The Leafs' new goaltender was his team's mascot in Sweden

2024-01-03 19:27:01

Recently recalled by the Toronto Maple Leafs, goaltender Dennis Hildeby has come a long way, even a very long way away, especially when we know that he was the mascot of the team from Färjestad, Sweden, in the not-so-distant past .

Due to Ilya Samsonov’s struggles in net, Leafs general manager Brad Treliving turned to the 22-year-old Swede, a 6’7″ colossus, to serve as Martin’s backup. Jones.

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Hildeby is playing her first full season in North America, and this outcome is somewhat unexpected. However, this is not the first obstacle that stands in the young man’s path.

In an interview with the Swedish site hockeysverige.se translated into English by Daily Faceoff, Färjestad sports director Rickard Wallin indicated that Hildeby had already donned the costume of Ture Varg, the club’s mascot. He then joined the organization’s junior squad in 2020.

“He didn’t have it easy during his junior years with operations and team changes. Just six months before joining our pro team, he was Ture Varg at my son’s hockey school during the summer as a part-time job,” explained Wallin, a former Leafs forward.

“Things are moving quickly. He is so personable that every person who has worked with him feels something special,” he continued.

One chance leads to another

In Sweden, Hildeby first joined the big club when one of Färjestad’s goalkeepers caught COVID-19. He impressed enough to be drafted in the fourth round in 2022 by the Leafs, before serving as an understudy to Matt Tomkins – now with the Tampa Bay Lightning – this past season.

Here he is now in the National League, after around fifteen games played with the Toronto Marlies in the American League.

“It’s the same thing as when he established himself in the SHL, so he already has that experience if you want to draw a parallel,” Wallin analyzed. Then, it’s rare to arrive in the NHL in the perfect way, to have this chance when you are perfectly ready. […] He will go out there and do everything he can in training and during matches.

It remains to be seen if we will see Hildeby, without her mascot costume, on the ice with the Maple Leafs in the coming days. They faced the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday evening, before facing the San Jose Sharks on Saturday and Tuesday.