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# 2026 T25U25: Luke Haymes is #13
- URL: https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2026-t25u25-luke-haymes-is-13/
- Published: 2026-08-28T12:00:01.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-28T12:40:11.000Z
- Description: Meet Jacob Quillan 2.0
- Author: Hardev
- Tags: Top 25 Under 25

Luke Haymes comes from the family of undrafted college free agents and has developed into a solid middle-six centre for the Marlies and a useful depth option for the Toronto Maple Leafs. With speed, smarts, and tenacity, Haymes could take another step this season. 

| Luke Haymes      | Vitals    |
| ---------------- | --------- |
| Age as of July 1 | 22.93     |
| Position         | C         |
| Height           | 6'1"      |
| Weight (lbs)     | 192       |
| Shoots           | L         |
| Draft Year       | Undrafted |
| Draft Number     | NA        |

### The Player

Haymes finished 4th in goalscoring on the Marlies last season with 17, scoring all but three after New Year's, following a frustrating shooting slump to start his rookie season. His 33 points in 66 games as a rookie lined up very close with fellow centre Jacob Quillan's rookie season with the Marlies at the same age (37 points in 67 games). 

During the season, Haymes played as the second or third line centre for the Marlies where his most common linemates were Matthew Barbolini, Ryan Tverberg, and Borya Valis. He also got onto the first power play unit later on in the season, playing the bumper role, using his good sense of gaps and quick release to attack rebounds, tip shots, and generally make it harder for the penalty killers. The power play time wasn't the only cause of his scoring increase, only four of Haymes' goals came on the power play. He did most of his damage at even strength. 

Offensively, Haymes has good hands with the puck and an eye for the net. There was a stretch in the season where Haymes had a lot of success centring a line with Tverberg and Alex Nylander, a trio that could all handle the puck well and displayed a good combination of tenacity and skill. They scored a lot, especially off the rush and via the forecheck. 

Haymes fits the mold of a depth centre; one who's hard on the forecheck, reliable positionally, and has good speed, puck handling, and shooting strength. Haymes is very much in the mold of Quillan, Alex Steeves, and I'll even go to Steven Lorentz for fun. 

One reason I bring up Lorentz is because Haymes got an unofficial assist in his NHL debut on Lorentz's goal back in April against the New York Islanders. Don't remember that game? I wouldn't expect anyone to, and I would advise grass-touching for anyone who does recall that game. Haymes quickly attacked a lost puck and forced Scott Mayfield into a turnover that Lorentz scored on. It completely left my memory that Haymes played four games for the Leafs in the glory of the tank. 

[Lorentz responds for the Maple Leafs | NHL.comSteven Lorentz flings the loose puck from the circle and into the far side of the net, cutting the score to 2-1 in the 1st![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/34/01/3401a938-f468-4c02-a227-9bc4cc09bad4/content/images/icon/favicon-32x32-423dcd92-feb0-46b1-b4b3-f34624092c60.png)NHL logo![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/34/01/3401a938-f468-4c02-a227-9bc4cc09bad4/content/images/thumbnail/ue3ofxvislepo6xui16z-63f3d9ad-b31e-458d-a216-06ddf07ea59e.jpg)](https://nhl.com/video/tor-nyi-lorentz-scores-goal-against-ilya-sorokin-6392831734112?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

I wouldn't be surprised to see Haymes on the Leafs again for a longer stint in a similar manner to Quillan's 23 games last season. I'm sure he'd enjoy reuniting with his now-former head coach John Gruden, who got promoted to the Leafs as an assistant coach this season. 

> “\[Haymes\] is not easy to play against right now,” said \[Marlies head coach John\] Gruden. “He is always in the right position. He continues to grow. He makes plays, too, and sees the ice extremely well. His shot has really stood out to us. He has been able to find ways to put pucks in the net with his pure skill and shot, but he also makes plays. He can find guys and make plays in tight areas. He’s still a work in progress, but he is definitely trending in the right direction.” \[[Maple Leaf Hot Stove](https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2026/03/03/luke-haymes-jacob-quillan-score-big-goals-in-toronto-marlies-5-2-win-over-chicago/?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)\]

> “\[Haymes\] is not afraid to get into traffic,” said Gruden. “He is making plays and is getting more confident. He had only played 30 games a year, and this would be his senior year (in college). I think the break really helped him — the Christmas break, and this (All-Star) break helped him even more. He is definitely trending in the right direction… He is a smart hockey player with a high IQ, and he is not afraid to make plays under pressure.” \[[Maple Leaf Hot Stove](https://mapleleafshotstove.com/2026/02/16/luke-haymes-extends-goal-scoring-streak-toronto-marlies-eight-game-point-streak-ends-in-laval/?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)\]

And for fun, here's the highlights of Haymes' lone hat trick of the season against the Laval Rocket. 

### The Votes

Most voters very reasonably voted Haymes into the upper-middle of the group that followed the core 10-ish prospects. With a weighted average of 14.27, Haymes represents a jump from yesterday's prospect Gudmundson, but is a step away from Monday's prospect as if he's in a metaphorical no-man's-land. Unfortunately, Monday's prospect doesn't have the word "man" in his name. 

| Voter            | Vote  |
| ---------------- | ----- |
| Cathy            | 13    |
| Species          | 10    |
| Hound Line       | 16    |
| Shinson93        | 10    |
| Cameron          | 14    |
| Sclodiggity      | 24    |
| Brian S          | 14    |
| Svalbard38       | 19    |
| Zone Entry       | 14    |
| Hardev           | 11    |
| Adam             | 12    |
| Weighted Average | 14.27 |
| Highest Vote     | 10    |
| Lowest Vote      | 24    |

I found it interesting that freshly-drafted Cooper Williams is the only ranked centre prospect behind Haymes in our list so far. Hopkins, Quillan, Holinka, and Koblar are all still to come. Maybe that's not a surprise, but I'd like to know how you might rank those five (or six) centre prospects.

### The Opinions

> Shinson93: Watching Haymes this year with the Marlies reminded me a lot of Alex Steeves. Not so much for his scoring ability, but more for his professional workman-like approach on the ice. I don’t know that he has the skills to be more than an AHL tweener, but I feel like he’s going to work his way to earning whatever chances he gets.

> Brigstew: My stance on Haymes remains the same. I think he’s better than Quillan (but not by much) and has some interesting skills as an NHL depth player, but I’m not sure that he offers more than what the slew of NHL depth Toronto typically signs each other. He’s already 23, and I think he’ll need to have one more jump in his development to put him over that hump. I had him 14th I think so this is about right.

> Cathy: I switched Haymes and Quillan in my estimation last year. I don't think Haymes' game really does add up to more than Quillan's or at least not in a meaningful way. But essentially, they are in that borderline for me on the ranking where they might be fun players, might make the NHL even, but they aren't ever adding value of any impact. 

> Sclodiggity: I’m lower on Haymes than most although it seems like everyone has a similar assessment. Decent AHLer with call up potential. To me, that feels like a fairly fixed ceiling for him, where others see some potential to turn into a regular NHL bottom-6er. Strong bottom 6 players certainly do add value to a team (and those who do it on league min contracts can be quite important to roster building) but that's different from AHL caliber players getting called up due to lack of depth. 

> Svalbard38: Last year Haymes was coming into the pool with the lofty title of “one of the best NCAA free agents in years”. That was always gonna be tough to live up to, and even though he stepped into the AHL and played a solid season, he felt a bit like a big fish who gets put into perspective when you take him out of the small pond. He comes across to me as a player who’s solidly good, and good is a good thing to be. I just need to see him be more than good before I can believe in him as a long-term NHLer.

> Species: I really liked Haymes on the Marlies last season, though there were on and off moments, part of which is that certain teams seemed to really be able to push the Marlies to the boards when on the attack and then force turnovers, all of which may have limited his opportunities. I also noted what John Gruden said quoted above about how it was a tough transition for him to go to a full-time pro career where he's playing multiple games each week on top of practices in between and with some long distance travel. That's something I expect he needs to have dealt with by now, it can't be an excuse anymore, so this coming season is the one I will use to really judge him on his future state on the list, but I'm comfortable putting him at #10 for now. I don't see any impediment blocking him from that ranking as long as he continues to clean things up and focus on development.