How Leafs and Senators rookies struggled in first penalty-filled game

Leafs rookies will face Jets rookies on Sunday

Published Sep 12, 2026  •  Last updated 12 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Luke Haymes is part of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Photo by Bruce Bennett /Getty Images

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Congested NHL rookie tournaments are even less conducive for special teams work than forgettable September exhibitions for veterans.

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With only a practice or two under their belts, the top prospects of the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators flailed away on the power play all Saturday evening in Gatineau, Que., with eight Toronto chances coming up empty. Ottawa did manage one on six tries, but gave up a go-ahead goal, short-handed, to Borya Valis, before it rallied in the third to set up Jaxon Cover, 4-3, with 2:11 to go in overtime.

Luke Haymes, with four NHL games for the Leafs last year, tapped in Blake Smith’s pinball rebound before Valis’s breakaway. After two huge playoff assists in the AHL Marlies’ Calder Cup run in June, the goal was a good omen for the 22-year-old right winger. But Kasper Halttunen’s second point of game, a beautiful pass to Eskild Bakke-Olsen, answered Valis, while London Knights grad Cover thieved a puck to win it.

There were many Leaf sweaters in the stands at the Slush Puppy Centre, some no doubt thinking ahead they would witness the unofficial debut of NHL first overall pick Gavin McKenna. But the Leafs revealed after Friday’s practice that the left winger wouldn’t be risked Saturday, or Sunday versus Winnipeg, with Toronto’s main camp about to begin.

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So, the large management contingent, including associate coach Daniel Alfredsson in his first visit to his old homestead, could grade a few other forwards, such as Norwegian national Tinus Luc-Koblar, Haymes and Miroslav Holinka.

They also checked out the highly regarded home-grown defensive pairing of Ben Danford and Noah Chadwick, joined by 2026 second round OHLer Alexander Bilecki. Another former Knight, free agent Sawyer Boulton, opened the scoring.

Goalie Jackson Parsons, who recorded his first AHL shutout against the Marlies for Belleville last season, stared down all those Toronto power plays, a few curtailed by Leaf infractions.

Ottawa coach Andrew Campbell, the one-time Marlies captain, was glad to see Finnish winger Halttunen fire one past Toronto netminder Timofei Obvintsev on a first-period advantage, a penalty he had also drawn.

“He can shoot it,” praised Campbell to Ottawa media earlier in the week of the second-round pick of San Jose from 2023. “He has that innate, raw ability to put the puck in. I’m excited to see him this weekend.”

Obintsev made some nice stops through overtime, though Landen Hookey beat him from distance in the second period. The Leafs have 2026 Latvian draft pick Patrik Plumins on the trip to start Sunday afternoon’s game against the Jets.

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