2026 T25U25: New Prospects

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The Maple Leafs entered the draft in June with one important pick, and then added more late-round selections through various trades. The result was 10 players drafted with five others added in other ways for a total of 15 new players in the system all under 25. We need a refresher on this new crowd of prospects.

Acquired by Trade

Emil Andrae is the only player acquired directly via trade, rather than taken with a pick from a trade. As an unsigned RFA, his rights were acquired in the deal that sent Joe Woll to the Flyers. The Leafs then signed him to a two-year deal at $1.55 million.

Andrae has already passed the mark usually used to measure a draft success – 100 NHL games played. He appeared in 61 games last year for the Flyers, and in 42 the year before. At 24, he is one of five prospects/players who will age off the list after this summer.

As that most mysterious thing – a puck-moving defender whose primary value is transition and who neither hits much nor gets a lot of points – he's going to be a challenge for us to evaluate next to the influx of drafted defenders happily scoring in junior hockey.

Acquired as Free Agents

The Leafs signed, as per usual, several free agent NCAA or CHL graduates. These players usually play in the minor leagues, but sometimes someone ends up in the NHL. It's very much an exercise in prospecting for hidden gems.

Brandon Buhr, the oldest of this group at 24, will likely be the oldest player on the list next year. He's a right-shooting winger, who already has a few Marlies games under his belt.
Vinny Borgesi, just 22, is a right-shooting defender who also made his Marlies debut last spring.
Landon Sim, also 22, was on an AHL contract last year, and he is an endearing, high-energy, trouble-making forward who split his time between the ECHL and the Marlies last year. I always end up enjoying watching him play. He's now on an ELC with the Leafs and should be on the Marlies this season.
Hayes Hundley, only 21, is a right-shooting defender who will factor in somewhere in the minors this year.

Drafted

Listed from oldest to youngest:

Ethan MacKenzie - Drafted in his third year, he turns 20 soon and is a solid two-way defender. Most of his big leaps in development have already happened. He has committed to the University of North Dakota after four years in the OHL, but he would be AHL-eligible if he decided to go pro now.
Yaroslav Fedoseyev - About to turn 19 this fall, he is a right-shooting defender who had caught the eye of several prospect observers pre-draft. He played a little junior hockey last year, but also a lot of men's league. He will be trying to crack his club's KHL team this year, but might return to the VHL.
Gavin McKenna - You've heard of him. Training camp should tell us where in the NHL lineup he will land. He has his 19th birthday in December.
Patriks Plumins - Not 19 until January, Latvia's star U18 goalie played in the men's league last year, but shared the net with another goalie and did not play much. There is no word right now on where he will play the coming season, and while he was drafted by Chicoutimi in the QMJHL, there's no guarantee he plays there.
Cooper Williams - Turning 19, next spring, Williams has also committed to the University of North Dakota after two years in the WHL. He has played primarily as a centre.
Zac Olsen - The same age as Williams, Olsen was also his teammate in the WHL. More of an energy forward, he will be attending Colorado College next year.
Juuso Ainasto - At 18, Ainasto has tended goal for Team Finland in only a few international friendlies, but is now on their radar for the WJC after selection to the WJSS team. He plays for Jokerit, and split time between the U20 and U18 teams last year. He will want to be fulltime on the U20 team this year at a minimum.
Brody Pepoy - Not 19 until next spring, Pepoy is a high-octane energy forward striving to become more than a bottom sixer. He has only one year in the OHL so far, and will return to Saginaw this season. He is ultimately headed for the NCAA.
Måns Gudmundsson - Gudmundsson, the youngest prospect, turns 19 next June. He is a right-shooting defender who will be returning to his U20 team in Sweden. His hope will be for a look in at the SHL level of more than the one game he got last year. He has played for Sweden at the U18 level, but is not likely to see the WJC roster.

Check out the full eligibility list if you haven't to see how the whole pool looks:

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