Toronto Maple Leafs Officially Sign 6-Foot-1 Ontario-Born Free Agent

The Toronto Maple Leafs have beaten out several other clubs for one of the more highly regarded young prospects in hockey.

They've announced the signing of forward Luke Haymes, an Ontario-born forward from Dartmouth College to a two-year contract that begins in 2025-26.

In a "32 Thoughts" column from top NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman earlier this month, he indicated that the Maple Leafs were among several teams with interest in signing Haymes along with the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning.

This will help ease the loss of young Maple Leafs players like Connor Dewar and Conor Timmins, both of whom were traded earlier this month.

Hailing from Ottawa, Haymes has 83 games of collegiate experience playing with Dartmouth and has collected 70 total points (41G, 29A)

Last year, he earned 2023-24 NCAA All-Ivy League First Team honours while also being named to the NCAA (ECAC) First All-Star Team. Additionally, he was named a New England All-Star.

He also played a year at Ridley College while also playing a single season for the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the BCHL.

It was a savvy signing from GM Brad Treliving, especially after dealing away Fraser Minten, and could be a huge impact player for the Maple Leafs lineup down the line.

They've had success before with college standouts, and everyone can only hope that Haymes will follow suit.