The annual Spengler Cup is underway in Switzerland. This year, Mac Hollowell will represent the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here are five things to know about him.
While most hockey fans are focused on the 2025 World Juniors, the annual Spengler Cup is underway in Davos, Switzerland.
This over-a-century-old six-team tournament usually features a team from Canada. Last year, HC Davos tied Team Canada's record for most championships with 16, so the visitors will be out to make history again.
This year, Team Canada will have five players with NHL rights in their lineup, including the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins defenseman Mac Hollowell, the lone Pittsburgh Penguins representative at the event.
For those who will follow the Spengler Cup, here are five things to know about the Penguins' only connection to this year's tournament.
Drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018
Hollowell was born in Niagara Falls, ON, so it was only fitting that his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, drafted him in the fourth round (118th overall) at the 2018 Draft.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFMtR6O-TlM[/embed]
Eventually, Hollowell joined the Toronto Marlies in 2018-19 and made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs in 2022-23, playing in six games and collecting two assists.
Hollowell is a One-time AHL All-Star
From 2019 to 2023, Hollowell skated with the Marlies, scoring ten goals and 61 points in 124 games. Then, for the 2023-24 season, he played with the Hartford Wolf Pack, where he was an AHL All-Star.
In one season, Hollowell scored three goals and collected 41 assists for a career-high 44 points. Surprisingly, in just 64 games, scoring 36.6% of his career points in just one season.
He Once Played Six Games in Finland
Upon leaving the OHL after the 2018-19 season, Hollowell was a busy player. First, he split the 2019-20 season with the Marlies in the AHL and the Newfoundland Growlers in the ECHL.
During the following season, Hollowell began the year in Finland, skating with TUTO Hockey in the Mestis league. In six games, he scored two goals and six points. Eventually, he came back to the Marlies, skating in 27 games.
Hollowell Once led the OHL in Defensive Scoring
Hollowell spent parts of five seasons with the Soo Greyhounds and witnessed a progression in scoring each year. After a personal best of 56 points in 2017-18, he was promoted to alternate captain and tallied 77 points in 64 games in the following season.
That season, he led all OHL defensemen in goal scoring (24) and points (77), leading to an OHL First All-Star Team selection. It remains the last time he reached double digits in goals and scored over 50 points in a season.
Connected to Kyle Dubas From Marlies and Maple Leafs
As mentioned, Hollowell was a Marlies and Maple Leafs organization member for five seasons from 2018 to 2023.
Interestingly, Penguins' boss Kyle Dubas, previously the Soo Greyhounds's general manager, ran the Marlies from 2014 to 2018. Although Dubas didn't draft Hollowell, he was the assistant general manager with the Maple Leafs at the 2018 Draft.
Dubas was on the other end of the line when he was called to the NHL in 2022-23. So, it's unsurprising that when Hollowell was looking for a new home as a free agent in 2024, he reconnected with Dubas, someone he spent years acquainted with in Toronto.
Team Canada begins its quest for a 17th Spengler Cup championship on Dec. 26.
