Toronto Marlies sign high-scoring OHL free agent Justin Brazeau

The Toronto Marlies have secured the rights to the Ontario Hockey League’s leading goal-scorer, inking undrafted free agent Justin Brazeau.

According to multiple reports, the Maple Leafs organization and the 21-year-old agreed to terms on a two-year deal with the American Hockey League’s Marlies on Thursday, and it didn’t cost Toronto very much.

TSN’s Darren Dreger added that Brazeau “could sign an NHL deal with another club, however, the Marlies would have to terminate his AHL contract or the Leafs could match the offer,” so Toronto basically has first dibs on his NHL rights.

The very large (6-foot-6, 225-pound) winger scored a whopping 61 goals and added 52 assists for 113 points in 68 games with the OHL’s North Bay Battalion this season. The New Liskeard, Ont., product finished his final junior campaign ranked first in goals and second in points behind Niagara’s Jason Robertson.

For what it’s worth, the last OHL player to reach the 60-goal mark in a campaign prior to Brazeau was Alex DeBrincat, now a top contributor with the Chicago Blackhawks, in 2016-17.

A prototypical “late bloomer,” Brazeau earned the captaincy for North Bay this season after working his way up the organization’s depth chart despite being a 13th round pick in the 2014 OHL Priority Selection.

He’s trended upwards every season, scoring just six times as a rookie followed by a 22-goal sophomore campaign. He tallied 38 times as a 19-year-old before putting up over 60 in 2018-19.

Dreger reported in March that several teams, including the rival Bruins, were courting Brazeau’s services. The St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and Vegas Golden Knights also reportedly put their respective hats in the ring.

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