Justin Gunnar Holl (born January 30, 1992) is an American professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
defenseman
Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...
for the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL). He was originally drafted in the second round, 54th overall, by the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
in the
2010 NHL Entry Draft.
In 2018, Holl became the first defenseman in Maple Leaf history to record two goals in his first two NHL games. In the same year, he helped the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL)'s
Toronto Marlies
The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...
win their first
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...
.
Playing career
Early career
Holl attended
Minnetonka High School
Minnetonka High School is a four-year public high school in Minnetonka, Minnesota, United States, a western suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. ''Newsweek'' ranked the school 123rd on its list of America's Top High Schools. Niche ranked it 3rd am ...
from 2007 to 2010. In his senior year at Minnetonka High School, Holl was named co-captain alongside
Jake Gardiner and made the honor roll. On November 20, 2009, he signed a commitment agreement with the
Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college athletics, college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 21 (9 men's, 12 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and com ...
at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
. At the conclusion of the season, Holl was named a finalist for
Minnesota Mr. Hockey, an award given to the best senior high school hockey player in Minnesota.
Collegiate
Holl was selected by the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...
in the second round, 54th overall, in the
2010 NHL Entry Draft; however, he kept his commitment to play for the University of Minnesota. While studying at the University of Minnesota, Holl majored in Finance at the
Carlson School of Management
The Curtis L. Carlson School of Management is the business school of the University of Minnesota, a public research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Carlson School offers undergraduate and graduate degr ...
.
In his first season with the Gophers, he played in 25 games and recorded 7 points, including one goal. After his freshman season, he was invited to Team USA's National Junior Evaluation Camp in August.
In his sophomore season, Holl's role on the Gophers deviated from defence to offence occasionally throughout the year. After recording three goals and seven points, he was presented with the Gophers Dr. V. George Nagobads Unsung Hero. The next year, Holl helped the Gophers qualify for the 2014 NCAA Frozen Four where he recorded his first collegiate goal that season with 0.6 seconds left in the game to beat North Dakota 2–1. After his senior season, Holl split his time during the 2014–15 season between Chicago's minor league affiliates: the
Indy Fuel
The Indy Fuel are a minor league ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2014–15 season. Based in Fishers, Indiana, the Fuel play their home games at the Fishers Event Center, after having started play at the Indiana Farmers ...
of the
ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
and the
Rockford IceHogs
The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...
of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL).
Toronto Maple Leafs
Since he never signed an entry-level contract with the Blackhawks, Holl was a free agent and signed an AHL contract with the
Toronto Marlies
The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...
in 2015. One year later, on July 2, 2016, he signed an NHL entry-level contract with the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
.
He was assigned to the Marlies for the
2016–17 season. During the 2016–17 season, he was named an
alternate captain
In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...
for the Marlies.
During the
2017–18 season, Holl was selected for the 2018
AHL All-Star Game
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
in
Utica, New York
Utica () is the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most populous city in New York, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 census. It is located on the Mohawk River in the Mohawk Valley at the foot of the Adiro ...
.
He was called up to the NHL on an emergency basis on January 31, 2018, to replace an ill
Ron Hainsey
Ronald Martin Hainsey (born March 24, 1981) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played seventeen years in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jet ...
. He made his NHL debut that night in a game against the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
. During this game, he scored his first NHL goal to help the Leafs win 5–0. It marked the first time since 1978 that a Maple Leafs defenseman scored in his NHL debut. On February 1, in a game against the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...
, Holl scored his second NHL goal to become the first Maple Leafs defenseman to score two goals in his first two games.
As well, he became only the sixth defenseman in NHL history to score in each of his first two games.
He was reassigned to the Marlies on February 3 after defenseman
Morgan Rielly
Morgan Frederick Rielly (born March 9, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the first round, fifth ove ...
was activated off injured reserve. Holl continued to succeed in the AHL, setting a new career-high in points and assists during the regular season. During the
2018 Calder Cup playoffs
The 2018 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League began on April 19, 2018, with the playoff format that was introduced in 2016. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-five series in the division sem ...
, he recorded 5 points in 20 games to help the Marlies win their first
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League (AHL). It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars.
The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In it ...
in franchise history.
On July 3, 2018, Holl signed a two-year, $1.35 million contract extension with the Maple Leafs. He attended the Leafs' training camp prior to the
2018–19 season and was named to the opening night roster. He was a healthy scratch for the Leafs' first 12 games of the season, playing in his first game on November 1 against the
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...
. As a result of injuries and illnesses, Holl replaced
Igor Ozhiganov in the Leafs lineup and recorded his first career assist in a 7–6 win over the
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...
on March 15, 2019.
The following season, Holl entered a bigger role with the Leafs after the firing of
Mike Babcock
Mike Babcock (born April 29, 1963) is a Canadian former ice hockey player and coach. He spent parts of eighteen seasons as a head coach in the National Hockey League (NHL), beginning when he was named head coach of the Anaheim Ducks, Mighty Duck ...
. He consistently played on one of the Leafs top pairings alongside
Jake Muzzin
Jacob Muzzin (born February 21, 1989) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and works in Player Development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He previously had played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles ...
and later
Travis Dermott due to injuries. In this increased role, he earned his first multi point game on December 11 against the
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. The Canucks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conferenc ...
. He eventually signed a three-year contract extension with the Maple Leafs on December 31 before their game against his hometown team, the Minnesota Wild.
Detroit Red Wings
On July 1, 2023, Holl having left the Maple Leafs as a free agent was signed to a three-year, $10.4 million contract with the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
.
Personal life
His father Jerry is an author who published a book detailing his bike ride from Alaska to Mexico.
Holl’s cousin Mike Erickson also played hockey for the University of Minnesota and was drafted 72nd overall by the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confer ...
in the
2002 NHL Entry Draft.
He married his fiancé Audrey in August 2019.
Career statistics
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holl, Justin
1992 births
Living people
American expatriate ice hockey players in Canada
American men's ice hockey defensemen
Chicago Blackhawks draft picks
Detroit Red Wings players
Ice hockey players from Minnesota
Indy Fuel players
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players
Omaha Lancers players
Ice hockey people from Hennepin County, Minnesota
Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players
Toronto Maple Leafs players
Toronto Marlies players
21st-century American sportsmen