Is 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby the Goalie of the Future for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Twenty-two-year-old Swedish goaltending prospect Dennis Hildeby has been white hot for the Toronto Marlies to start the 23-24 AHL season.

The revolving goaltender carousel in Toronto has seen many would-be starters hop aboard the Leafs circus.

Andersen, Campbell, Bernier, Reimer, Samsonov, Woll, Murray, Mrazek. All have vied for the top spot in the hottest, and most demanding hockey market in the NHL, all experiencing varied levels of success and failure.

Despite a top-six core that can be argued rivals any across the league in terms of offensive potency, the Leafs have yet to be able to get over the hump that is playoff hockey.

Simply put, goaltending has been an issue for the Buds for years, with Joseph Woll and Ilya Samsonov sitting on a 2.74 GAA/.917 SP and 3.58 GAA/.878 SP, respectively, through 23 games. 

The answer to the long-simmering question of the heir-apparent to the keys to the crease in Toronto could rest in the American Hockey League in the hands of 22-year-old Dennis Hildeby. 

Hildeby, a 2021 fourth-round pick of the Leafs in 2022, has put together a masterful start to the 2023-24 season for the Baby Leafs. In seven games Hildeby holds a crisp 1.42 GAA and .943 SP with three wins and two shutouts. 

In his most recent outing on November 24th, Hildeby held the hot Cleveland Monsters to one goal on 22 shots while only giving up three or more goals once this year (his first game of the season against Charlotte), while posting back-to-back shutouts against the Rocket and Griffins to start the month of November, the first rookie Marlies goaltender to accomplish the feat.

An imposing figure at nearly 6 foot 7, two hundred and twenty pounds, Hildeby has used every inch of his frame to his advantage so far in his young career.

Through two seasons on loan to the Farjestads BK Karlstad of the SweHL, Hildeby posted back-to-back solid campaigns, with a 1.93 GAA and .930 through seven games in 2021-22, with a 2.26 GAA and .918 SP through another 21 games in 2022-23.

With a body built to take up as much net as possible with the quickness and skills necessary to compete at the upper-echelon of the pro level, the Swedish prospect could have the tools to be the future ace goalie of an organization that has exhausted their search, both internally and across the league, for the chosen one.