Toronto presented the opportunity of a lifetime for Marlies defenceman Justin Holl.



It presented a chance when he previously had none.



It was October of 2015, and Holl was on an AHL-only deal with the club as a depth defenceman, plucked out of the Chicago Blackhawks organization as a discard. He was playing in a series of minor-league exhibition games in Newfoundland against the St. John’s IceCaps, which was new Marlies coach Sheldon Keefe’s first chance to see many of his players.



Holl had only two games of AHL experience before the tournament, but he really stood out.



“As a team full of players that essentially played in the ECHL, he was a star out there,” Keefe said. “He was head and shoulders above any player on both teams. That gave us reason to believe in him.”



The Blackhawks second-round pick in 2010, Holl was never given much of a shot by that organization.



He spent a...