Maple Leafs hire Mark Leach as director of amateur scouting

A new man is in charge of scouting for the next wave of Toronto Maple Leafs.

On Thursday, the team announced that Mark Leach has been hired as the new director of amateur scouting.

Leach takes over the role previously held by Wes Clark. Clark was named the director of amateur scoring in 2022, a role he held until earlier this month, when he joined former Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh. Clark was tabbed as the Penguins’ new vice-president of player personnel.

Leach comes to Toronto after spending the last 11 years with the Dallas Stars, working as an amateur scout under general manager Jim Nill. Nill and Leach had working relationship that spans decades. Leach was hired by the Detroit Red Wings as an amateur scout in 1994, a role he held until 2013, when he joined Nill on his staff in Dallas.

While with the Red Wings, Leach was part of the construction of rosters that won the Stanley Cup in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008.

Prior to making the move into scouting, Leach was a coach at the collegiate level. The New York native was an assistant coach under Newell Brown at Michigan Tech from 1990 to 1993, before joining Steve Cedorchuk at Boston College for the 1993-94 season.

Leach made it pretty far in his playing career before hanging up his skates. After honing his craft at the New Hampton School, he played four years at St. Lawrence University (1980-84), serving as an alternate captain in his junior season. Leach appeared in 127 NCAA games, scoring 15 goals and 54 assists for 69 points.

Drafting and scouting young talent is crucial to a team’s long-term success. For a Maple Leafs team that needs to bring in fresh faces to complement the established stars, Leach’s job will unquestionably be vital over the next few seasons.