The Toronto Maple Leafs returned to the form that saw them lose eight in a row out of the Olympic break, as the Green and White adorned St. Pats lost 3-1 to the New York Islanders in a sleepy effort. Steven Lorentz scored Toronto’s lone goal, and Joseph Woll was once again strong in goal, making 31 stops. The club is once again in a favorable position to take a tumble in the league standings, as they are tied with two other clubs with 70 points, but all eight teams below them in the standings have two games in hand.
In more optimistic news, the Leafs have once again dipped into the NCAA undrafted free agent pool with a pair of signings. On Tuesday, Toronto signed Northeastern University defenseman Vincent Borgesi to a two-year entry-level contract. The 22-year-old posted 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) and 29 penalty minutes in his senior season at Northeastern, where he served as the club’s team captain.
The Philadelphia, PA native spent two seasons with the Tri-City Storm where he posted 50 points (seven goals, 43 assists) in 106 career regular season USHL games, was named as a nominee for the 2026 Hobey Baker award, posted 80 points (16 goals, 64 assists) and 79 penalty minutes in 135 career NCAA games, and was a member of Team USA’s Collegiate Selects Team roster for the 2025 Spengler Cup.
The 5’9, 185-pound defenseman was described by Sportsology’s Russ Cohen as an offensive blueliner who is an excellent skater, with a good shot, and plays a feisty brand of hockey. While not considered an NHL lock, Borgesi is right-handed and is extremely mobile, which gives him a leg up on potentially having a role in the organization. He will report to the AHL Marlies and will play the remainder of the season on an amateur tryout.
On Wednesday, the club signed forward Brandon Buhr to a one-year contract beginning in the 2026-27 season. The Fort St. John, BC native posted a career-high 36 points (19 goals, 17 assists) in 35 games with Union College as a senior and in 106 career NCAA games with Union, registered 88 points (49 goals, 39 assists).
The 23-year-old is 6’2, 208-pound forward like Borgesi, will join the Marlies for the remainder of the 2025-26 season on an amateur tryout.
