Miroslav Holinka was poised to be a top-six staple in the Marlies lineup but he was nowhere to be found as they took the ice for their first game of the season.
The Toronto Marlies kicked off their 2026-27 season on Friday with a 3-1 loss to the Rochester Americans. Much like their NHL affiliate, there are a lot of new names who are trying to get acclimated with each other, and it's going to take time before everyone starts to gel.
The lineup they put out last night was a pretty solid group that had your mainstays like Logan Shaw and Vinni Lettieri as well as newcomers like Henrik Rybinski (who scored the lone goal) and Brendan Brisson.
Miroslav Holinka doesn't earn a spot in the Marlies season opener
But there was one name who was absent that took a few people by surprise:
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Maple Leafs prospect Miroslav Holinka was not seen in the lineup at all and there is currently no word if there's anything holding him back or whether this was just a way to get other people into the lineup early on. To note, Steven Lorentz was also not in the lineup after being assigned a week ago.
Holinka, 21, appeared in one game for the Marlies last season and had one goal, but was coming off a stellar 80-point season with the Edmonton Oil Kings where he had 37 goals. He also managed to win a Calder Cup despite not appearing in any playoff contests in 2025-26.
Drafted 151st overall in 2024, Holinka had emerged as a top forward prospect who was expected to make a big leap this year along with others like Ben Danford and Landon Sim.
Will Holinka end up playing for the Marlies?
Yes, even if he didn't appear - but it won't exactly be easy. Holinka will get his time with the team but there are also other names fighting for more playing time. If he does get into the lineup then he will need to prove he deserves to stay.
He can't just be an offensive stud either, and has to use his size to his advantage. He's 6-foot-2 and nearly 200 pounds, and has a much bigger wingspan than you'd expect. He can stretch for poke checks, he hits hard, and an above-average two-way game will earn him more time than just a hot offensive stretch.
There's still more than enough time for Holinka to get into games, and perhaps the Marlies could have used his talents against Rochester. But for now, we don't know why he was MIA and all we can hope there's nothing that's really holding him back - it was just business.
Do you think Miroslav Holinka ends up earning a spot with the Maple Leafs?
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