Brandon Buhr: The So-Far Unknown Maple Leafs’ Prospect

Every once in a while, the Toronto Maple Leafs sign a player that’s new to you. Brandon Buhr is one of those players. He isn't a first-round pick. He isn't a name that has been showing up on the prospect lists for years. He's a 6-foot-2, right-shot forward from North Vancouver who took the long way around to get a professional opportunity. And now he's quietly sitting in the Maple Leafs organization with a one-year contract and a chance to see where this hockey thing can take him. Toronto signed Buhr in March after he finished his NCAA career at Union College. He then joined the Marlies for the end of the season.

What caught my attention is that Buhr wasn't simply hanging around college hockey. He was getting better. He scored 19 goals in each of his final two seasons at Union, finishing 2025-26 with 19 goals and 17 assists in 35 games. He was named to the All-ECAC Hockey Second Team and finished his Union career with 49 goals and 39 assists in 106 games. He also had 13 career game-winning goals, which tells you something about the kind of offensive player he became.

So What Do the Leafs See in Brandon Buhr?

This is where I think Buhr gets interesting. He's not really a prospect in the traditional sense. At 24, he's older than most of the players we usually put under that label. But that doesn't mean he can't become an NHL player. In fact, there is something to be said for a player who has taken a few years to figure out what kind of player he can be. Buhr spent three seasons in the BCHL before going to college, played one season at Clarkson and then three at Union. He wasn't handed a fast track. He kept working his way up it.

The Maple Leafs appear to like the combination of size, right-handed shooting and physicality. Buhr is 6-foot-2 and about 205 pounds, and his game has some of the characteristics you might want from a player trying to fight his way into an NHL bottom-six role. He doesn't have to become a 25-goal NHL scorer to make this signing worthwhile. If he can bring some offence, compete physically and make himself useful in different situations, there is a path here. The Marlies are probably where that experiment begins.

This Is Where the Marlies Become Important.

I wouldn't be pencilling Buhr into the Maple Leafs' opening-night lineup. He's much more likely to spend the bulk of his time with the Marlies, where Toronto can find out whether his college production translates against bigger, faster and more experienced professional players. He played five games for the Marlies after signing and picked up two assists, which isn't enough to tell us much — but that's exactly why he needs time in the AHL.

What I find interesting is that Buhr could become one of those players you don't think much about in August and suddenly start hearing about in March. Maybe he's never more than an AHL player. That's possible. But maybe the combination of size, a right-handed shot, some scoring ability and a willingness to play a harder game gives him a chance to become something more. If Toronto needs a call-up later in the season, I'd expect the organization to have a pretty good idea by then whether Buhr is ready for that conversation.

For Maple Leafs Fans, Following a Player Like Buhr Should Be Fun.

That's the thing about players like this. They don't need to arrive with a giant neon sign saying “NHL prospect.” Sometimes you just give them an opportunity and see what happens. Brandon Buhr has spent most of his hockey career doing exactly that. The Maple Leafs have now given him another opportunity. It will be interesting to see what he does with it.