On the heels of the Newfoundland Growlers opening their inaugural season this month, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the team will open its 2019-20 training camp in St. John's and also host a pre-season game at Mile One Centre.

The team will start camp with three days of on-ice training in St. John's on Friday, September 13, 2019, and will then open its eight-game pre-season schedule with a match up against the Ottawa Senators at Mile One Centre on Tuesday, September 17 (7 p.m. start time). The location of the on-ice training sessions will be confirmed at a later date.

"As we're continually looking to provide memorable experiences for both our fans and players alike, we're pleased to bring next season's training camp to St. John's, Newfoundland - a city and province which has historically meant a lot to the Maple Leafs," said Maple Leafs President & Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan. "We've been very fortunate to host successful camps over the past number of seasons in Niagara Falls and Halifax. It gives our players a chance to connect directly with more of our fans and also reconnect with each other. St. John's has passionate hockey fans and the Maple Leafs couldn't be happier than to be coming back."

In addition to the pre-season game, fans will have an opportunity to engage in training camp as the team hosts practices and scrimmages, outdoor activations, and a Toronto Maple Leafs Alumni Game. Full details on the team's schedule and pre-season game ticket information will be shared at a later date.

The Growlers were introduced as the Maple Leafs' ECHL affiliate in June of 2018. In addition to the Maple Leafs, they also serve as an affiliate of the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies. St. John's was previously home to the Maple Leafs' AHL team, the St. John's Maple Leafs, from 1991-2005 before relocating to Toronto as the Toronto Marlies for the 2005-06 season. The Maple Leafs had previously held training camp in St. John's in 2001, and they've played two pre-season games (2001 vs Montreal and 2003 vs Ottawa) at Mile One Centre.