When they were picked by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL Draft last week, many of the team’s new young prospects probably imagined the bright lights of Scotiabank Arena and the fame and fortune that could come with the life of a professional hockey player.
But the Maple Leafs appear to be trying out an interesting tactic to teach their youngsters some new tricks.
This week, the team welcomed 48 prospects to their annual development event, taking place in and around Toronto.
And while most of their work was done either on the ice or in the gym, the team also decided to enlist a horse trainer to do one of their exercises.
Yeeeehaw 🤠
Fun morning at the stables with Hanleys Horses and world class trainer Jeff Davis from Downunder Horsemanship 🐴 pic.twitter.com/jf5NzLaZHd
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 4, 2025
“We brought in a world-class horse trainer to spend a couple of hours. Actually, we brought in a wild colt, a wild horse, to talk about how you manage emotions and how you go through handling pressure in tricky situations,” Leafs front office member and three-time Olympic gold medallist Hayley Wickenheiser said, as per The Hockey News’ David Alter. “[We’re] actually using a horse. So it’s going to be interesting.”
The tactic definitely raised some eyebrows when it was first introduced to the world, though Wickenheiser clarified that the Leafs prospects were not actually riding the horse, just doing exercises related to it.
“We all think it’s a good idea, but I’ll let you know tomorrow if it works or not,” Wickenheiser joked.
What else has happened at Leafs development camp?
It’s been quite the week for the Leafs prospects with unusual headlines.
Earlier this week, Leafs prospects Rhett Parsons and Matthew Hlacar decided to have a little scrap, getting into a fight during an on-ice scrimmage after being tied up in a battle for the puck.
With Friday being the final day of camp, we can only wonder what’s next for the team.