Maple Leafs face off with Kailer Yamamoto, not a good omen for Toronto

Billy Heyen

Maple Leafs face off with Kailer Yamamoto, not a good omen for Toronto image

Toronto sports fans won't love seeing that last name on a visiting team's uniform on Wednesday night: Yamamoto.

Those who rooted on the Blue Jays in the World Series surely haven't forgotten the way Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu got three wins, including Games 6 and 7 in Toronto, to prevent a Toronto world championship.

On Wednesday night, Kailer Yamamoto (no relation) comes to town.

Kailer Yamamoto is a winger for the Utah Mammoth, who take on the Maple Leafs in Toronto less than a week after the Dodgers star's dominance.

The hockey Yamamoto is originally from Spokane, Washington, and he was a first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2017.

He played for the Oilers until joining the Seattle Kraken for the 2023-24 season, spending just one year there. Yamamoto came to Utah for the 2024-25 season.

So far this season, Yamamoto has appeared in seven games for the Mammoth. He has one goal and one assist.

In his career, the 5-foot-9 right wing has played in 322 NHL games and scored 61 goals with 78 assists (139 points).

He doesn't have the starpower of the MLB star, but he shares a last name.

And on Wednesday night, that might be enough to spook Toronto sports fans just a bit.

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Staff Writer