The Toronto Marlies added three forwards on Friday, with the team’s PR account laying out the latest batch of depth signings.
Matt Copponi arrives after splitting the 2025-26 season between Bakersfield and Fort Wayne in the ECHL. He played 40 games with the Komets and finished with 29 points, including 10 goals and 19 assists. Copponi also produced in the postseason, putting up 10 points - six goals and four assists - in 17 playoff games for Fort Wayne.
Ross Mitton comes in after a season with Worcester in the ECHL, where he posted 15 points on seven goals and eight assists across 49 games. Before that, he made his professional debut late in the 2024-25 season, skating in one game for the Bridgeport Islanders and scoring once.
Sawyer Boulton also joins the group after appearing in 34 games with Lehigh Valley since turning pro in 2024-25. He finished that stretch with two points, one goal and one assist. Boulton was part of the Memorial Cup-winning London Knights with Easton Cowan, and he played all 16 games of the OHL playoffs, recording 15 PIM and one point.
The Marlies’ weekend additions came as more contract news circulated elsewhere in the hockey world. Timofei Obvintsev, a 2024 NHL Draft fifth-round pick at No. 157, signed a one-year contract with the Toronto LeafsForever organization, according to his agent Dan Milstein.
Separately, PuckPedia reported that the Senators signed 23-year-old forward Tyler Boucher to a one-year, two-way contract worth $850K in the NHL and $90K in the minors. Boucher had 26 points in 46 AHL games.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Still Have 3 Free Agent Decisions To Make
Even after a busy stretch of signings, the Maple Leafs still have a few free-agent possibilities left on the board if they want to keep tinkering with the roster. The names being floated are familiar in different ways: Eeli Tolvanen as a scoring winger with some upside, Michael Bunting as a former Leaf who did some of his best work in Toronto, and Nick Blankenburg as a right-shot defense option who could come cheaply and fill a depth role.
Tolvanens appeal is obvious if the Leafs are still looking for another forward who can push into the top six, while Bunting would give them another middle-six winger with a track record in this market. Blankenburg is the quieter fit, but the kind of low-cost defenseman teams often circle back to late in the process, which is why Torontos remaining decisions feel less about headline moves now and more about whether there is still one more useful piece to add. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Just Made Quiet Changes Fans Have Been Waiting On
With the NHL arbitration calendar now wrapped up without a single hearing, the attention around the league has started to shift from contract disputes to the quieter roster-building work happening behind the scenes. Torontos latest move falls into that category, with the organization making official changes to its Marlies hockey operations and coaching staff as it continues to shape the support system around the big club.
Chris Bourque has been named assistant GM to Ryan Hardy, while Jeremiah Crowe joins as director of player personnel. The Marlies bench is also getting new faces, with Denver Manderson and Greg Moore added as assistant coaches for Steve Sullivan and Mark Giordano, a set of moves that suggests the Leafs are still fine-tuning the pipeline even as the offseasons louder headlines play out elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Defensive Logjam Could Force Another Painful Roster Decision
Torontos defense picture has changed again this summer, and the additions of Emil Andrae and Darren Raddysh, along with Troy Stechers return and Simon Benoits departure, have left the Maple Leafs with more bodies than clear openings. That kind of depth can be useful in camp, but it also means someone on the fringe is going to feel the squeeze as the team tries to sort out its blue line and make room for younger options.
Philippe Myers is the name most likely to be caught in the middle of that logjam after a difficult season following his 2024 free-agent signing. Toronto still has to decide how it wants to handle the roster and cap space issue, and the path forward could affect whether prospects such as William Villeneuve and Ben Danford get a real chance to push for jobs. If Myers stays put, the Leafs may have to find another way to trim the group. [Read more 🡒]