Troy Stecher has excelled since joining the Toronto Maple Leafs off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers, and scored his first goal of the season in a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers.

Stecher beat Sergei Bobrovsky from the point, and added an assist in the winning effort. After the game, head coach Craig Berube spoke at length about Stecher’s impact.

“He is playing with a ton of confidence right now,” Berube said. “He is very composed. He and (Jake) McCabe look like they have instant chemistry right now, which is great. They are moving the puck extremely well.

“When you talk about pace, Stecher plays with pace out there. He closes on people, he skates, and he gets up the ice. He is doing a lot of good things.”

Stecher’s speed, tenacity and ability to facilitate easy exits have added.a new dimension to the Maple Leafs, who have largely struggled on the defensive side this season. The 31-year-old said that he told Easton Cowan and Nick Robertson prior to the game that he was going to score, and his premonition paid off.

“I didn’t know a ton about him, but when I watch him on the blue line in the offensive zone, he moves his feet extremely well and gets shots through,” Berube said of Stecher.

“You don’t know a guy until you get him, a lot of the time. You watch people play, and you watch other teams play, but until you get a guy, you don’t know the personality. You don’t know what he is all about. But this guy is a highly focused hockey player. He is very team-oriented. He brings a lot of energy to our team and a lot of pace to our team back there.”

Stecher has been elevated on the roster in part due to injury, but he’s winning his minutes comprehensively. Toronto sports a plus-five differential when Stecher is on the ice, along with a 62.7 percent share of the expected goals, via Natural Stat Trick. Stecher’s continued ascendance with the Leafs has been one of the bright spots of the season, and he’ll look to carry his momentum forward when the team squares off against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.