Dennis Hildeby skated into unfamiliar surroundings on the Maple Leafs practice pad for the first time this season, crouched down and got himself set.
At 6-foot-7 and 222 pounds, the newest Leaf takes up plenty of net even while crouching. When the 22-year-old stands, he hovers over most shooters.
“There’s no net at all,” Matthew Knies said of facing Hildeby in practice after the 2022 fourth-round pick was called up on Monday. “You don’t see anything. You have to get him to move to see some kind of white behind him.”
Not that long ago, it seemed implausible the Leafs would turn to Hildeby and his size, even as their burgeoning young goalie stopped nearly everything in sight in the AHL.
After the Leafs’ disastrous Dec. 21 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, Ilya Samsonov’s mental struggles became increasingly evident. He allowed five goals on 19 shots, but Sheldon Keefe said the Leafs “have to play better in front of (Samsonov) and give him a chance to find himself.”
That chance ended up being short.
Eight days later against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Leafs did their part, scoring five goals. Samsonov did not. He looked lost in goal, allowing six goals on 21 shots.
“It is the NHL. We need saves. We need points. We need wins. I am sure (Leafs GM Brad Treliving) is going to consider everything,” Keefe said.
Two days later, Samsonov was placed on waivers, leaving the Leafs without the top two goalies on their depth chart.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Enter Hildeby.
The AHL rookie owns an impressive .919 save percentage over 15 games, second among all rookies and seventh in the league.
And despite how little seasoning he’s had in the AHL, Hildeby believes what he’s accomplished has prepared him for his next opportunity.
“I felt like I’ve done something good to get this call-up,” Hildeby said. “I’m going to go in here, take advantage of this opportunity and do everything I’ve been doing so far this season. Because that’s obviously worked.”
A young goalie so early in his professional career in North America hopping into an NHL team on a three-game losing skid and without a bona fide No. 1 to shoulder the load? Not ideal. Nevertheless, there’s reason to believe Hildeby’s confidence is warranted. The strengths he displays are consistent with many top NHL goalies, including the mentality required to step in on a moment’s notice.
“You want him to get comfortable, which is what I saw the more and more the skate went on. You could really see he was getting comfortable in his reads,” Keefe said of Hildeby.
There’s never been much question that Hildeby would eventually get to the NHL. It was just a matter of when.
The Leafs were first turned onto Hildeby by former Leafs goalie evaluator Jon Elkin, who pounded the table in favour of drafting him in 2022. They could not get over how all 6-foot-7 of Hildeby moved with the ease and quickness he did in the SHL. They loved how his agility and flexibility created the kind of smoothness in his movements they believed goaltenders needed.
Add it up and Elkin and the Leafs could comfortably project a strong future for him.
As it turns out, his NHL future came quicker than anticipated. After a dominant SHL season in which he posted a .918 save percentage as arguably the best young goalie in Sweden, Hildeby got an early start to this season by arriving in Toronto in August. He logged long hours with Elkin facing NHL shooters including his new teammates and Dallas Star Tyler Seguin.
And with the Marlies, Hildeby balanced consistent composure with impressive athleticism and reach. Difficult saves looked easy.
“(Hildeby) is doing all the right things,” Marlies coach John Gruden said earlier this season. “Every time you see him, he improves.”
Throughout Monday’s practice, even as the shots were more difficult, Hildeby looked the part as a towering goalie who could step into the NHL if needed.
“That’s obviously one advantage,” Hildeby said of his size. “I’ve never really had anyone in front of me who is the same size as me. So that helps a lot.”
Hildeby’s movement was clean and he was lifted by the simple advice he received from Leafs goaltender coach Curtis Sanford.
“Don’t think too much,” Hildeby said of the advice he got from Sanford. “Just breathe, keep calm, stay present and compete for the puck.”
Coming into this season, one focus for Hildeby was improving his glove hand. He continued to work on his glove hand before practice, ensuring it was in the right spot before flashing it often against a barrage of Leafs shooters.
What will be intriguing to watch is how Hildeby (and his glove) deals with a likely increased amount of work in-game. This AHL season, he’s faced an average of 27.2 shots in his 15 games. Of the six goalies ahead of him in AHL save percentage, five have faced a higher average of shots against per game.
And the Leafs have allowed 31.9 shots against per game, ninth-most in the NHL.
“Obviously NHL shooters, it’s a different animal, as (Hildeby) may have learned when (Auston Matthews) came down and blew one by him in one of the first drills,” Keefe said.
Hildeby getting his first touches as a Leaf: pic.twitter.com/NDLuSWW6Ov
— Joshua Kloke (@joshuakloke) January 1, 2024
So, is it too soon in Hildeby’s development path for him to be making an NHL start?
Yes, Hildeby is in his first AHL season and was only drafted in 2022. But it’s worth remembering his August 2001 birthday technically made him draft eligible way back in 2019, making him an overaged prospect by a few seasons with his first professional experience coming back in 2019 in Sweden.
And while all goalies are built differently, consider Hildeby’s similarities to Leafs no. 1 Joseph Woll. Woll’s first NHL start came in a similar situation as Hildeby’s back in November 2021 when then Leafs No. 2 Petr Mrazek (Currently rocking a .904 save percentage through 24 games, wouldn’t you believe it) went down with a groin injury.
To back up Jack Campbell, a then 23-year-old Woll played four games through November and December. This came after Woll had logged two professional seasons, one of them heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Woll’s results in those four games were all over the place as he pitched a shutout in one game and allowed six goals in another.
But he kept his head above water, coming out of those four games with a .911 save percentage.
Would anyone on the Leafs complain if Hildeby put up similar numbers?
Hildeby, like Woll, will likely be tasked with playing an NHL game after two-ish professional seasons, though the majority of his games came in the SHL, not the AHL. Perhaps the most glaring similarity between Hildeby and Woll is what likely gave the organization confidence in bringing them up to the NHL: an apparent unflappable mental state.
Woll managed a forgettable AHL debut season (A near league-worst .880 save percentage) by growing with continued maturity. His relaxed movements in goal have become his calling card.
And Hildeby has also made a name for himself as a level-headed, mature young goalie. When he realized he was having an inconsistent first full SHL season, he took the step to seek out a mental coach to help him find his way.
As a result of working with noted Malmö-based mental performance coach Andy Swärd, Hildeby has realized the importance of making his brain work in his favour in games.
“(Hildeby) works constantly on himself during the game, and people don’t see that,” Swärd said. “That’s why he’s performing so well, and that’s why he’s handled adversity in a good way.”
“I feel like I’ve found my pace (in the AHL) and have been fairly consistent in my performances,” Hildeby said.
If Hildeby didn’t possess that mental strength, the Leafs likely wouldn’t be turning to him.
“He’s got a great demeanour about him,” Keefe said of Hildeby. “Great attitude, very positive. A nice guy who is eager to work and learn and do all those kinds of things. I would imagine all of those things are the reasons why he’s gotten off to such a great start with the Marlies. And why when we need a guy, he is that guy.”
Maybe this early taste of the NHL goes well enough that Hildeby’s confidence is buoyed and his development continues on an upward trajectory. That’s clearly a gamble the Leafs are willing to take by turning to him instead of buying (And likely overpaying for) a rental goalie on the trade market.
Keefe said his message to Hildeby is simply to “be ready for any opportunity that might come up.” He also poured cold water on Hildeby definitely starting one game on the team’s upcoming back-to-back in California.
“We haven’t ruled out utilizing (Martin Jones) in both those games. As far as back-to-backs go, it’s probably the easiest one you’re going to get on the road in terms of having no flight,” Keefe said.
Things change and the opportunity could still come, nonetheless. It’s one few could have predicted would come ahead of this season. And it’s a far-from-ideal opportunity, too.
But it’s an opportunity the consistently calm Hildeby appears ready for.
“I believe it’s important,” he said, “not to overthink stuff.”
(Photo: Frank Jansky / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)