Jani Hakanpaa gives the Maple Leafs some hope with a highly-anticipated return to practice

Recently, he went down to the Toronto Marlies alongside Connor Dewar where he got to participate in a conditioning sting.

Hakanpaa played a total of two games with the Marlies and it went reasonably well. The team has been hoping to see Hakanpaa back sooner rather than later. Thankfully, they are finally getting that wish.

According to both Mark Masters and David Alter, Hakanpaa was back on the ice today. He got to take part in a few drills and appeared to be a full participant, all things considered.

You can see a couple of clips of Hakanpaa on the ice, down below.

It has been a bit rough for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the past few weeks on the account of quite a few different injuries.

For instance, Auston Matthews has been out and is day-to-day. Meanwhile, Max Pacioretty is also dealing with a pretty bad injury that has him on the Injured Reserve. Pacioretty is now week-to-week.

Despite all of these injuries, the Leafs have still been able to maintain their winning streak. They have won a total of three games in a row to get their record to 9-5-2.

At this stage, it is clear that the team is in a great spot to continue going forward. They play the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday and that should be a winnable game.

Moreover, Matthews should be returning within the week. Not to mention, Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll may just be the best goaltending tandem in the entire NHL.

Needless to say, if you are a Leafs fan, there are plenty of reasons to be excited right now.