Marlies Raise Calder Cup Banner at Home Opener
Toronto marked its 2026-27 home opener 106 days after clinching the franchise's second Calder Cup, with most of the championship group still in the room.
The Toronto Marlies hung their Calder Cup banner today, 106 days after a 4-3 win in Game 5 of the Finals at Coca-Cola Coliseum gave the franchise its second title.
Today was the 2026-27 home opener. The Marlies had already gotten their season debut out of the way Friday on the road in Rochester.
The championship team was a slow burner. Its 36-26-5-5 regular-season record was good for a .569 points percentage, the lowest for a Calder Cup champion since 2002. Then came five playoff rounds, including winner-take-all victories over Rochester, Laval and Cleveland, before wins over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the Eastern Conference Final and Chicago in the Finals.
The roster looks largely intact. Easton Cowan and Bo Groulx, both big playoff contributors, opened the season with the Maple Leafs. Henry Thrun went to the Manitoba Moose and Alex Nylander to the Calgary Wranglers. Toronto added free agents including defenceman Cole McWard and forward Brendan Brisson, both AHL All-Stars last season, along with goaltender Samuel Hlavaj and forward Henrik Rybinski.
Fifteen of the 20 players who dressed Friday in Rochester were with the Marlies last season. Vinni Lettieri is back on a new two-year deal after his 26 points led the playoffs. Captain Logan Shaw has an extension through 2027-28. Artur Akhtyamov, the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy winner as playoff MVP, is back in goal.
The bench is new. Steve Sullivan takes over as head coach after John Gruden moved up to the Leafs as an assistant. Mark Giordano is an assistant coach.
The schedule will test them early. Four of Toronto's first five games are on the road, with a six-game trip in November and a seven-game trip in January.
