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Goaltending demotion announced in Toronto

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Evan Doerfler
December 16, 2022 (1:12 PM)

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What was once a major problem in Toronto, the goaltending depth is actually fairly strong in Toronto at the moment and, unfortunately, there's not a ton of room for everyone to play at the AHL and NHL levels. As a result, it was announced today that the Toronto Marlies would assign goaltender Keith Petruzzelli to the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers. On numerous occasions, Petruzzelli has been recalled to the AHL affiliate Marlies and is slotted into the goalie rotation of Erik Kallgren, Joseph Woll, and Dylan Ferguson.

Petruzzelli has been assigned back to the Growlers after a short stint with the Marlies to kick off the season. This season, Petruzzelli has played 12 games for the Marlies with an 8-4-0 record and .901 SV%, which was enough to earn his entry-level contract with the Leafs back on November 6th.

The 23-year-old was drafted by the Red Wings originally in 2017, but was picked up by the Leafs on an AHL deal with the Marlies. Although he has yet crack the Leafs lineup in a starting role, slotting in only as a backup, he has potential to play for the Leafs down the line. Petruzzelli has solidified himself as one of the most anticipated Leafs prospects to keep an eye out for and could be an NHL goalie in the making, listed at 6'5.

With his hot start to the season, Petruzzelli has been fighting to the top of the goaltender chain. Unfortunately, as he is still in the early developmental stages of his career, Petruzzelli has yet again been assigned to the Growlers to continue building his game at the professional level.

As he makes the move back to Newfoundland, Petruzzelli will look to continue the success he found last year with the club. In his first campaign with the Growlers, he finished with a 16-6-1 record and a 0.927 SV% in 23 appearances. Due to his success, Petruzzelli earned a spot on the ECHL rookie team in the 2021-22 season.

Credit: hockeydb.com

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DECEMBRE 16 \| 712 ANSWERS Goaltending demotion announced in Toronto Will Petruzzelli be back up with the Marlies before the end of the season?
Yes	581	81.6 %
No	131	18.4 %
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