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The first summer as Toronto Maple Leafs GM has been a busy one for Kyle Dubas, as he continues to reshuffle, promote and add to the organization following the departure of Lou Lamoriello and Mark Hunter and their loyalists.
Senior advisors Jacques Lemaire and Jacques Caron, scouts Evgeny Namestnikov, Tommy Albelin and Nikolai Ladygin left the organization, Marlies goaltending coach Piero Greco took a similar position with the New York Islanders and scout Lindsay Hofford joined the Arizona Coyotes as an Assistant GM.
Dave Morrison was promoted to Director of Player Personnel, John Lilley took over his former position as Director of Amateur Scouting, Troy Bodie to Director of Pro Scouting, Wes Clark to Assistant Director of Player Personnel, Tim Speltz to Head Amateur Scout, Jim Paliafito to Senior Director of Player Evaluation and Chris Roque, Grigory Shafigulin, Scott Bell and Olegs Koreskovs were hired as amateur scouts.
On Thursday, the club announced the promotion of Scott Pellerin and Stephane Robidas to Senior Director of Player Development and Director of Player Development respectively, hired five-time Olympic medalist Hayley Wickenheiser as Assistant Director of Player Development and added Noelle Needham and Victor Carneiro as amateur scouts.
Pellerin has been with the Leafs Player Development Department for nearly four years after a 12-year NHL career with seven teams and Robidas joined the organization after retiring from the league in 2017.
Wickenheiser, 40, the all-time leading scorer in the Olympics’ women’s hockey joined the Maple Leafs as a guest coach at their Development Camp at the request of Dubas and was hired to provide guidance and input to the club’s young prospects. "What the Leafs are doing is forward thinking.… Wickenheiser said to Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun. “I’ve been around the NHL 20 years, I've trained with best in the game. I'm confident I can help (young Leafs) get better or tell them what it takes."
Needham played collegiate hockey at Minnesota State University, Mankato from 2004-07, six years at Shattuck-St. Mary’s Prep School and the last nine years running youth hockey clubs in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and will scout the Midwest United States region for the Leafs. Carneiro was a scout and Director of Player Personnel for the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds under Dubas and will serve as a scout in the province of Ontario for the Leafs.
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