The Toronto Maple Leafs have turned to a familiar name for help on the blue line, calling up former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Cole McWard from the Toronto Marlies, according to The Athletic’s James Mirtle.
The move comes after Morgan Rielly left Toronto’s Saturday game against the Montreal Canadiens early with a lower-body injury. McWard is now back in the NHL mix and will be hoping for a chance to crack the lineup, though there’s no guarantee he’ll get into a game.
This isn’t McWard’s first look with the Maple Leafs this season. He was already recalled once earlier in the year, but he still hasn’t appeared in a game for Toronto. In seven AHL games with the Marlies, he has four assists and a plus-3 rating.
McWard’s path to this opportunity started in Vancouver. He signed a two-year entry-level deal with the Canucks in April of the 2022-23 season after wrapping up a two-year college career at Ohio State University, where he put up 13 goals and 37 points in 75 games.
His time with the Canucks never quite turned into a full-time NHL role. Over two seasons with Vancouver from 2022-23 through 2023-24, McWard played in six games and finished with one goal, five hits, six blocks, and a plus-1 rating.
Most of his work came in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks. Across 124 games over two seasons there, he posted 10 goals, 33 assists, and 43 points. He also helped Abbotsford win the Calder Cup during the 2024-25 season.
McWard’s run with Vancouver ended in the 2025 NHL offseason, when he signed a one-year contract with the New York Islanders in free agency.
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