As expected the Toronto Maple Leafs organization has started filling up the goalie ranks for the three teams under their control.

On NHL contracts they have Erik Källgren, Petr Mrázek and Joe Woll. In the AHL, they have Dryden McKay and Keith Petruzzelli and now they have another who will likely start on the Newfoundland Growlers in the ECHL.

Luke Cavallin is 21, and is just finishing up his OHL career with the Flint Firebirds. He ended with his best season after making an interesting choice to go to Europe to play in the Alps Hockey League in the cancelled 2020-2021 season. He played on an Italian team and was their best goalie by save % in only 10 appearances. The Alps league is fairly new and is an amalgum of some of the smaller leagues in (wait for it) the alpine areas of Italy, Austria and Slovenia. It’s definitely a lower-level league, maybe approximately equal to the Norwegian or French league.

Cavallin, never drafted, is the son of Mark Cavallin, a goalie who played in several European leagues. Cavallin senior is originally from Mississauga, so although Luke was born in the UK, he’s local as well. He won’t be the last goalie signed by the Leafs, the Marlies or the Growlers this summer, and we’ll test you on their names in October to see how many you remember.

Toronto Marlies