The Toronto Maple Leafs have officially hired Judd Brackett as Assistant General Manager and Player Evaluation. This is another important addition to the team's hockey operations department.

The Maple Leafs announced the hiring on their official X account on Monday. The announcement confirmed reports that had been circulating in recent days about Brackett joining Toronto.

Brackett will lead player evaluation for both amateur and professional scouting. He will play a big role in helping the Maple Leafs find and evaluate talent in the future.

The 49-year-old brings a strong scouting background to Toronto. He spent the last five seasons as Director of Amateur Scouting with the Minnesota Wild. He also worked with Team USA at each of the last three IIHF World Junior Championships. 

Before joining the Wild, Brackett spent 12 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks. During that time, he served five years as the team's Director of Amateur Scouting.

TSN insider Pierre LeBrun had previously reported that the Maple Leafs were expected to announce Brackett's hiring soon. Earlier, The Athletic's Michael Russo reported that the longtime Minnesota Wild executive was leaving the organization for a bigger role elsewhere.

Maple Leafs General Manager John Chayka spoke highly of Brackett. He praised Brackett’s work in scouting and said he expects him to make a strong impact on the organization.

“We are thrilled to welcome Judd to our organization,” Chayka said. “As we continue to build our hockey operations department, Judd will play a key role in integrating traditional scouting, video analysis, and data-driven insights to strengthen our decision-making process.”

Chayka recently took over as general manager. The team also hired Mats Sundin as a senior executive adviser of hockey operations. In addition, the Leafs are still looking for a new head coach after firing Craig Berube last month.

Maple Leafs Also Add Freddie Hamilton as Chief of Staff

Along with Judd Brackett, the Maple Leafs also announced that Freddie Hamilton has joined the organization as Chief of Staff. Hamilton will help with planning and important projects across the hockey operations department. He will also work closely with the team's leadership group.

The 34-year-old played professional hockey before moving into this position. The San Jose Sharks selected him in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft. Hamilton played 75 NHL regular-season games with San Jose, Colorado, Calgary, and Arizona before ending his playing career.

After retiring from hockey, Hamilton built a strong career away from the rink. He earned an MBA from Yale University and later worked in private equity with Bolt Ventures.

Chayka praised Hamilton for bringing both hockey and business experience to the organization. He said Hamilton’s background in investing, strategy, and leadership will help the team carry out important projects and improve teamwork across the hockey operations department.

By hiring both Brackett and Hamilton, the Maple Leafs continue to make changes in their front office. The organization hopes these additions will help build a stronger foundation for future success.

What do you think? Will the Leafs changing too much help them get back to winning ways? 

Read more at the NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi