The Toronto Maple Leafs hired Minnesota Wild director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett, completing the third pillar of a front-office restructure that began with John Chayka's January arrival as general manager and Mats Sundin's late-February appointment as senior advisor. Brackett's deal is believed to run three years at roughly $400,000 annually, making him the second-highest-paid amateur scouting executive in the NHL behind Chicago's Mike Doneghey. He starts May 1.
Brackett built Minnesota's draft operation across seven seasons, overseeing selections that included defenseman Brock Faber (14th overall, 2020), center Marco Rossi (9th overall, 2020), and forward Jesper Wallstedt (20th overall, 2021). Minnesota ranked fourth in draft-pick NHL games played per selection from 2018 through 2022, according to data compiled by Evolving Hockey. Brackett's group targeted NCAA-to-pro pipelines and European free agents, a philosophy that helped Minnesota ice 11 draft picks on opening night this season, tied for third-most in the league. He declined Minnesota's extension offer in March after learning Wild GM Bill Guerin planned to consolidate scouting budgets and reduce European travel.
Toronto's interest in Brackett dates to early February, when Chayka flew to Minneapolis for a three-hour dinner at Burch Steak. Chayka wanted someone who could rebuild Toronto's amateur evaluation infrastructure after the Leafs ranked 22nd in draft-pick NHL games played per selection over the past five seasons, the worst mark among Canadian franchises. Sundin, who joined Toronto's front office on a two-year advisory deal worth approximately $600,000 per season, advocated for Brackett in ownership meetings, citing his ability to identify Swedish talent outside the SHL's top clubs. Sundin and Brackett worked together briefly in Vancouver's front office in 2018, when Sundin consulted on European free-agent signings.
The hire signals Toronto's shift toward drafting for system fit rather than pure upside, a departure from former GM Kyle Dubas's approach. Brackett is expected to restructure Toronto's 17-person scouting staff, which currently operates without a dedicated analytics liaison. He'll report directly to Chayka and will have final approval on all draft selections from the second round onward. The Leafs hold the 28th overall pick in the June draft and have six selections total, their smallest draft haul since 2019.
Minnesota has not yet named Brackett's replacement, though assistant director of amateur scouting Judd Moldaver is the internal favorite. Moldaver worked under Brackett for four seasons and led Minnesota's USHL coverage. The Wild also interviewed Anaheim regional scout Chris Morehouse last week, according to two people familiar with the search. Guerin is expected to make a decision before the NHL Scouting Combine in late May.
Toronto's front office now carries $2.4M in annual salary commitments to Chayka, Sundin, and Brackett, a 41% increase from last season's structure. MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum approved the spending in March after reviewing Chayka's three-year organizational audit, which recommended doubling amateur scouting travel budgets and hiring two additional video analysts focused on pre-draft evaluation. Tanenbaum also signed off on a new analytics partnership with Sportlogiq, the Montreal-based tracking firm that supplies Minnesota's draft models.
Brackett's first major test arrives June 28-29 at the draft in Los Angeles, where Toronto picks twice in the first 60 selections. He'll inherit a scouting board that currently ranks USNTDP forward James Hagens and Swedish defenseman Anton Frondell as the top available talents at 28th overall. Toronto has not selected a player from the USNTDP system in the first round since Auston Matthews in 2016.
The takeaway
Brackett's hire completes Toronto's **$2.4M** front-office overhaul and signals drafting shift toward NCAA and European pipelines before June.
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