From mascot to Maple Leaf goaltender: Dennis Hildeby’s improbable journey to the NHL

The journey to the NHL has been a swift one for Dennis Hildeby. After spending his early years in Timrå, he moved to Färjestad where he slipped into the lineup of the pro team fortuitously. Now, he has been one of the top goalies in the AHL and has been called up by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“I almost had a feeling it would come to this. I still follow Toronto out of habit since I’ve been there myself. I’ve kept an eye on him doing well and noticed they’ve had goalie problems. I thought, ‘What if he gets the chance,’ and now it has come,” says Färjestad’s Sports Director Rickard Wallin, who spent the 2009-10 season with the Leafs.

While seeing Dennis Hildeby on the NHL bench Tuesday night is hard to grasp, the 22-year-old from Järfälla recently took the SHL by storm, emerging seemingly out of nowhere. He became the mascot who won a Swedish Championship with Färjestad in 2022.

“He had a tough time during his junior years with surgeries and team changes. Just six months before joining our pro team, he was Ture Varg (Färjestad’s mascot) at my son’s hockey school in the summer as a side job. Things move fast. He’s so likable that everyone who’s worked with him feels something special. I get similar vibes from the comments I read from overseas. It’s going to be incredibly exciting to follow,” says Wallin.

Hildeby’s lucky break partially came due to a COVID outbreak. Wallin explains that he was forced to decide to call up the goalie, who was then playing with the J20 team.

“We’ll see if he gets to play or not, but regardless, it’s been incredibly fast in these two years since I had to decide to promote Dennis to Färjestad’s A-team when Henrik Haukeland wanted to leave. We had no alternative but Dennis, who was doing well in the junior team. It was a tough decision then, but it turned out very well, and he’s earned every level he’s reached,” Wallin says about his former goalie’s rapid journey. “Though it’s been quick, in a way, it hasn’t. He’s proven ready for every opportunity, from Färjestad to Marlies, and now Toronto. It’s great to see that hard work pays off.”

The hard work has indeed paid off. Since his SHL debut against Växjö in January 2022, the trajectory has been upward.

“Dominik Furch had more or less edged out Henrik Haukeland, and then Dennis got his chance. Furch got COVID, and we faced Växjö away. He let in a ‘wrap-around’ on the first shot, I think, but then he was great, even though we lost. It was in the midst of the Coronavirus crisis. All the starts he got after that, he had the chance to win. Notably, in (head coach) Tomas Mitell’s first game, Dennis kept a clean sheet against Frölunda at home,” Wallin recounts.

After seven appearances and a .931 save percentage, Hildeby stepped aside. In the playoffs, Färjestad relied on Furch’s experience to win the championship title. One thing led to another, and in the summer, he was selected as an overage player by Wallin’s former club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the fourth round of the NHL draft. After a loan back to Färjestad and impressive play last season, he moved to North America and has started great with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL. 

“The peaks were high, and he and Matt Tomkins were quite even last season. Statistically, we had the best-combined goalie performance in the SHL last season. It’s been a long time since Färjestad had that. Dennis played a big part in it, a combination of an experienced and a young, hungry goalie,” says Wallin. “It turns out you need to get the right conditions and find those you can develop with the right mentality. ‘Masken’ (the goalie coach, Maciej Szwoch) has done very well with Dennis – and (Vegas prospect) Carl Lindbom this year. It’s great that Dennis is reaping the rewards.”

Did you think this rapid journey was possible?

“When we brought him up, we felt he was too good for the U20 league. The signal we got from our junior coaches was ‘Take him, give him the chance.’ ‘Masken,’ who follows our goalies, was confident in that decision, which made me feel ‘of course, we should do this,'” says Wallin.

To reach the top, Hildeby’s work on his fitness has been especially important, Wallin believes.

“Dennis showed from the first training that he belonged there. He has worked hard to adapt his body to handle professional life. In these two years, he’s trimmed several pounds off his body so he could play that game more often. Then he has one more step, I think, both physically and in terms of experience.”

“He works with our mental coach here and has done so in a way that allows him to handle himself much better. He does everything right and has a big heart, making teammates love him wherever he is. A team needs to help their goalie and vice versa, so that’s good.”

Is this why he’s been able to take these steps so quickly?

“Yes, I think so. Identifying, ‘What do I need to do to play senior hockey?’ He was the first to the gym every day after joining and put in a tremendous effort. I wouldn’t say he was overweight, but he was a bit too heavy with his large body to endure games at that senior-level pace.”

“It’s one and two steps more to play in North America and the NHL. He needs to continue that journey and trimming, but he’s good at taking feedback on what he needs to do. That’s exactly what’s made him such a good goalie as we hoped. Where his ceiling is will be really exciting to follow because it seems high.”

Now the chance has come. Ilya Samsonov’s inconsistent play for Toronto opened a spot, and Dennis Hildeby was called up from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

“It’s a proud moment. I’m very happy. I’ve done something right to deserve this,” the Swede told Sportsnet.

Wallin believes Dennis has benefited from this long journey and again highlights the person behind the mask as key.

“I know he’s a very humble guy. He takes nothing for granted. It shows how narrow the margins can be. It’s about being skilled, putting in the work, but also getting the chance and someone believing in you at the right moment. He got that with ‘Masken’ and the team around Färjestad’s juniors at the right stage in his career.

“What will be interesting to follow now is how he handles the expectations on that stage. I know from personal experience that you never get scrutinized as much as in the Toronto Maple Leafs. I’m quite sure he’s the kind of guy who knows what he needs to do and will make sure to do it. It’s going to be incredibly exciting to follow, we’re very proud of him.”

Is he ready for the NHL now?

“It was the same as when he stepped up to the SHL, so he has that experience too if you want to draw a parallel. Then, it’s rare you get the perfect way into the NHL, getting the chance exactly when you’re ready. It’s about trying to take it when you get the chance. I don’t think he’s the type to analyze why, when, and how he’s ready. He’ll go in and do everything he can in training and matches. That’s probably what they appreciate about him over there. He just goes for it,” Rickard Wallin concludes.

This story appeared on hockeysverige.se this week and has been translated from Swedish to English.