The Toronto Maple Leafs named Judd Bracket the team’s new assistant general manager, player evaluation, the club announced on Monday.
The Leafs said in a statement that “Brackett will oversee player evaluation across both amateur and professional scouting.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Judd to our organization,” said Toronto general manager John Chayka in a statement. “He has established one of the strongest amateur scouting and drafting track records in the NHL and has consistently demonstrated an ability to adapt and evolve his approach as the game changes. 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.”
The 49-year-old Brackett joins the Leafs after spending the past five seasons with the Minnesota Wild as their director of amateur scouting. He comes to Toronto as part of a revamped front office led by Chayka and senior executive advisor Mats Sundin, who took over this off-season after Brad Treliving was dismissed in March.
Among the tasks awaiting the Leafs front office are hiring a new head coach following Craig Berube’s departure and deciding what to do with the No. 1 pick in next month’s draft.
The Maple Leafs also announced the hiring of Freddie Hamilton as the team’s chief of staff on Monday. The 34-year-old was a former NHL player, suiting up for 75 games with the San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche and Arizona Coyotes before transitioning to life in the business world after earning an MBA from York University.
Toronto is coming off a 32-36-14 season, finishing eighth in the Atlantic Division, as the franchise missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.