When it comes to sports, Kyle Dubas is nothing if not a well-read man. He’s always got a new book on the go, usually a few at a time, looking for management strategies from other sports worth incorporating into how the Toronto Maple Leafs run their organization. One way he’s put that into practice is by taking a page out of Major League Baseball’s tiered development systems.



Dubas aspired to fill out the AHL Toronto Marlies and ECHL Orlando Solar Bears with talented players who could hopefully climb up through the ranks. Every team plays the same system and style (as he mentions here), so when they graduate to the next level, there’s no learning curve. In baseball, you see teams like the Kansas City Royals win championships with players who’ve played together for years at lower levels. Once they show they’ve mastered Single A ball they move to Double A, and so on. By taking player development more seriously as far down as the ECHL level, the...