Overview
- Toronto signed 21-year-old defenseman Hayes Hundley on Friday to a three-year entry-level contract and placed him with the AHL Marlies on an amateur tryout, which lets him play now without starting the new deal.
- The contract begins in the 2026–27 season and would take Hundley to restricted free agency in 2029, with financial terms not disclosed.
- Hundley is a 6-foot-3, right-shot blueliner scouts describe as an aggressive, physical shutdown type who hits hard, kills penalties, blocks shots and reads plays well.
- He posted six goals and 12 points in 38 games at St. Thomas this season and earned CCHA All-Rookie honors after a 2024–25 USHL stint with the Fargo Force.
- Toronto has been adding NCAA free agents such as Vincent Borgesi and Union forward Brandon Buhr to build internal depth, with analysts noting several teams also showed interest in Hundley.