Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

Just some quick news hits to talk about as we head into the weekend.

Hockey Canada reacted to the BCHL renouncing their affiliation with the governing body by creating the Western Canadian Development Model.

It brings in standardized rules across all leagues, adopting the WHL rulebook for everyone, and increased development time for all players.

Western Canadian junior hockey pilot to launch in 2024-25 season
The Western Canadian Development Model pilot project has been approved for the 2024-25 season.
Hockey Canada logo

Drifting towards? I thought that was just the standard for them.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are slowly drifting toward mediocrity
The Leafs are neither elite nor terrible, but hovering in the middle will waste the primes of their talented core.
Daily FaceoffScott Maxwell

The off-season isn't over yet but...sure.

Who aced the offseason? Report cards for all 32 NHL teams
How well has each GM done so far this summer? The grades are in, including three A’s.
ESPNClose

Stupid jerkass Capitals.

How PuckPedia was ready to answer NHL salary cap questions when CapFriendly went dark
PuckPedia set to take over as the go-to cap space source
The ProvincePatrick Johnston

You know we're scraping the barrel with ECHL signings.

ECHL: “Scariest Man in Hockey” set to return to the Heartlanders | Inside The Rink
Coralville, Iowa- On July 11, the Forward Nico Blachman and the Iowa Heartlanders agreed to a contract renewal.
Inside The RinkMax Baum

Finally, the Olympics are fast approaching and didnyou know break dancing is a medal sport? I didn't

What to know about breaking making its Olympic debut — and why you shouldn’t call it ‘breakdancing’
Victor Montalvo was the first American to qualify for the breaking competition in Paris.
TODAYMaddie Ellis

The arts were once a big part of the modern Olympics. With dancing and painting being medal sports.

But you know what they really need to bring back? Tug of war.

Enjoy your day!

From The Branches