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Pens, Sens and ‘Hawks to participate in Toronto’s rookie tourney

Morgan Rielly

Morgan Rielly, center, a defenseman, stands with officials from the Toronto Maple Leafs after being chosen fifth overall in the first round of the NHL hockey draft on Friday, June 22, 2012, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

AP

The Toronto Maple Leafs are returning to the city of London, Ontario this fall -- and they’re doing it in style.

The Leafs have invited the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Chicago Blackhawks, along with the 2009 Stanley Cup champion Penguins to their annual rookie tournament at Budweiser Gardens.

“The Maple Leafs are thrilled to return to a great hockey city like London for the annual Rookie Tournament,” Leafs GM David Nonis said in a statement. “It’s a great opportunity for us to evaluate the players in our system against their peers from other NHL clubs.”

The Ottawa Senators are also scheduled to compete in the four-team round-robin.

The rookie tourney was canceled in 2012 due to the NHL lockout.

The Maple Leafs are expected to have a number of prized prospects on hand, according to the Toronto Sun.

Tyler Biggs (2011 first-rounder) and Morgan Rielly (2012 first-rounder) have been identified as potential participants and, should the other teams decide to send their ’11 and ’12 draftees, fans could see the likes of Pittsburgh’s Derrick Pouliot and Olli Maatta, Ottawa’s Cody Ceci and Matt Puempel and Chicago’s Teuvo Teravainen and Mark McNeill.