Who is Hayes Hundley? Leafs sign undrafted defenceman to entry-level deal

Hayes Hundley, 20, is an undrafted defenceman from St. Thomas headed to Toronto on a three-year entry-level deal starting in 2026-27, with an amateur tryout for the Marlies now.

The real story is roster construction.

Toronto isn't signing Hundley to help the next NHL game. This is a pipeline move, a low-cost swing on a 6-foot-3, 207-pound right-shot defender who just played 38 NCAA games and posted 12 points with a plus-10.

That matters because right-side depth never stays full for long. The Leafs' current NHL blue line leans on veterans like Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo and Philippe Myers on that side, so adding another developmental option behind them is clean front-office work. Craig Berube and Brad Treliving don't need Hundley today. They need another name in the queue.

Toronto has made this a pattern. Vincent Borgesi signed on March 17 for 2026-27 and joined the Marlies right away on an amateur tryout, the same development track Hundley is getting now.

The Marlies piece is where this gets interesting. Toronto's AHL club is on the road Friday at Rochester, so Hundley walks straight into a pro room with games that still matter and minutes that have to be earned.

For the Leafs, that's useful scouting in real time. They'll see how his gap control, puck retrievals and first pass hold up against quicker forechecks, not just on video from college rinks.

And because he's undrafted, this is also a market inefficiency play. Toronto is betting development can create value where the draft never did. That's a smart bet for an organization that has to keep feeding cheap talent into the system.

Hundley may not sniff NHL minutes soon. But this is the kind of signing that can save a blue line later.

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