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Maple Leafs activate Anthony Stolarz, assign Dennis Hildeby to AHL’s Marlies
Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Jan 23, 2026, 11:40 ESTUpdated: Jan 23, 2026, 17:11 EST
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach confirms that goalie Anthony Stolarz will get the nod against the Vegas Golden Knights, his first start since November 11.
“ It’s a huge boost,” Berube said to reporters after the morning skate on Friday. “He’s been working hard and he’s ready to go, so we gotta get him in there at some point. He’s good to go and we’re very happy he’s back.”
The Leafs announced on Friday that they assigned goalie Dennis Hildeby to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies to activate Stolarz. They also assigned Matt Benning to the Marlies after calling up Henry Thrun earlier in the day.
Stolarz last played more than two months ago against the Boston Bruins, when he left the game early due to what he later described as a nerve issue. He didn’t skate for well over a month due to suffering a setback in his recovery and saw a specialist for consultation before carefully working his way back into practice sessions.
In recent weeks, Stolarz was seen at various practices and travelled with the team during their recent Western road trip. The Leafs assigned him to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies on a conditioning loan on Tuesday to get some additional practices in before getting the clearance to return to the lineup.
“I had to kind of let it settle down a little bit,” Stolarz said via The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel. “It’s not like a bruise where it just goes away. It was just something I just kind of had to let heal on its own. And, you know, it just took a little while.”
With Stolarz back in the fold, the Leafs will now get to have him and Joseph Woll together in the lineup for the first time since Game 7 against the Florida Panthers. It comes at the expense of Hildeby, who had been filling in while Stolarz was recovering. Berube deferred to general manager Brad Treliving when asked whether the plan is to keep all three on the active roster or assign Hildeby to the Marlies since he is waiver-exempt.
“ Going back to last year, what he did for us and even at the beginning of this year before all this went down,” Berube said of what it means to have Stolarz back. “ I mean, he’s a huge part of this team and that goaltending tandem. It’s a huge boost for the team, and it’s great for him to get him back, and he’s excited.”
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