Toronto Maple Leafs fans will know the name Brendan Leipsic from being a part of the trade that sent Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli to the Nashville Predators, but might not be aware of his offensive potential.  Leipsic was drafted 89^th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators and after a successful junior career with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) is putting up impressive numbers in his first professional season in the American Hockey League (AHL).

During Leipsic’s tenure with the Portland Winterhawks, the team won a WHL title and reached the Memorial Cup finals.  Individually, he captured the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Top Scorer Award in 2012-13.  In 68 games that season, Leipsic scored 49 goals and totaled 120 points, joining notable company who previously earned the same award such as Patrick Kane, Alexander Radulov, Brad Richards, Mike Ribeiro, and Sidney Crosby. 

However this award wasn’t the highlight of his time in Portland. “I made a lot of friendships while I played there,” said Leipsic.  “We won a ton of hockey games and we made it to the final all four years that I was there.” 

From 2010-14, the Portland Winterhawks were a powerhouse in the WHL.  For Leipsic, the year he enjoyed the most was the 2012-13 season.  “My 18-year old year was probably my most fun year of hockey.  We won the WHL title and I was on a line with Ty Rattie and Nic Petan.”  Leipsic, Petan, and Rattie finished first, second, and third respectively in WHL scoring that year. 

“The most satisfying thing was that our coach Mike Johnston (now head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins) was suspended and as a team we rallied around that to win.  We just came up short in the Memorial Cup final against Halifax.  Overall I really enjoyed my four years in Portland.”

Leipsic is enjoying the transition and challenge of the AHL both on and off the ice as he develops his game.  “Off the ice hasn’t been bad because I have lived away from home for four years now, but transitioning to the pro game has been different.  There’s been highs and lows like when you get on a good scoring streak and then you might go 10 games without a goal which happened to me this year.  Since then I have started to manage the puck better.  In junior, you had more time and space to make plays which you don’t have in the pro’s.  I learned that the hard way with the Milwaukee Admirals when I had a few bad games and sat out.  That gave me a wake-up call and is when my season turned around.”

Leipsic has had an impressive rookie season, and was recognized by the League at the midway point of the year when it was announced he would be representing the Milwaukee Admirals at the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic.  “It was just a great experience. I didn’t expect to be named to the AHL All-Star game in my first year but it was an honor to be a part of it.” 

The All-Star game in Utica was also a chance to reunite with old teammates.  “I got to see Ty Rattie, Matt Dumba, and Derrick Pouliot.  The head coach of the Western Conference was Travis Green and he coached me in Portland.  It was a nice reunion and fun playing with my former linemate, Ty Rattie.”

Also at the All-Star game were current Marlies teammates Connor Brown and TJ Brennan who was a member of the Rockford IceHogs at the time.  These three players from three different teams would soon join forces to help the Toronto Marlies make a playoff push.

At the time of the trade between the Maple Leafs and Predators which landed Leipsic in Toronto, he was out for breakfast with his parents before a Sunday afternoon game.  “I got a call from our Assistant General Manager and didn’t think much of it at first.  Then he told me that I had been traded to the Leafs.  It was a pretty big shock as a first year pro because you don’t expect to get traded at the deadline.  I went to the rink, grabbed my stuff, got in my car and drove to Toronto that day.”

Since joining the Marlies, Leipsic has totaled 19 points in 27 games and has formed a dangerous scoring line with Connor Brown and Ryan Rupert.  “We aren’t the biggest guys but we use our speed to our advantage.  We also do a good job of supporting each other down low in the offensive zone.  I definitely enjoy playing with those guys and we have a lot of fun as buddies off the ice.” 

On the ice, Leipsic finished fourth in AHL rookie scoring while Brown finished first.  These two also share the experience of winning the CHL Top Scorer Award with Brown winning it in 2014, the year after Leipsic earned the honor.  Brown’s former Erie Otters teammate Dylan Strome won the same Award this year and some suggest he may join Brown and Leipsic in the Maple Leafs organization next season.

In addition to being named to the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic, Leipsic is one of the top 150 AHL players featured in this year’s AHL-PHPA Upper Deck trading card set.  “It’s pretty cool seeing yourself on a hockey card for the first time because as a kid you would always see other kids collecting them.  Being on an Upper Deck card in my first pro season is exciting and hopefully one day it will be an NHL card.”

Leipsic has been adapting to his new surroundings since coming over from Milwaukee.  “The market itself is the biggest difference.  Milwaukee is smaller while everything in Toronto is magnified with more coaches, trainers, and staff.  We are treated like NHL players.”

Although it has been an adjustment playing in a big city like Toronto, Leipsic is enjoying it.  “It’s been great.  I wasn’t in Toronto much before the trade but the downtown is pretty crazy.  There’s so much to do and most of the guys live downtown and have been showing me around.”

His teammates have also been helping him with the transition to the big city since the trade. “The leadership group is important and guys step up.  Guys like Troy Bodie and Frazer McLaren are both from the Winnipeg area and I didn’t know them well before coming here.  Frazer McLaren and I actually live 2 minutes away from each other in Winnipeg.  They made it easy to get comfortable with a new organization.”

The leadership groups in both Milwaukee and Toronto have also helped provide important information to young players such as Leipsic regarding the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA), the collective bargaining representative for all players in the AHL and ECHL.  “We had PHPA meetings at the beginning of the year and it was a good information session especially as a rookie.  I didn’t know much about that stuff.  It was interesting to learn about the PHPA and how they look out for us.”

Growing up in Winnipeg, Leipsic had the fortunate opportunity to learn from one of the most prolific scorers in the city’s history, Teemu Selanne.  “His wife and my mom met at a gym while he was playing for the Winnipeg Jets.  Our families are close and he was my favorite player growing up.  It’s definitely a cool relationship to have.”

The Marlies stormed into the playoffs with a 7-0 record to close out the regular season and finished in the 7^th spot in the Western Conference.  Leipsic will be making his AHL Calder Cup playoff debut on Saturday when the Marlies host the Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the rival Detroit Red Wings, for game 1 of the first round series.  “I’m really excited.  We had a strong second half of the year and snuck into the playoffs.  Grand Rapids plays a similar game as us but they are a little more run and gun.” 

Despite the Griffins being the higher seed in the series, Leipsic is optimistic about the Marlies chances.  “Once you get into the playoffs anything can happen.  Right now we are the underdogs and we are embracing it.  We can’t wait to get on the ice and see what happens.”

Wherever the Marlies end up, Leipsic is looking forward to being a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs future along with other young prospects on the Marlies roster.  “I was excited developing in Milwaukee for a chance to play with the Predators but then I got traded to Toronto.  They are looking to rebuild and get back in contention and I obviously want to be a part of it.  There are a lot of young prospects here competing for call-ups.  Everyone wants to play in the NHL but to get a chance to do it with Toronto is special.”

With the Maple Leafs in a rebuilding phase and Leipsic gaining valuable experience with the Marlies, look for him to be a key piece of the organization in the future.