In the big Leafs news, they hired a new Director of Amateur Scouting:
![](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_ratio16_9-size50/prd/nswlphxjwibg3i9rj7z3.jpg)
Elite Prospects shows Leach has been an Amateur Scout since 1991, first with Detroit until 2013, and then with Dallas ever since. I was shocked to learn that his brother Stephen Leach was a scout with the Calgary Flames under Brad Treliving. Their brother Jay Leach has been a coach in the AHL, and assistant in the NHL and in the NCAA.
Mark Leach is American, 63, and played NCAA hockey in the 80s. He is also extremely highly thought of as a scout. The Sun reports that he would know Treliving from the Coyotes days, but they don't expand on how that would have come about, but there's close to 10 years between his college days and his first job in scouting. TSN and SN rewrote the press release from the Leafs.
Some other sites have noted that Dallas has drafted some good players, in case you hadn't noticed them.
![](https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/content/images/2024/07/download--1-.png)
In other hockey news:
![](https://blob.iihf.com/iihf-media/iihfmvc/media/2024/news/07/joy/can_vs_usa.jpg)
![](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/06/28/PNAS/a7c75a0c-a1e1-42ba-b3be-23209ea7fab9-NAS-TSU_Hockey-00045.jpg?auto=webp&crop=4043,2275,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200)
![](https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/jamaicaicehockey_L.jpg)
![](https://theleafsnation.com/_next/image?url=https://publish.theleafsnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/07/USATSI_23631957-scaled.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
Close doing more heavy lifting here than Montour is in the photo. He definitely talked to the Leafs, though.
Next week, if it seems like the Leafs aren't about to sign anyone else young, I'll post the T25 eligibility list and we can talk about the 10 players who are leaving and the 10 new arrivals.
Two players signed yesterday, Harrison Brunicke with the Penguins – I think he was just drafted, and Adam Wilsby, a 23-year-old prospect of the Predators who looks like he's getting set for a full year in the AHL again.
Arbitration hearings start tomorrow, but the NHLPA has not yet released the schedule, which they usually do. Reporters seem to know the dates, though. There are very few potential cases this year, but settlements should trickle in starting today.
Maybe two more players will get deals today!