The Maple Leafs have signed college free agent forward Brandon Buhr to a one-year, entry-level deal for next season, per a team announcement. He will finish out the current year with AHL Toronto on a tryout agreement.
Buhr, 23, just wrapped up his senior season at Union College, where he spent the final three seasons of his NCAA tenure. He transferred there in 2023 after playing 10 games with Clarkson as a freshman. While he was sparsely used as a first-year player, he emerged as a high-end threat for virtually his entire time at Union. He finishes his run at the school with a 49-39–88 scoring line in 106 games.
The 6’2″, 205-lb righty continually upped his production year over year, culminating with a 19-goal, 36-point effort in only 35 outings for the Garnet Chargers. A sniper with pro-ready size, he’s the second UDFA Toronto has plucked out of college in as many days, but is perhaps the polar opposite threat physically compared to the undersized but skilled defender Vincent Borgesi.
Because of his age, Buhr will get just one year with the Leafs before he becomes a restricted free agent, giving Toronto an out if they choose to non-tender him at that time. If they choose to keep him around, by virtue of his challenging for an NHL job or proving valuable in a minor-league support role, they now control his rights until 2030.