By Spencer Lazary,The Hockey Writers

Copyright yardbarker

Next, the blue line. There are 23 defensemen taking part in this year’s camp. Obviously, there is only room for six or seven on the team. I’d expect the Maple Leafs will carry seven defenders to start the season, which means there will be a close eye on names like Matt Benning, Philippe Myers, and Henry Thrun, who all could battle for that seventh defenseman role.

Below are all 23 defensemen that were invited to camp:

Simon Benoit, Matt Benning, Brandon Carlo, Noah Chadwick, Owen Conrad, Ben Danford, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Rylan Fellinger, Nathan Mayes, Jake McCabe, Ryan McCleary, Dakota Mermis, Philippe Myers, Rhett Parsons, John Prokop, Morgan Rielly, Marshall Rifai, Chas Sharpe, Blake Smith, Chris Tanev, Henry Thrun, William Villeneuve, Cade Webber

Goaltenders

Lastly, the goalies. There are six goalies invited to camp and while that’s great to see, the goalie department is already locked in with both Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz competing in a tandem much like last season. However, both Woll and Stolarz have struggled with injuries in the past, which is why a team would invite six goalies to camp. It gives other goalies a chance to potentially win that third-string role and be the first call-up if an injury occurs.

Below are all six goalies that were invited to camp:

Ken Appleby, Artur Akhtyamov, Dennis Hildeby, Vyacheslav Peksa, Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll

Maple Leafs Hockey is Back

Maple Leafs hockey is certainly back. Training camp is open, and players will take part in their first on-ice session tomorrow. Their first pre-season game is on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 3:00 p.m. against the Ottawa Senators. Things get going quickly from today on out. Hockey is back, so make sure you keep it locked here at The Hockey Writers for all your hockey needs.