The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Mark Leach as their new director of amateur scouting, the team confirmed Thursday.
Leach joins the Maple Leafs having previously served with the Dallas Stars for the past 11 seasons in the amateur scouting department, alongside Stars general manager Jim Nill and director of amateur scouting Joe McDonnell. Nill was a particularly strong advocate of Leach, serving as the director of player development for the Red Wings from 1994-1998, graduating to assistant general manager before joining the Stars.
Wes Clark, the Maple Leafs’ previous director of amateur scouting, joined the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 9, in a role where he’ll report directly to Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas. Clark was responsible for the Maple Leafs’ selection of Easton Cowan during the 2023 NHL Draft and announced the team’s selection of Ben Danford in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
The 62-year-old is a veteran of the scouting world, hired by the Detroit Red Wings in 1994, spending 20 seasons with the organization as an amateur scout, becoming a key part of the dynastic years in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Leach won four Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008 with the Red Wings and is now tasked with overseeing the Maple Leafs’ prospects and development for the foreseeable future.
This is another step in Brad Treliving’s restructuring of the front office and now Treliving, Brendan Shanahan, Craig Berube and Leach will be inextricably linked to each other during a critical juncture in the Maple Leafs’ timeline. It’ll be compelling to see how Leach views Cowan and Fraser Minten, who are expected to compete for NHL roster spots in the fall, while overseeing the Maple Leafs’ developmental pool as the team forges ahead in win-now mode.
Leach also has previous coaching experience at the NCAA level, serving as an assistant coach for Michigan Tech from 1990-92.
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