{"id":158661,"date":"2025-09-21T11:08:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T11:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/158661\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T11:08:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T11:08:09","slug":"maple-leafs-prospect-luke-haymes-may-be-the-dark-horse-of-camp-does-he-have-an-nhl-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/158661\/","title":{"rendered":"Maple Leafs prospect Luke Haymes may be the dark horse of camp. Does he have an NHL future?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even when Luke Haymes was getting four needles into his lip and cheek to numb the throbbing pain, he didn\u2019t regret what he had done.<\/p>\n

During this month\u2019s prospect showdown, the Toronto Maple Leafs\u2019 defensive zone coverage had broken down against the Ottawa Senators. Haymes didn\u2019t want to leave his goalie, Artur Akhtyamov, alone with the Senators itching for a clean shot. He dove into harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n

A shot ricocheted off the 22-year-old Leafs centre\u2019s face. The Senators did not score.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to block (the shot) however I could,\u201d he said, scratching the fresh stitches still jutting out from his lip.<\/p>\n

Stretching out to block a shot with your face is not something every young centre would do. Luckily for the Leafs\u2019 thin prospect pool, Haymes is not like every young centre.<\/p>\n

Haymes\u2019 gutsy effort, combined with the two goals he scored in the tournament, made it clear why multiple NHL teams sought to sign the undrafted<\/a>, touted NCAA prospect last spring. The Leafs won out, signing Haymes out of Dartmouth College to a two-year future contract in March. Haymes then scored two goals and six points through nine games with the Marlies on an ATO to finish the season.<\/p>\n

With offence, professional two-way play and habits and a 6-foot-1, 202-pound frame, Haymes was the Leafs\u2019 best player at the rookie tournament. And now at Leafs training camp, Haymes believes he can continue to make an impression.<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly think that I can be successful at any level when I play to my standard,\u201d a confident-sounding Haymes said. \u201cMy habits and skills will translate to the next level well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Luke Haymes gets the Leafs on the board late in the second pic.twitter.com\/tSydIjKRvz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Omar (@TicTacTOmar) September 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

The Leafs clearly have confidence in Haymes. He has regularly skated between two players with lengthy NHL experience \u2014 Travis Boyd and Alex Nylander \u2014 through training camp. How well Haymes is keeping up with NHL players in training camp is proof that he is separating himself from most of his Marlies peers.<\/p>\n

There are currently 14 NHL forwards at Leafs training camp battling for 12 lineup spots. Include Easton Cowan in there and the competition gets even more stringent.<\/p>\n

And yet at every training camp, one player not destined for the NHL announces themselves and surprises onlookers. Two years ago, with William Nylander not being given a lengthy look at centre, a then 19-year-old Fraser Minten cracked the Leafs roster with a sound and trustworthy training camp.<\/p>\n

This year, Haymes is aiming to become the next Minten. The Leafs\u2019 centre depth is aging. Just as Minten was thought to be a bottom-six centre of the future in Toronto, Haymes has looked through training camp like he could one day challenge for that role. At a training camp with very few surprises so far, Haymes could become a reliable centre and an NHL player sooner than many expect. The odds may be stacked against Haymes (right now) to crack the Leafs, but he remains a dark horse to play NHL games this season.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s shown plenty of reasons why.<\/p>\n

Haymes is already making NHL-level reads. He drives the puck to the net with aggressiveness. In a heavily structured system, Haymes pops up in the right places at the right times. He wins puck battles, a prerequisite of life under Craig Berube.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a similar system to what we played in college: very disciplined, get on the forecheck, create turnovers, finish hits. But also, just having the mindset of being a dog on the puck,\u201d Haymes said.<\/p>\n

Haymes believes being a self-described \u201cnerd of the game\u201d could prepare him for an NHL call-up. He will literally study the specific two-way habits John Tavares and Auston Matthews show in practices before mentally reviewing them later. But he has his sights set on a completely different centre \u2014 one who recently bested the Leafs, actually \u2014 as a player he wants to emulate.<\/p>\n

Florida Panthers\u2019 Anton Lundell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Yeah, the same player who centred a remarkably effective third line that became a critical piece to the Panthers winning their second Stanley Cup in a row. Not a bad model for Haymes to study, as he does while sitting alone in his Toronto home.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love that (Lundell) is always in the right spot. He has a great stick, really good habits and offensively, he\u2019s underrated,\u201d Haymes said, his eyes lighting up.<\/p>\n

The \u201cnerd\u201d term fits, no doubt. But if the Leafs could get shades of Lundell\u2019s game from the hockey nerd, they\u2019d agree that all the studying is worth it.<\/p>\n

The transition from the NCAA to professional hockey is one that many young players struggle with. The total games can double. Expectations and pressure increase. The size and physicality of opponents drastically intensify.<\/p>\n

Haymes knows that.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why he remained in Toronto after development camp in July to work out in the Leafs\u2019 facilities and train with Leafs who spent their summer in Toronto. That he did so suggests two things: The Leafs, at least in some part, could see some kind of future for Haymes in Toronto. And secondly, that Haymes is better prepared for a full-time transition to pro hockey this season.<\/p>\n

Haymes highlights how he gained a better appreciation for how NHL players treat their bodies after training, what a proper diet looks like and interestingly, \u201chow to treat people off the ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

And a full summer in Toronto has positioned him better to steal a few Leafs games this season, should injuries occur.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a quiet confidence and affability in Haymes\u2019 attitude that allowed him to create conversations and relationships quickly with any of the Leafs in Toronto this summer. He\u2019s not afraid to pick an NHL player\u2019s brain.<\/p>\n

Not coincidentally, one player he\u2019s been in conversation with is Bobby McMann.<\/p>\n

McMann, also an undrafted free agent who signed out of the NCAA, represents the best-case scenario for Haymes. McMann has spent time through training camp giving Haymes detailed instructions on how to deflect pucks better in front of the net and how to create separation coming out of the corners.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust picking his brain and seeing what he does after practice,\u201d Haymes said of McMann. \u201cHe works on it all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

McMann himself was once a surprise of the Leafs\u2019 system. As training camp continues, Haymes is hoping to follow the same path and avoid an early cut.<\/p>\n

Should Haymes not crack the Leafs roster out of training camp<\/a> \u2014 still the likeliest outcome \u2014 he promises to become a valuable and relied-upon Marlie. It\u2019s the same path Jacob Quillan took last season. Quillan\u2019s Leafs cup of coffee lasted just five minutes. If Haymes can go on a productive run and put up consistent points, he should be in a prime position for a call-up midseason.<\/p>\n

Though if Haymes has his way, that call-up would come even sooner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve been an underdog my entire career. I still think I am, big time. Knowing that I put the work in behind doors where no one sees, it\u2019s why I think I can be a great NHL player one day,\u201d Haymes said. \u201cContinued work and perseverance through times where not everything\u2019s going my way will get me to where I want to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Photo: David Kirouac \/ Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/p>\n