TORONTO – Union College men's hockey senior
Brandon Buhr signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2026-27 season, the organization announced Wednesday.
Buhr will report to Toronto's AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, for an amateur tryout the rest of the season. The Marlies' next game is Saturday, March 21 at 4 p.m. against the Hartford Wolf Pack at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto. Buhr's one-year contract begins at the start of the upcoming NHL season on July 1, 2026.
"I couldn't believe it happened," Buhr said. "My parents were on the call with me, and I just was thinking back to my whole hockey career and how surreal it is that it got to this point."
Buhr's hockey career leads him to Toronto after four NCAA seasons, including three highly successful campaigns with Union. Buhr scored 49 goals and had 39 assists over 106 games for the Garnet Chargers, tying him with Spencer Foo '17 for the eighth-most goals in the program's Division-I history.
"First and foremost, just an unbelievable person," head men's hockey coach Josh Hauge said about his all-conference forward. "So lucky to have him in our locker room these past three seasons. He's selfless, he's a hard worker, and then he's just tremendously talented."
Buhr was named to the All-ECAC Hockey Second Team in 2025-26 after earning preseason all-league honors at the beginning of the year. He was also a finalist for the conference's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award as a senior, was nominated for the Hobey Baker award, and was an All-ECAC Hockey Third-Team honoree in 2024-25.
Buhr is the second Garnet Charger to sign with the Leafs in the last two seasons. John Prokop has played 25 games with the Marlies since joining the organization in 2024-25 after his junior year.
"It just shows Union is a great program and if you want to continue developing and further your career, this is a great place to be," Buhr said.
During his three years in Schenectady, Buhr helped Union win 57 games with a trip to the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals each season. Buhr recorded 13 game-winning goals for the Garnet Chargers in his career which are the third-most in Union's DI history. His six game-winners this season are tied for the third-most in all of college hockey.
