the Leafs’ next challenge...
There is probably no Maple Leaf who deserves more goodwill from the fan base right now than John Tavares. A year after fully embracing the...
The Leafs need William Nylander’s reliably elite production — and a higher level of...
William Nylander’s 2025-26 season is a good example of why evaluating star players can’t simply begin and end with the points column. Nylander was easily...
Matthew Knies has established his value in the Leafs’ core, but can he take...
Matthew Knies' 2025-26 season was a bit of a complicated one to evaluate. On the surface, there wasn't much to complain about. Knies set a...
The Maple Leafs need Jake McCabe to rebound — and he’s a strong candidate...
Jake McCabe’s 2025-26 season is a tricky one to unpack. It really was a tale of two halves. Through the Christmas break, McCabe played 36...
Thoughts on “Thoughts”: The Leafs’ big belief in Matthews, Claude Giroux interest, Gavin McKenna’s...
Elliotte Friedman’s final 32 Thoughts prior to the offseason break included a collection of Leafs nuggets to pore over, including the organization’s strong belief...
Instant Analysis: Maple Leafs and Nick Robertson part ways at long last
The Maple Leafs have executed a minor trade prior to the opening of unrestricted free agency, clearing out another roster spot and a couple...
The Zach Werenski sweepstakes have taken an intriguing turn — and the Maple Leafs...
The Zach Werenski drama took an interesting turn late on Tuesday night: Werenski rejected a trade to the Dallas Stars, and the Tampa Bay...
Recent MLHS articles
Can Brandon Duhaime help the Maple Leafs become a faster, harder,...
The Maple Leafs’ UFA offseason additions up front made their priorities at the position pretty clear. After finishing as one of the league's worst defensive...
