Bobby McMann Captains Hometown Charity Game, Reflects On Season With Maple Leafs

John Tavares wasn’t the only Toronto Maple Leafs player to take part in a charity hockey game this week. Bobby McMann returned to his hometown of Wainwright, Alberta, to participate in the sixth annual Wainwright Celebrity Hockey Game on Thursday. Like Tavares, McMann served as one of the team captains in a game that featured NHL, WHL, and local hockey players in support of the Rotary Phase 2 Project.

Team McMann fell to Team Soucy (captained by New York Rangers defenseman Carson Soucy) 10-9. After the event, McMann spoke to the Star News, reflecting on his season with the Maple Leafs.

“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but we finished first in the regular season, and I gained a lot of experience playing in my first playoff series,” McMann said. “It was hard to go through and not come out with a win, but I think we learned a lot from it”.

With his season now in the rearview mirror, the focus shifts to McMann’s role in the upcoming campaign. It was an interesting year for McMann, who started the season as a healthy scratch but went on to score a career-high 20 goals and add 14 assists in 74 games. His journey from an undrafted player to an everyday NHLer has been remarkable, and the Leafs are banking on him to take an additional step. McMann also saw considerable time on the team’s second power-play unit and even moved up to the top unit when needed due to injury or other reasons.

The Leafs have added some depth forwards, and McMann could face a dogfight for an everyday role with players like Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua, who are sure to get an extended look. The 29-year-old is entering the final year of a two-year contract that pays him $1.35 million per season.

This article originally appeared on The Hockey News: Bobby McMann Captains Hometown Charity Game, Reflects On Season With Maple Leafs