Vinni Lettieri and Samuel Hlavaj have signed one-year deals with the
Toronto Maple Leafs, the team confirmed Friday. Financial terms of both contracts were not disclosed immediately by the Leafs.
Lettieri is coming off a terrific playoff run, where he lead all AHL players in postseason scoring, posting 11 goals and 26 points in 23 games, leading the
Toronto Marlies to a Calder Cup championship. Lettieri was an essential component of the
Marlies, a team that went on a terrific playoff run, led by veteran performances from Lettieri, Logan Shaw and William Villeneuve, while propelled by younger contributors in Easton Cowan, Landon Sim, Ben Danford and Calder Cup Playoffs MVP
Artur Akhtyamov.
Hlavaj primarily played for the AHL’s Iowa Wild last season, posting a .887 save percentage in 23 appearances. The 25-year-old will likely compete for the Marlies’ backup goaltender position, after Dennis Hildeby was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, along with two draft picks, in exchange for Nick Paul on July 1. Akhtyamov will also be competing for a spot on the Maple Leafs, with Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz set as the incumbents, so there could be a larger role and opportunity for Hlavaj in store.
Hlavaj is perhaps best known for his performance during the Olympics, where he led Slovakia to a 4-1 upset over Finland, with a 38-save performance.
Toronto also confirmed it signed defenceman Cole McWard and Henrik Rybinski to two-year contracts. McWard played three games with the New York Islanders last season, while Rybinski recorded 10 goals and 30 points in 59 games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
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