Maple Leafs sign Hobey Baker-winning netminder Dryden McKay
The Toronto Maple Leafs have added another netminder to the prospect pool.
Hobey Baker winner Dryden McKay, who starred in Mankato for four seasons at Minnesota State, has signed a two-year free-agent contract with the Toronto Marlies. He's expected to compete for major minutes, and opportunity, next season with the Leafs' American Hockey League affiliate.
McKay is a notable name for reasons beyond his impressive collegiate career. The 24-year-old senior was recently punished — and sanctioned for six months — for testing positive for a banned substance. McKay claims that trace amounts Ostarine, an anabolic agent which has been used historically to boost fitness and stamina levels, entered his system mistakenly through a contaminated supplement advertised as "all natural" with the intention to help boost his immune system.
He detailed the matter at hand in full via Twitter:
— Dryden McKay (@drydenmckay) April 18, 2022
USADA did determine the supplement in question, Quercetin, did not have Ostarine on the label, but did levy a sanction anyway. McKay recently accepted the six-month ineligibility ban, but will be available to the Marlies as soon as Aug. 25 for workouts and training camp sessions.
The undrafted McKay became just the third goaltender in history to win the Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the best player in NCAA Division 1 hockey. He set a record for wins in a season, carrying a 38-5-2 record with a 1.31 goals-against average and .931 save percentage through his final season. The Mavericks lost in the final of the Frozen Four.
McKay will join Joseph Woll, Erik Kallgren and Ian Scott in the Leafs' goaltending pipeline. Woll, Kallgren and journeyman Michael Hutchinson have spent time with the big club this season.
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