HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES: Maple-raised Luca Caputi donned a Maple Leaf jersey for the first time this year. He says it hasn't really sunk in yet. (Courtesy Toronto Maple Leafs)
MAPLE, ONT — It’s a boyhood dream to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Luca Caputi, a former Maple resident, started living that dream when he was traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins organization to the blue and white at the NHL’s trade deadline.
The first time Caputi pulled the historic jersey over his head and felt the material drape over his upper body, he thought he was dreaming.
“It’s something I always wanted and always dreamed of,” he said after an optional practice near the end of the NHL regular season. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet and I am just taking it day by day.”
Before Caputi donned the Leafs jersey, he only played in nine NHL games spread over two seasons. In those games, he scored three points, two goals and an assist.
Since coming to Toronto, Caputi has played 19 games, scoring once and adding five assists.
“I think I am doing pretty good,” he said. “I just try to create some energy for the guys. I play with some pretty skilled players, so I just try to keep it simple for them and get to the net.”
The local kid scored his first goal as a Leaf on March 10 against the Boston Bruins in front of 35 friends and family members. Once the puck found the back of the net, Caputi pumped his fist in the air and dropped to one knee. It’s the kind of moment almost every boy dreams of.
Since that early March game, Caputi has been fielding numerous requests for tickets from family and friends, but he’s taking it all in stride.
“I try to do the best I can with everything and it’s nice to know that I have some familiar faces in the crowd at the arena,” said the former Toronto Red Wings product.
Now that Caputi has made a contribution to the Leafs, he wants to stick around at the big club and make a difference.
“It something that I have always worked hard trying to do,” he said. “I am not satisfied where I am at right now and I know I can always get better. I want to be here for the long haul and hopefully do something special here.”
The consensus is that Caputi has all the tools to become a top player for the Leafs. He is described as a power-forward and at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, he is well on his way.
“It has been a bit of an adjustment, but I think I am handling the challenges facing me,” he said. “I want to get better each and every day, so that I can make an impact at this level.”
Since being drafted by the Penguins in the fourth round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, the former Niagara IceDogs star has spent the majority of his time in the American Hockey League with Wilkes-Barre Scranton and in the ECHL with Wheeling.
In the two seasons spent with Wilkes-Barre Scranton, Caputi showed he has a nose for the net. In his first full season with the club he scored 18 times and had 27 assists. The next season, he improved on that, scoring 23 times and adding 24 assists.
“The biggest thing for me is to limit my mistakes and get the puck to those guys as quickly as I can, so they can go play in the offensive zone,” he said after spending an extra 15 minutes on the ice working with the Leafs coaching staff to develop his shot.
While Caputi has yet to show his scoring prowess in the NHL, he is committed to becoming a top NHL player in Toronto.
“I spent most of my time in the AHL within the Pittsburgh organization, so coming here things happen a lot quicker and you have to be more prepared because things are coming at you so fast in the NHL,” said the left-winger.
He knows the best way to stay in the NHL is to embrace any role given to him by the coaching staff. Up to this point in his young career, Caputi has run with that role.
“The strongest part of my game right now is creating energy and staying within my role on the club by getting pucks deep in the zone and winning the battles in the corners,” he said.
If Caputi can build off the 19 games spent with Toronto this season and hone his skills even more, then the future will certainly look bright for this Leafs’ prospect.
“It’s amazing all of support I have got and I am really happy to be a part of this team and looking forward to the future,” he said.
