Maple Leafs’ backup goalie Dennis Hildeby was team mascot!

Young goalie Dennis Hildeby was the Toronto Maple Leafs’ backup on Wednesday night when Martin Jones got the 2-1 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks. Camera caught Hildeby several times, focused on the action, taking everything in from his first time on an NHL bench.

Hildeby came a long way from the prospect he once was in his home country of Sweden. There, he took the SHL by storm, won won a Swedish Championship with Färjestad in 2022, and was also team mascot.

“He had a tough time during his junior years with surgeries and team changes. Just six months before joining our pro team, he was Ture Varg (Färjestad’s mascot) at my son’s hockey school in the summer as a side job. Things move fast. He’s so likable that everyone who’s worked with him feels something special. I get similar vibes from the comments I read from overseas. It’s going to be incredibly exciting to follow,” explained Färjestad’s Sports Director Rickard Wallin to hockeysverige.se (translated by Daily Face-off.)

Hildeby, 22, was called up during the COVID outbreak during the time he was playing with the J20 team.

“We’ll see if he gets to play or not, but regardless, it’s been incredibly fast in these two years since I had to decide to promote Dennis to Färjestad’s A-team when Henrik Haukeland wanted to leave. We had no alternative but Dennis, who was doing well in the junior team. It was a tough decision then, but it turned out very well, and he’s earned every level he’s reached.”

It has been a tough road to the AHL and NHL for Hildeby, whose hard work seems to be paying off. When Ilya Samsonov was waived for a reset, Hildeby was called up from the Toronto Marlies and can now rely on everything he’s learned, including his time as a mascot, to become a start behind the goalie’s mask in Toronto.

“I know he’s a very humble guy. He takes nothing for granted. It shows how narrow the margins can be. It’s about being skilled, putting in the work, but also getting the chance and someone believing in you at the right moment. He got that with ‘Masken’ and the team around Färjestad’s juniors at the right stage in his career,” added Wallin.

You can only root for a guy like Hildeby. 

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