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Wednesday, October 8, 2014. Ten years ago it was the home opener for the Leafs, playing against the Habs. Jonathan Bernier was in net, not ranked on our 2014 Top 25 Under 25 list as he had already turned 25 years-old, but he was ranked at #5 on the 2013 list.
James Reimer was the backup that night and he was a year older than Bernier, but he did make it into our very first T25U25 list from Winter 2012 where he wound up ranked at #3, sitting behind only Jake Gardiner and Phil Kessel, and one spot ahead of Luke Schenn and two spots ahead of (checks notes) Joe Colborne? Wow.
Those days of our list were pretty wild, but regardless, the past twelve seasons have seen a huge number of goalies come and go from our list that have never made it that high in the rankings or even made it onto the Leafs roster. Only Joe Woll has since made the same feat, coming in at #4 last year and has now aged out and could be the Leafs starting goalie this season unless MLSE really has obtained a supply of Borg nanoprobes and repaired Matt Murray with them.
We have some new prospects in Akhtyamov and Peksa on our list this year, but do you recall all these other names names that were ranked on our list at some point in the past twelve years? Remember our rules are you can only be on the list if you have a formal Leafs contract, so these were not Marlies-only goalies, but ones where the Leafs put pen to paper:
Jussi Rynnas (Juicy Juice!)
Mark Owuya (aka Mark In Da Park from Swedish Idol - yes that is him if you forgot about this)
Chris Gibson (traded in that Islanders deal along with Carter Verhaeghe to get Michael Grabner)
Garret Sparks (remember that shutout and all the hope... that quickly died)
Antoine Bibeau (the next Garret Sparks!)
Erik Källgren (the next Antonie Bibeau!)
There's also Ian Scott, who signed a Leafs contract but never actually made it to the T25U25 due to a series of injuries that ultimately forced him to quit hockey completely in 2022.
That is a lot of names above for only a decade or so, and so many names are tied to times when they did a thing over one or three games or something that had them instantly trending on the Leafs goalie hype train. Then, like always, that train derailed.
Now enter, Dennis Hildeby. Shooting up the ranks to #7, he approaches the lofty heights that only Bernier, Reimer and Woll have reached.
No pressure, Dennis.
| Dennis Hildeby | Vitals |
|---|---|
| Age as of July 1 | 22.86 |
| Position | G |
| Height | 6'7" |
| Weight (lbs) | 222 |
| Shoots | L |
| Draft Year | 2022 |
| Draft Number | 122 |
The Player
Hildeby had a big workload on his shoulders this season, starting in 41 Marlies games, something he has noted was a huge transition for him with a steep learning curve about how your body has to physically handle that frequency of games, but it was a problem he obviously tackled well.
He was deservedly voted in as one of the four goalie representatives from the Eastern Conference at the AHL All-Star game in February, and this video of him there brings me to the most obvious point about Hildeby on which we have to comment. You can't discuss Hildeby without mentioning he's 6'7.
Dennis Hildeby warming up for the skills competition. pic.twitter.com/CtVtuGx1W8
— Pension Plan Puppets (@PPPLeafs) February 5, 2024
Watching that video, most of the mass of his body is literally above the net, even when he has his knees bent to be in his action stance ready for a shot, but there's far more to him than simply being the "Very Tall Man."
Hildeby has shown some exemplary talent in his Marlies games, though he's also had a few blunders, with I suspect the adjustment to the heavy workload itself getting to him. He's also still developing, and he has spoken extensively and openly about his focus on improving his body movements, including recovery after making a save, or "explosiveness" as he calls it; making faster body adjustments to what is happening around him, especially after the first save when there's going to be a second or third shot on goal in rapid succession from different angles, requiring him to reposition in seconds, or even only one second. We've seen the necessity of this.
Nice move by Maxim Groshev, better save from Dennis Hildeby. @TorontoMarlies | #TORvsSYR pic.twitter.com/cBYhmXrXgH
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) March 2, 2024
Hildeby has a, I don't know how to describe it, but a kind of aura of philosophical calmness about him. Most goalies do seem to have that to some degree, some less than others [insert here your memories of Jonas Gustavsson scrambling around like a cat chasing a laser pointer].
But Hildeby seems to genuinely boost confidence when he's out there, as any good goalie does, and he himself comes across as deliberate and thoughtful in a manner that it once came across my mind he's like Swedish Joe Woll, but then I realised they really aren't the same. Woll seems to have more of a seasoned confidence that Hildeby doesn't have yet, probably because of Woll coming through the NCAA and the pressure there. Hildeby does have the same aura of calmness like Woll though, and that is a huge strength for them that's hard to describe, but they both seem to me to have never allowed minor setbacks to become a burden.
It's a matter of time, but there's also the issue of timing. If Matt Murray is really better, and Anthony Stolarz sticks around, Hildeby will be spending another year in the AHL, but perhaps that's fine as he has access to all the development tools he needs there and continue to adjust to a full starting goalie workload.
The Marlies also seem to be in "go for it" mode right now, with signings like Alex Nylander filling out the ranks of the forwards, they could be a powerhouse in the division and would it ever be nice if they could break out and make a long playoff run again.
The Votes
There's a huge range here, and we see here our first #1 vote in the list. I am a big booster of Hildeby. but that was a bridge too far for me to cross.
| Voter | Vote |
|---|---|
| Cathy | 6 |
| Brian | 10 |
| Species | 4 |
| Adam | 8 |
| Hardev | 14 |
| dhammm | 9 |
| Cameron S | 6 |
| Hound Line | 6 |
| brysplace | 1 |
| Catch-67 | 7 |
| Sclodiggity | 9 |
| shinson93 | 6 |
| The Bag | 7 |
| Zone Entry | 3 |
| Weighted Average | 6.86 |
| Highest Vote | 1 |
| Lowest Vote | 14 |
The Opinions
brysplace: My #1 pick. Goalies more than anyone else are game breakers and series stealers. Knowledgeable folks had said that he'd need a big year to move the needle, and the Hildebeast went Beast Mode and was an AHL All-Star.
Very good wingers, useful centres or even stud defensemen are nice, but for me it's all about the playoffs, and goalies are overrepresented in the Conn Smythe winners list for a reason. This guy here is our current best chance at our own Vasilevskiy (Woll is our current best chance at a Carey Price, though one that is also a Cup winner).
dhammm: As I said with Akhtyamov, I am reluctant to place goalies high in any prospect ranking, but the way the year shook out, the goalies improved their stock while a lot of skaters didn’t. Hildeby had a great season, and I trust his AHL results more than Akhtyamov’s KHL/VHL results. It’s not just that Hildeby acclimated to the AHL and it’s not just that he was a great AHL goaltender; I think the path is there for Hildeby to get NHL starts this season, and that kind of opportunity does a lot to make me buy into the hype.
shinson93: Just a great season with the Marlies showed me this guy is the real deal. I’m not sure he has as much skill/athleticism as Woll, but very much similar in the calmness. Size & positioning do a lot of work, but he wasn't a guy coasting on the strength of a deep D core or his team outscoring their warts. Without him the Buds don’t even make the playoffs.
Cameron S: In his first full NA season, Hildeby impressed me. Having a 0.913 SV% on a bit of a disappointing Marlies team and being named an All-Star really gives me hope to his future. If he can continue to trend positively in his development, I can see him getting a start this season or next season at the latest to give him a real look in the NHL.
Cathy: I still can't believe I ended up ranking Hildeby so high. Nothing about his prior career is really very inspiring, although you can build a story around some of the numbers. He had one good AHL season. And he's 23. And goalies don't take longer to develop, they are just the least likely prospects to get played in the NHL before they've proven they're over-ready. But there is a genuine chance with any good AHL goalie that he might be NHL-playable in a valuable way, and I don't buy in on any of the skaters below him besting that with any higher probability. Hildeby is not a starter, though. If he was, we'd already know. He's 23, I feel like we should say that to ourselves more often.
The Bag: He had success in his first full AHL season, which puts him ahead of Akhtyamov for me, but not by much. (Garret Sparks always had a, um, sparkling sv% with the Marlies.) Here’s one other thought: last year was the first year in Hildeby’s goalie career in which he played more than 30 games. The last time he played even 25 games in a year was 2019-2020. To me, that means both a) that his prior results aren’t terribly revealing, and b) that he hasn’t ever been a healthy starter. Maybe this year will be a new and valuable experience for him. Let’s see what happens.
3/3 DENNIS HILDEBY 🔥#AHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/RH8cHdZD3V
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) February 5, 2024
You never know how fast things can change. In 2022, Joe Woll went to the AHL All-Star Classic in Laval and now at the start of the 2024 season he's apparently going to be one of the Leafs starting goalies. In 2023, Hildeby went to the AHL All-Star Classic in San Jose... where will he be at the start of the 2025 season? For now, we're simply glad the Very Tall Man is somewhere on our team.
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