Prior to the NHL trade deadline, I had the chance to speak with Maple Leafs assistant GM Kyle Dubas and Toronto Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe. I asked them who some of the Marlies’ most pleasant surprises have been so far this season.

Up front, they both answered Zach Hyman. Recent performances from Hyman in the NHL have many fans sharing their optimism.

What about on defence? Once again, both Dubas and Keefe offered up the same name.

“On defence I would say that the biggest surprise has been Justin Holl, who we signed in the offseason right in early July,” Dubas explained. “He’s got good size, right shot, but an excellent skater and very, very confident with the puck, and able to make plays up the ice.”

Holl was selected by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second-round, 54th overall, in the 2010 NHL Draft. After playing four seasons with the University of Minnesota and then following that up with a full campaign with the ECHL’s Indy Fuel last season, Holl was a free agent last summer.

The Leafs organization is filled with players who have served time both with the AHL and NHL clubs this season, with Rinat Valiev being the latest example.

Justin Holl can’t be called-up to the big club however, because he is only signed to an AHL deal, and therefore, is technically not Leafs property.

NHL contract or not, Dubas thinks guys like Holl are key.

“Defence is always an area that I think we need to continue to build and improve upon and we have Travis Dermott and Andrew Nielsen in the pipeline here, and they’re going to graduate from junior, but Justin Holl, for only being a 23-year-old, it’s nice to always find surprises in players like that who are able to come in and contribute.”

While not an offensive dynamo like the enigmatic T.J. Brennan, Holl has put up four goals and 13 assists in 46 games with the Marlies this season. Those numbers don’t fall far behind the likes of Valiev (three goals, 18 assists in 54 games), Stuart Percy (four goals, 16 assists in 47 games), or Marlies captain Andrew Campbell (nine goals, 11 assists in 57 games).

Being one of the few players on an AHL contract the Marlies have relied on regularly this season, Holl is appreciative of the opportunities he’s been given.

“Obviously Kyle and Sheldon have given me the opportunity to play for this team on a consistent basis and they’ve given me the freedom to play the game the way that I play it best, which is handling the puck and moving it up ice and joining the rush, playing offensively while maintaining my defensive responsibilities. I feel like they’ve let me, to an extent, kind of execute on that balance and play my game.”

Holl also finds himself in a bit of a funny position age-wise. If I’ve made him sound like some kind of grizzled career minor-leaguer, that’s definitely not the case. This is Holl’s rookie season in the AHL and he didn’t turn 24-years-old until Jan. 30.

“The coaching staff has put me in a position to succeed and the veterans on the team have created a culture where all the rookies are welcome. Obviously we have so many young guys that they don’t really have a choice in that. I just think that they’ve made it possible for the young guys to develop, and obviously you’re getting tips and tricks from those guys and the staff. They’ve just put us in a position to succeed, I think.”

Keefe has been impressed.

“Justin Holl is a guy that’s kind of come off the radar a little bit,” Keefe explained. “Former Blackhawks draft pick who’s with us on an American League contract that has really been good for us and has shown signs of getting himself back on the map in terms of being an NHL prospect.”

That is a key thing to consider here, too. Many have shifted their focus to who the Leafs might try to sign out of the NCAA, or the supposedly imminent signing of Nikita Zaitsev from the KHL. Meanwhile, Holl is reminding everyone that a potential candidate for the Leafs, or any NHL team for that matter, could be right under their nose. After all, the Leafs have rewarded players on AHL contracts several times in recent seasons, including Byron Froese, Rich Clune, and defender Paul Ranger.

I asked Holl if that possibility was something that drew him to the Marlies.

“Oh yeah. I mean obviously you see guys like Byron Froese, he was a guy playing in the East Coast League last year. I was playing against him in that league just a year ago. You see guys like that and you see that there’s an opportunity there and you just try to give it your all.”

After a season that has drawn the praise of some in Leafs management, is an NHL deal realistic for Holl?

“I mean, I guess it’s getting more realistic, but I’m not really focussed too much on that. I’m just trying to play as well as I can for this team and hopefully go for a nice, long playoff run.”

Although the Marlies find themselves in the midst of a rare three-game losing streak due to a number of players being promoted to the Leafs, they still sit in first place overall with a 12-point cushion on the second-place Hershey Bears.

Will Justin Holl’s phone ring this summer with an NHL deal? Maybe. A Calder Cup ring certainly won’t hurt his chances.