Marlies Win Calder Cup
Toronto Marlies Secure Calder Cup Victory, Defeating Chicago Wolves 4-3 in Game 5
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The Toronto Marlies are Calder Cup champions for the second time in franchise history. They beat the Chicago Wolves 4-3 in Game 5 on Friday night at a sold-out Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, closing out the series 4-1, according to AP News.
Vinni Lettieri scored the Cup-winning goal on a second-period power play to put Toronto ahead for good. The Marlies last won the AHL title in 2018. This time, they did it in front of 8,682 fans who packed the building to see history, Beaumont Enterprise reported.
A Wild Game 5 Decided in the Second Period
Chicago struck first. Felix Unger Sorum scored at the 8:00 mark of the first period, and Josiah Slavin made it 2-0 with just 2:11 left in the frame. It looked bleak for Toronto. Then Landon Sim cut it to 2-1 with 28 seconds left in the period to give the Marlies life, according to Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
The second period was a turning point. Benoit-Olivier Groulx tied it 2-2 on a power play. Jacob Quillan then gave Toronto the lead at 3-2. Lettieri's power-play goal made it 4-2 with 3:11 left in the period. Unger Sorum scored his second goal with six seconds left to make it 4-3. The third period was scoreless, and Toronto held on to win the Cup.
Lettieri and Akhtyamov Lead the Playoff Charge
Lettieri was the best player in the entire playoffs. He finished with 26 points — 11 goals and 15 assists — in 23 games. That is a Marlies single-postseason record. Goalie Artur Akhtyamov won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP. The 24-year-old Russian went 15-7 with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage in 22 appearances.
Akhtyamov recorded a shutout in Game 3, stopping all 24 shots he faced. After the final horn Friday, he said, "I love our fans. It was so noisy tonight... especially in these playoffs." Young forward Easton Cowan added three assists in Game 5 alone and totaled 18 points in the run. Analysts at The Hockey News now view Cowan as a lock for the Maple Leafs' roster next season.
An Unlikely Champion Built on Youth and Grit
The Marlies were not supposed to be here. Toronto finished the regular season with a .569 points percentage — a 36-26-5-5 record. That is the lowest winning percentage for an AHL champion since the 2002 Chicago Wolves at .538, according to WRAL. Head coach John Gruden led the team from a fifth-place regular-season finish all the way to a title.
Gruden said the win is "validation of how far they've come," adding that "this team developed into a champion." Toronto also became only the third team in AHL history to win five playoff series in a single year. The championship rally is set for June 22 at noon at Real Sports Bar and Grill in Toronto.
What the Title Means for the Maple Leafs' Future
The Marlies are the top farm team of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs. This championship sends a clear message about where the organization is headed. GM John Chayka's youth-focused rebuild now has hardware to show for it. During the Finals, the Leafs traded starting goalie Joseph Woll to Philadelphia, making Akhtyamov's performance even more important to the parent club's future.
Beyond Akhtyamov, both Cowan and Sim are now in the mix for Maple Leafs roster spots in 2026-27. Local Toronto businesses near Coca-Cola Coliseum reported record gains during the sold-out playoff run. For a city that has not seen its NHL team win a Cup since 1967, the Marlies gave Toronto something it has been starved for — a championship.
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