Toronto Marlies forward Michael Pezzetta has been suspended for three games, for an illegal check to the head of an opponent, the American Hockey League announced Saturday.
Pezzetta skated across the ice and connected with a shot to the head of Laval Rocket defenceman Marc Del Gaizo. Del Gaizo took a minute to get up from the hit, and did not return to the contest with an undisclosed injury. Pezzetta immediately entered a fight with Laval’s Florian Xhekaj after the hit on Del Gaizo.
Marlies forwards Rhett Parsons and Cedric Pare were issued five-minute majors for fighting, and game misconducts for secondary altercations, but did not receive supplementary discipline from the league.
Here is the play in question:
The AHL has suspended Toronto’s Michael Pezzetta (3 games) and Laval’s Alex Belzile (3 games), Laurent Dauphin (3 games), Joshua Roy (3 games) and Samuel Blais (1 game) as a consequence of this incident ⤵️@InsideAHLHockey https://t.co/7RQUTlGyVe
— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) December 13, 2025
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Laval’s Alex Belzile, Laurent Dauphin and Joshua Roy were all issued three-game suspensions for their roles in the ensuing scrum. Sammy Blais was suspended one game for leaving the bench. Blais played eight games for the Maple Leafs this season, recording a goal and four points, before he was claimed off waivers by the Montreal Canadiens on November 27.
Pezzetta was placed on waivers by the Maple Leafs on October 5 but went unclaimed. The 27-year-old recorded three assists in 17 games with the Marlies this season. He is eligible to return on December 26, when the Marlies square off against the Belleville Senators.
Toronto signed Pezzetta to a two-year deal worth $788K per season. Pezzetta did not record a point in 25 games with the Canadiens last season, and the Maple Leafs were effectively betting on his stellar defensive metrics translating in a fourth line role.
“I loved my time there. The organization’s first class and the boys were always great,” Pezzetta said of his tenure with the Canadiens’ organization, on July 2. “ Pretty much grew up there in pro hockey, and have nothing but good things to say about them. Definitely be weird come home opener time and starting the season playing against all those guys and having to try to run them all through the glass, but it’ll be fun and there’s no hard feelings.”
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