In the absence of Nik Antropov (suspension) and John Pohl (injury), Maple Leafs prospect Robbie Earl has been summoned from the AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies.

Earl will get his first taste of NHL action tonight as the Senators come into Toronto.

Earl is third in Marlies scoring this year with 33 points in 44 games.  He has 11 goals on the season for the Marlies, who are leading their division.  

Earl played at the University of Wisconsin, and led the Badgers to the Frozen Four tournament, where he won the tournament's MVP.

He will wear number 52 tonight for Toronto.

Game time is 7:00 on CBC's "Hockey Night In Canada."

Some quick notes for Tonight's game:

  • Ray Emery gets the start for Ottawa—maybe as a showcase for a deadline move? Meanwhile, Vesa Toskala will man the pipes for Toronto, who are looking to snap their three-game losing streak. 
  • In the previous five games between these two teams, Ottawa has won two, and lost three.
  • This weekend is also Canadian Forces Appreciation Weekend, and the Maple Leafs, Marlies, and the Raptors will honour some of our troops.  Over 500 service personnel will be attending their games this weekend.

That's Leafs Notes for this morning. If anything happens between now and the puck drop, I'll be sure to let you guys know.