Max Ellis and Graham Slaggert gave all they could to Notre Dame. Now, it’s time for them to move on and begin their professional careers. As luck would have it, they both remain teammates with the Toronto Marlies, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ AHL affiliate. As further luck would have it, they made their pro debuts on the same day. The Marlies made sure to document the moment on social media:
AHL Debut ready 👀 #MarliesLive pic.twitter.com/3OQjfyCn6d
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) April 10, 2022
Neither player, nor fellow former Irish teammate Alex Steeves factored into the Marlies’ 4-1 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins. However, Ellis had a few scoring chances that were worth documenting:
Max Ellis getting his first chance early on in the game for the #Marlies. pic.twitter.com/HnXFzC022d
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) April 10, 2022
Max Ellis comes close to scoring his first AHL goal just as the #Marlies power play comes to an end. pic.twitter.com/15WQthvhmD
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) April 10, 2022
Slaggert played in a role in setting up another chance:
Graham Slaggert beats out the icing and it eventually comes to Max Ellis for a scoring chance, but he cannot beat Victor Brattstrom. Ellis has had a few good chances in this game.#Marlies lead 3-1 with 5:43 left in the third period. pic.twitter.com/TNoT36ir4u
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) April 10, 2022
All three former Notre Dame players will hope to contribute as the Marlies continue their push for the Calder Cup playoffs. With Steeves having been around the entire season except for three games with the Maple Leafs, he is sure to show his former-turned-current teammates the ropes. It should be fun for all of them.