Recently recalled by the Toronto Maple Leafs, goaltender Dennis Hildeby has come a long way, a very long way in fact, especially considering that not long ago he was the mascot of the team from Färjestad, Sweden.
Due to Ilya Samsonov's problems in net, Leafs general manager Brad Treliving turned to the 22-year-old Swede, a 6-foot-11 hulking man, to serve as Martin's replacement. Jones.
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Hildeby is playing its first full season in North America and this result is somewhat unexpected. However, this is not the first obstacle that stands in the way of the young man.
In an interview with Swedish website hockeysverige.se, translated into English by Daily Faceoff, Färjestad sporting director Rickard Wallin stated that Hildeby had already donned the costume of Ture Varg, the club's mascot. He then joined the organization's youth squad in 2020.
“It wasn't easy for him in his junior year with assignments and team changes. “Just six months before joining our professional team, he was a part-time summer job Ture Varg at my son’s hockey school,” explained Wallin, a former Leafs forward.
“Things are moving quickly. He is so personable that everyone who has worked with him feels something special,” he continued.
One opportunity leads to the next
In Sweden, Hildeby first joined the big club when one of Färjestad's goalkeepers came down with COVID-19. He impressed enough to be drafted by the Leafs in the fourth round in 2022 before serving as an understudy to Matt Tomkins — now with the Tampa Bay Lightning — last season.
Here he is now in the National League after playing around fifteen games with the Toronto Marlies in the American League.
“It's the same as when he established himself in the SHL, so he already has that experience if you want to draw a parallel,” Wallin analyzed. Then it's rare that you get into the NHL perfectly and get this opportunity if you're perfectly prepared for it. […] He will go out and give everything he can in training and during games.
It remains to be seen whether we will see Hildeby on the ice with the Maple Leafs in the coming days without her mascot costume. They faced the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night before facing the San Jose Sharks on Saturday and Tuesday.