St. John’s to host Toronto in preseason games
St. John’s IceCaps Media Release
ST. JOHN’S — The St. John’s IceCaps announced today the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top prospects will travel to Newfoundland and Labrador in October to compete in a three-game preseason series.
The American Hockey League preseason showdown will pit the Toronto Marlies versus the IceCaps at three venues across the province:
• Thursday, October 1st (7:30 p.m. NT) Stephenville Dome
• Friday, October 2nd (7:30 p.m. NT) Corner Brook Civic Centre
• Sunday, October 4th (2:00 p.m. NT) Gander Community Centre
“The Montreal Canadiens’ rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs is one of the greatest in all of sports so I’m sure these IceCaps and Marlies contests will be intense and spirited as players jockey to secure a place on their respective teams, “ said IceCaps President and CEO Danny Williams. “Of course, these games will also give our fans their first glimpse of an entirely new IceCaps roster stocked with Montreal Canadiens prospects. From that perspective, this will be a momentous series for the IceCaps franchise as we launch our new era as the primary affiliate of the legendary Canadiens franchise.”
Brad Lynn, Alternate Governor and Director of Hockey Operations for the Marlies, says the Toronto Maple Leafs organization has a historic connection to Newfoundland and Labrador, which makes this series unique.
“Newfoundland represents a special place in Marlies history after the team enjoyed 14 seasons as the St. John’s Maple Leafs,” said Lynn. “Since relocating to Toronto, the team has always enjoyed returning to Newfoundland and playing in front of the passionate IceCap fans. The affiliation with the Montreal Canadiens, arguably the Maple Leafs most storied rival, just adds another dynamic for the players and fans of both organizations. These exhibition games will expose fans across Newfoundland to the rivalry that has developed between these two clubs and we look forward to puck drop in October.”
The IceCaps also announced that training camp will run from September 27th to October 7th, initially based out of Corner Brook and concluding in St. John’s.