Overview
- The Maple Leafs announced Monday that Judd Brackett was hired as assistant general manager, player evaluation, and Freddie Hamilton was named chief of staff.
- Brackett will oversee player evaluation across amateur and professional scouting after five seasons running Minnesota’s draft table and earlier work in Vancouver.
- Hamilton brings NHL playing experience and an MBA and will focus on planning and aligning initiatives across the hockey operations department.
- General manager John Chayka and senior advisor Mats Sundin led the hires as part of a broader front‑office reset while the team searches for a new head coach and prepares to pick first overall in the 2026 draft.
- The additions signal Toronto’s plan to blend traditional scouting with video and data analysis to strengthen the prospect pipeline and speed a roster rebuild by improving draft and development decisions.