Toronto Marlies win AHL’s Calder Cup for second time

One of the most surprising runs in American Hockey League history has been completed.

Thanks to a 4-3 win over the Chicago Wolves in Game 5 of the Calder Cup Final, the Toronto Marlies clinched the franchise’s second AHL championship, taking home the trophy for the first time in eight years.

The Marlies, filled with several prospects of the Toronto Maple Leafs, took care of business against the Carolina Hurricanes‘ primary affiliate. Despite missing out on a chance to sweep the Wolves, Toronto rode the energy from the home crowd at the Coca-Cola Coliseum on Friday night. Chicago jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Marlies reeled off four unanswered goals, two of which came on the power play. Even with the Wolves trying to push in the final stanza to tie the game, Marlies goaltender Artur Akhtyamov shut the door, helping his team win its first title since 2018 – when future NHLers Andreas Johnsson, Justin Holl, Trevor Moore and Carl Grundstrom were wearing the blue and white.

It wasn’t an easy path to the Cup for the Marlies. The team finished fourth in the North Division, meaning they had to play in the best-of-three first round, where Toronto needed to go the distance against the Rochester Americans. Then, in the division semifinals, the Marlies went the full five games against the rival Laval Rocket, before coming back from 2-1 down to beat the Cleveland Monsters in the North Division Final. The Marlies ended up winning 10 of their final 13 games in the postseason, eliminating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in six games to win the Eastern Conference, before beating the Wolves in five.

Akhtyamov was truly the backbone of the Marlies down the stretch. While Dennis Hildeby was getting time with the big club for parts of the 2025-26 season, the Russian netminder became the team’s No. 1 goaltender, especially in the playoffs. Along with making 27 saves in Game 5, he went 14-7 in 22 games in the playoffs, posting a 2.22 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage and two shutouts. He was awarded the Jack Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. With Abbotsford Canucks goaltender Arturs Silovs winning it last year, it marks the third in the past four years that a goaltender has been named the AHL’s postseason MVP.

Forward Vinni Lettieri scored what ended up being the game-winning goal in the second period. The 31-year-old ended up leading all skaters with 11 goals and 26 points. Leafs defensive prospect William Villeneuve posted a pair of helpers on Friday, giving him a playoff-leading 27 helpers this spring. Easton Cowan, who played a good chunk of the year with the Leafs, finished tied for third in playoff scoring with 18 points, including three assists in the clinching victory.