Mac Hollowell

July 2023 – Hollowell has signed a 1 year, $775k two-way contract with the New York Rangers. Curtis Rines

June 2023 – It was a season filled with highs and lows for Hollowell. During the Maple Leafs injury crisis in the first half of the season, the Niagara Falls native was able to get six games of NHL action, picking up two assists along the way. However, Hollowell was only able to play 19 games with the Toronto Marlies all season due to a fractured knee cap in mid-January which kept him out until the end of April. Although his points-per-game saw an increase from 0.57 to 0.72, Hollowell did not score a single goal all season long. For a blueliner based around his offensive game, it is disappointing, to say the least. Hollowell is a pending restricted free agent, and with the departure of Kyle Dubas, who drafted him, all bets are off on whether or not the Maple Leafs decide to retain his services. Hollowell will be 25 years old by the time training camp starts, and at this point, he seems like a depth defender at the NHL level. Curtis Rines

November 2022 – At long last, Hollowell made his NHL debut in late November against the New Jersey Devils. With the Leafs’ blue line riddled with injuries, the 2018 fourth-rounder was called upon and his mobility stood out in a positive way on a depleted Leafs defensive unit. The Leafs also acquired Conor Timmins on the same day that Hollowell made his debut so his time in the NHL could be short-lived, but he has elevated himself to being a viable depth option for the big club. Nick Richard

May 2022 – Hollowell’s production rebounded a bit following a down year offensively in 2020-21 and he improved from 10 points in 27 contests to 26 points in 45 regular season games during the 2021-22 season. His time to break through and prove worthy of an NHL opportunity may be running out, however, as he is set to turn 24 before the 2022-23 campaign gets underway. The Leafs don’t really have a place for another undersized, offensively minded defender on their roster, and the organization now has younger prospects coming up behind him. Never say never, but it’s looking more and more like Hollowell is going to be a career minor leaguer. Nick Richard

April 2021 – Returned from his covid loan, Hollowell has spent the 2020-21 campaign in the AHL full-time where he belongs. He has been a mainstay on the 3rd pairing and remains one of the smoothest-skating members of the squad, often able to skate the puck out of trouble single-handedly. Unfortunately, this has not led to offense, evidenced by just 5 points in 21 contests. This is a problem because in his own end he isn’t particularly effective without the puck. He is not strong enough to protect the crease or overly discourage attackers and isn’t particularly effective along the boards. Physicality can be sacrificed if there is tangible production to justify it, but unless he can become a more consistent setup man he may not have the faith from his coaching staff that he will need to become fantasy-relevant. Hayden Soboleski

October 2020 – Hollowell has been loaned to Tuto of Mestis (the 2nd tier Finnish league). The quality of play here won’t be as high as other prospects are seeing in the KHL, SHL, or Liiga, but should allow the blueliner to play bigger minutes which is always beneficial. He saw lots of usage in the ECHL but less once he became more of an AHL regular, so hopefully this helps keep him fresh for a big role on the Marlies in 2021. Hayden Soboleski

July 2020 – After being on the initial Phase 3 return-to-play roster, then being removed once Nic Petan was deemed fit to play, Hollowell has returned to the roster again due to the “unfit to play” status of Timothy Liljegren. Time will tell if he lasts until games are being played or if he will once again be removed once his peer is deemed fit to play, but any time he spends with the pros will be a beneficial learning experience for the up and coming blueliner. His chances of seeing ice time should he remain on the roster are very slim. Hayden Soboleski

April 2020 – 2019-20 was a roller-coaster for Hollowell but the ride was worth it. With stints in both the ECHL and AHL, he never experienced true consistency but became visibly more comfortable by the end of the year with the Marlies. He can skate with the best of his peers and create offense better than most options on the blue-line, better than his stat line indicates (12 points in 34 AHL contests). He is a long-term project, but one with notable upside and already has lots of tools to work with. Expect more AHL time in 2020-21 and a bigger offensive role within the blueline corps. Hayden Soboleski

September 2019 – Toronto has reassigned Hollowell again, this time to the ECHL. It’s a dogfight for ice time at all levels of the organization, and playing in the ECHL will allow him to play huge minutes, albeit against a lower tier of competition. He is still extremely likely to see AHL minutes this season, and his fresh ELC signed this off-season reminds us he’s very much a part of the team’s plans moving forward. Hayden Soboleski

September 2019 – As expected, Hollowell has been assigned to the AHL Marlies to begin the 2019-20 season. He impressively got into nine playoff matches for the Marlies last spring immediately after graduating from junior, so expectations are high for the 21-year-old to be a regular piece for his squad. Let’s see if he can bring some of the offense that bolstered his stock last season to the pro ranks. Hayden Soboleski

March 2019 – Hollowell has been voted the best offensive defenceman and 2nd-best skater in his conference in the OHL Coaches Poll. Hayden Soboleski

March 2019 – After a dynamite season as oneof the OHL’s (and CHL’s) top defensemen, Hollowell has signed an ELC with the Maple Leafs. Already an over-ager, he will join the Marlies in 2019-20 (and hopefully bring his point-per-game and PIM-per-game rates with him). Hayden Soboleski

November 2018 – Hollowell has been named Defenceman of the Month for the OHL this October. Not a bad start for the over-ager who’s producing at the best pace of his career with 16 goals in 14 games. His shot pace has picked up from 2 SOG per game last season to around 3 now, while receiving more TOI. After showing well in training camp but not cracking the AHL log-jam, he will need to continue this development to earn a pot on the Marlies next year. Hayden Soboleski

June 2018 – The Leafs have selected Mac Hollowell with the 118th pick of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.

It’s hard to ignore the obvious – Hollowell is a small defenceman at only 5’9. We know the league is trending this direction so this isn’t a major deterrent from being a future NHLer, but he is more likely to have to go through a thorough development cycle to make everyone comfortable with his game. He may be a Marlie this year, but is more likely to return to the OHL before turning pro. Hayden Soboleski