Ryan Leslie will be joining the Toronto Maple Leafs as team host for the 2025-26 season. Leslie spent the past decade covering the NHL for Sportsnet.

“Ryan’s knowledge of the game, his ability to connect with players and coaches, and his talent for telling the stories that matter make him an incredible addition to our Maple Leafs content team,” MLSE Chief Marketing Officer Shannon Hosford said in a release. “Our fans will benefit from his experience and his passion for bringing them closer to the action.”

“The opportunity to work with the Maple Leafs — an iconic franchise with a passionate fan base — is something I’m incredibly excited about,” Leslie said. “I can’t wait to share the stories of this team and help give fans a front-row seat to all the action.”

Leslie will take on a number of roles, providing pre-game and post-coverage of the team, with behind-the-scenes access. He previously specialized as an in-game host covering the Calgary Flames, and will provide interviews and storytelling with the Maple Leafs in this new role. The veteran journalist previously worked for Flames TV, before moving into his role with Sportsnet.

MLSE CEO Keith Pelley spoke about the importance of the Maple Leafs re-connecting with their passionate fan base during his media availability in May, and this constitutes another step towards making the team more accessible.

“We have all the resources here to be a championship team, but it’s how we use the resources and that’s what we’ll spend the next week looking at,” Pelley said. “I’m confident in Brad (Treliving) I’m confident in Craig (Berube) and the resources that we have, but I do believe as the custodians of the biggest hockey brand in the world, we have a responsibility to our fans, and that responsibility is winning championships. We will do everything we said and won’t stop until we reach that goal.”