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The Leafs are calling up the kids, including William Nylander

William Nylander

William Nylander

Toronto Star via Getty Images

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that they’ve recalled forwards William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, Nikita Soshnikov, Zach Hyman, and Ben Smith from AHL Toronto.

Nylander, 19, was the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft. He’s second in scoring on the Marlies with 18 goals and 27 assists in 37 games. TSN’s Craig Button recently called Nylander the top NHL-affiliated prospect in the league.

So there’s understandable excitement in Toronto that Nylander could make his NHL debut tonight versus the Lightning.

Kapenen, 19, came to Toronto as part of the Phil Kessel trade with Pittsburgh. The 22nd overall pick in 2014 has eight goals and 14 assists in 32 AHL games this season.

Soshnikov, 22, was signed as a free agent out of the KHL in March. He has 18 goals and 10 assists in 50 games for the Marlies this season.

Hyman, 23, was another free-agent signing. The former University of Michigan star has 13 goals and 20 assists in 50 games for the Marlies.

Smith, 27, came to the Leafs from San Jose in the James Reimer trade.

As of this writing, all five players remain on the Marlies roster. They’ll need to stay on it until 3 p.m. ET today in order to maintain their eligibility for the Calder Cup playoffs.

The Leafs also announced today that they’ve loaned forwards Mark Arcobello, Brendan Leipsic and Josh Leivo to the Marlies.