London Knights goaltender Austin Elliott is reportedly not joining the Toronto Maple Leafs for training camp after all.
After a 31-save showing in the Memorial Cup Final against the Medicine Hat Tigers, the Ontario Hockey League posted to X that the 21-year-old had earned an invite to Maple Leafs training camp in the fall.
"London Knights goaltender Austin Elliott has been a key difference maker this season," the OHL wrote, "and he earned a free-agent invite to the Maple Leafs training camp this off-season!"
However, that's actually not the case.
According to The Athletic's Joshua Kloke, Elliott has said he has not been invited to Toronto's training camp, adding he will attend Dallas Stars development camp this summer. "No plans right now to attend Leafs camp and no idea how the Leafs rumour started either," Kloke posted to X.
It wasn't a rumor, but a post on social media from the OHL which ignited the fire.
Maple Leafs Invite Knights Goaltender Austin Elliott To Training Camp After Memorial Cup Title
London Knights goaltender Austin Elliott has a ticket to an NHL training camp this fall.
Elliott finished this year with a 52-3 record, his best season ever in junior hockey. He joined the Knights following parts of four seasons with the WHL's Saskatoon Blades, where he struggled to keep his save percentage above .900.
Each of Elliott's three losses came at different points of the year: one in the regular season, one during the OHL playoffs, and one at the Memorial Cup.
After joining London in October, Elliott found his footing behind a strong Knights team and finished the season with a .924 save percentage, the best among OHL goaltenders. His save percentage dropped in the OHL playoffs, but climbed back up during the Memorial Cup, concluding the tournament with a .943 save percentage through five games.
Why Two-Time Stanley Cup Champion Brad Marchand Is Exactly What The Maple Leafs Need
While Brad Marchand was celebrating his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXPqK2l5zJ8">second Stanley Cup victory</a>, Florida Panthers teammate Sam Bennett spoke to Sportsnet during their lap around the ice. Bennett waxed poetic about the veteran pest. "We just followed his lead,” Bennett said. While Sam Bennett had a strong playoff performance, what the 37-year-old Marchand managed to do in a very short time with Florida was remarkable. He exhibited the perfect combination of will and skill that was required to win all four rounds of a grueling postseason.
The University of Massachusetts Lowell commit was an all-star at the tournament. He was also awarded top goaltender honors after stopping 31 of 32 shots in the Knights' Memorial Cup win over Medicine Hat.
Only two players from London's championship-winning team will now be at Toronto's training camp in September: 2023 first-round (28th overall) pick Easton Cowan, who dominated the OHL this year, and forward Landon Sim, who has a one-year AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies.
Elliott, however, has a history with Toronto; the goaltender participated in Maple Leafs development camp in the summer of 2023. Also at that camp were Toronto goaltending prospects Artur Akhtyamov and Vyacheslav Peksa, plus invites Rastislav Elias, Luke Cavallin, and Samuel St-Hilaire.
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It appears Elliott will only have training, plus the Stars' development camp this summer, before starting his college hockey career in Lowell, Massachusetts.
(Photo credit: @LondonKnights / X)