Toronto Marlies

Lore & Background

The Marlies trace their history to the New Brunswick Hawks, founded in 1978 as the first professional ice hockey team in New Brunswick, jointly operated by the Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks. The team relocated to St. Catharines as the St. Catharines Saints in 1982, then to Newmarket as the Newmarket Saints, and later to St. John's as the St. John's Maple Leafs. In 2005, the team moved to Toronto and was renamed the Marlies, after the Toronto Marlboros junior team. The relocation was driven by the Maple Leafs' desire to have their AHL affiliate closer geographically, reducing travel costs; by the final season in St. John's, the nearest opponent was 1,781 km away.

Reader's Guide

The Toronto Marlies represent a key part of the Toronto Maple Leafs' player development system, having relocated to Toronto in 2005 to ease player movement between the NHL and AHL. The team's name honors the Toronto Marlboros, a junior team with a long history under common ownership with the Leafs. The Marlies have made three Calder Cup Finals appearances: in 2012 (lost to Norfolk Admirals), 2018 (defeated Texas Stars), and 2026 (defeated Chicago Wolves). Their 2018 championship was the first professional hockey title for a Toronto-based team since the Leafs won the Stanley Cup in 1967. The team moved from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference in the 2015–16 season due to the relocation of five teams to California. Notable head coaches include Sheldon Keefe, who had the franchise's highest winning percentage before being promoted to the Maple Leafs, and Greg Moore, who had the lowest winning percentage among coaches with more than one full season.

Did You Know?

• The Marlies were originally founded as the New Brunswick Hawks in 1978.
• The team's name comes from the Toronto Marlboros, a junior hockey team sponsored by the Maple Leafs.
• The Marlies won their first Calder Cup in 2018, defeating the Texas Stars 4–3 in the finals.
• Garret Sparks holds the franchise single-season records for GAA (1.79), save percentage (.936), wins (31), and shutouts (6), all set in 2017–18.