Dennis Hildeby will likely never forget his first career start, at least not anytime soon, as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-2 on Thursday evening. Hildeby recorded 23 saves in the winning effort and after the game, he drew laudatory praise from his teammates.

“Great feeling, obviously,” Hildeby said in his post-game interview with TSN’s Mark Masters. “It feels amazing, especially knowing how much it matters to my family. It means a lot. I appreciate the game the boys played today too, it helped a lot.”

Hildeby was recalled by the Maple Leafs on an emergency basis after Joseph Woll suffered an injury that placed him on injured reserve. It appears likely that Hildeby will operate as Anthony Stolarz’s backup during the Maple Leafs’ home opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, with a chance to start against the Los Angeles Kings on October 16, but no formal designations have been made by the team yet.

“The entire day has been a special day filled with emotions, I’m not used to dealing with all that,” Hildeby said. “The game itself, I’m very thankful we could get a win tonight too.”

The 23-year-old was greeted by audible cheers entering the locker room, including a few daps from Woll and head coach Craig Berube.

Hildeby was originally projected to begin the year with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and while it’s still more than plausible that he spends the majority of the year there, he looked every bit ready for the NHL on Thursday night, against a Devils team that was looking to get a win for Sheldon Keefe, who was dismissed by the Maple Leafs in May. He made a number of excellent stops, robbing Jack Hughes in the first period, then closing the door on Erik Haula at the end of a power play and shut the door on a resilient, skill-oriented Devils club.

Welcome to the NHL, Dennis Hildeby. It was an excellent to start to what’s been an unexpectedly busy week for the Maple Leafs’ goalies overall.