"I'm looking forward to seeing all the new faces" 📽️ Forward Brandon Lisowsky at @MotionFitCanada Training Camp
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Brandon Lisowsky on his future with Maple Leafs: ‘Toronto is still interested’
Photo credit: Steven Ellis
Sep 1, 2024, 16:35 EDTUpdated: Sep 1, 2024, 16:32 EDT
As he prepares for his overage season with the Saskatoon Blades, Brandon Lisowsky spoke with reporters Friday about how the Toronto Maple Leafs will keep an eye on his development, despite not being signed with the team.
“Toronto is still interested without the contract stuff,” Lisowsky said. “But they’re still interested in seeing how this year goes. And hopefully, after this year, it goes well with them again.”
This comes after the Leafs opted not to give him an entry-level contract before losing his draft rights on June 1st. The Leafs originally selected him in the seventh round (218th overall) at the 2022 NHL Draft. Despite the setback, Lisowsky was still invited to their development camp over the summer which signals their continued interest in him even though he is not under team control.
Proof of there being no bad blood between the two parties was confirmed when assistant GM Hayley Wickenheiser spoke to the media in July about Lisowsky and their continued faith in his development.
“I know it was really hard for him not to get signed, but we’ve talked to him about being positive, coming here, having a great camp and, and looking at what we can do moving forward,” Wickenheiser said. “But we have a lot of belief in him and the development side of things. You get close to the players when you work with them through the years, and there’s a lot of joy that goes with it, but also some tough moments too, and we’ve just been trying to help him through it.”
The continued commitment was confirmed when Lisowsky told reporters in Saskatoon that he will be taking part in the Leafs’ rookie camp. He will leave the Blades for about a week or so to participate in two games against the Canadiens in Montreal, then he will head back to focus on rounding out his game, specifically mentioning the penalty kill, in preparation for his first pro season the following year.
“My goal is to move on to pro next year, hopefully with the Toronto system here,” Lisowsky told reporters in July. “I’m just going to try and have fun here at development camp, learn as much as I can, and take it towards pro hockey next year.”
Lisowsky is coming off a productive season where he finished third on the Blades in scoring with 80 points (42 goals and 38 assists) in 68 games played. He also finished third on the team in playoff scoring with 17 points (seven goals and 10 assists) in 16 games played.
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