Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby (#31) makes some saves during development camp. Toronto Maple Leafs lead evaluator of goaltending Jon Elkin made the strong case to the scouting staff when the club decided to select Swedish goaltender Dennis Hildeby in the fourth round (122nd overall) at the 2022 NHL Draft. After seeing him in up close at Toronto’s development camp, it’s clear to see what they like from him. “When he’s on his knees his head is over the crossbar. A lot to like about him,” Maple Leafs assistant GM Hayley Wickenheiser said. “Just the poise and the control that he seems to have at this point.” At 6’5.5, 238lbs, Hildeby is big, but also agile. In the two scrimmages the Maple Leafs held, the goaltender was able to move across the ice with ease and deviate from a traditional butterfly style when it was necessary. “There’s more body to move so it takes more energy but to me it’s never been that much of a problem,” Hildeby said. “My athleticism has always followed along.” And while that may be the case now, the path to the pros hasn’t been easy for the 20-year-old. He spent four-and-a-half years in Sweden’s junior league. During the 2018-19 season, Hildeby posted a save percentage of .873 in 23 games with Timra IK Jr, a club that finished their season with a 19-22-2-2 record. He showed improvement the following season with a .911 save percentage, but his combined numbers likely scared off any NHL teams from drafting him. Following his final season in the junior ranks (then with Farjestad Jr.) Hildeby posted a .911 save percentage, an impressive feat only due to the fact that the club finished third-last in its division. In March of 2021, Hildeby elected to have surgery on his hips, a common one for goaltenders where the bone begins to tear at flesh and muscles around joint. The bone is smoothened and shaved down to reduce irritation. He had the same surgery done a couple of months later on the other hip as a preventative measure. The news of the surgery combined with his less-than-stellar stats at the junior league likely scared off NHL clubs yet again from selected the goaltender in the NHL Draft during his second year of eligibility. In the fall of 2021, Hildeby returned for another season in junior, his fifth one, and proved ready for a tougher challenge after posting a .931 save percentage through 12 games. Following that run, he got his first real test at the Swedish Hockey League level with Farjestad BK where he posted another .931 save percentage. “When I had my hip surgeries, I had no plans on playing in the SHL,” Hildeby said. “When the opportunity came I had no pressure.” Hildeby has come a long way and the Maple Leafs are hoping that he can build off his season in Farjestad by returning the big man to the Swedish club where he’ll get more games in as part of a tandem. Only then will the club have a true sense of how the goaltender can handle a a full workload. “We know it’s a short sample ,but (Elkin) raved about him,” Leafs director of amateur scouting Wes Clark said after the draft. “Obviously he has size, mobility and the potential.” Hildeby just one of several Maple Leafs bets in goal Hildeby’s loan to his previous club is all about getting games in due to a very crowded situation in the crease. “As we see in the NHL right now there’s not a lot of elite elite No. 1 goaltenders. It takes time. They need to face a lot of different situations to develop,” Wickenheiser said. “With the goaltending situation we have here in Toronto, it would be the best place for him to go and play, gain confidence, dominate and then come in and challenge for a spot when he’s ready.” With Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov slated to be with the Maple Leafs next season, that leaves backup goaltenders Erik Kallgren and Joseph Woll likely splitting the net with the Toronto Marlies. Beyond that, the goaltending situation starts to get a bit dicey in terms of reps. Keith Petruzzelli will return for the second year of his two-year AHL contract. He’ll be competing with recently-signed goaltender Luke Cavallin who is coming off an excellent season with the Flint Firebirds and reigning Hobey Baker-winning goaltender Dryden MacKay. Of course, injuries can happen so that should help sort things outs in that department. If not, a loan to another club is also possible. But with Toronto’s goaltending future uncertain beyond the next couple of years, they’re clearly hoping one of Hildeby, Kallgren, Woll, Petruzzelli, Cavallin, MacKay or Vyacheslav Peksa (Toronto’s sixth-round selection, 185th overall, playing in the Russian junior league) will pan out. Outside of Toronto’s top four goalie slots, Hildeby is the only netminder signed to an NHL level contract, which speaks volumes about their belief in him. “Through the case that he (Elkin) built for him, he made us very very very passionate about being able to come away from the draft with him,” Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said.
