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As TV’s Friendly Giant used to tell kids, “Look up, wow, look up.”
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That’s where you should have found Dennis Hildebiest Hildeby on Monday morning. He is the newest in-house addition to the Maple Leafs’ goalie ranks.
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The 6-foot-7 Swede presses on with his teammates during his first regular-season practice to hear his thoughts on being recalled on New Year’s Eve for leaving his skates on to address the media. It was putting strain on my neck to get the camera and microphone close enough. I received a message from General Manager Brad Treliving.
“Proud moment. I’m really excited about the future,” said the 22-year-old 2022 draft pick. He is scheduled to back up veteran Martin Jones in the first of three games in California, starting Tuesday in Los Angeles. “I felt like I did something good to get this.”
A rattled Ilya Samsonov was nowhere to be seen, having been lifted off NHL exemption early Monday afternoon and head coach Sheldon Keefe hinted at a few days of on-ice practice with the development staff. He is likely to begin practice with the AHL Toronto Marlies.
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“From my perspective, I hope he gets better and stays here,” Keefe said. “The plan is to continue to work with him. It’s basically to take him out of the situation and just focus on himself and his game.
“For me, he’s a good goalie and has played a lot of good hockey. We have to do everything we can to get him back.”
Samsonov could play against the Marlies’ live shooters, but it is believed he will not play in the Leafs’ three home games this week on the road. What Samsonov called a string of bad luck, combined with mental and technical breakdowns that put him out of position and allowed soft goals, led to his save percentage dropping to .862. In the NHL.
In contrast, the Leafs’ road trip looks perfectly set up for Hildeby to debut in Anaheim on Tuesday, while Keefe is well aware of Jones’ ability to make back-to-back starts in two cities just a bus ride apart. It sought to make the hype manageable by suggesting it was prepared.
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Hildeby lost his last three games against the Marlies, but his record is 7-5-3 with a .919 save percentage, one of the best in the AHL.
“When you first see him on the ice, obviously his size stands out,” Keefe said. “The other part of him is he has a great attitude, a great attitude and is eager to work and learn. We need a guy like that.
“We’ve got to get him used to it being a different animal than an NHL shooter, as he may have learned when he got hit by Auston (Matthews) in the first practice. As he went on, he got more comfortable and a lot of pucks hit him because of his size.”
Hildeby began to develop into a lanky frame during his five years playing in the Swedish league before taking charge of the Marlies.
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“I came here in August and took a lot of time to adapt before training camp. My size helps with the small ice here and I can use it more often. Space on shots from angles will be less.”
Hildeby’s lighthouse length also allows him to see above the fray and track the puck, especially on the opponent’s power play.
“There’s no one in front of me the same size,” he quipped.
His older brother, who was visiting Toronto, was the first to hear the good news about his call-up, and Hildeby also called his parents outside Stockholm.
Promoting Hildeby so quickly wasn’t the scenario the Leafs had in mind, but Matt Murray will miss the start of the year due to hip surgery and Joseph Woll is recovering from a high ankle sprain. With just a few weeks to go, Samsonov’s sudden slide made Jones the first Marley. I was summoned last month.
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“It’s really big to have Martin here,” Keefe said. “Today, Jones certainly had a goalie 3, and Hildeby probably had a goalie 5 when he entered camp. Keith Petruzzelli (now the Marlies de facto No. 1) has more playing time. Given this, it will be a year of growth for Hildeby.
“Right now, we have those two guys here and we’re counting on them. But Jones has experience, and this week he’s going into a familiar building (especially Los Angeles, especially San Jose), and we’re counting on them. That’s his value. And a young player like Hildeby, even though he’s older than most players entering the AHL, still has a lot to learn. It’s great for him to rise up and have a veteran to lean on. Very valuable.”
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