The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Jacob Quillan to a one-year extension carrying a cap hit of $850,000, via PuckPedia.

The 24-year-old was an undrafted forward who was signed by the Leafs out of Quinnipiac University to an ELC on April 1, 2024. Quillan had a productive season with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, recording 36 points (14 goals and 22 assists) in only 40 games. Despite missing some time during the playoffs due to injury, he was still able to put up nine points (three goals and six assists)  in 19 games en route to them winning the 2026 Calder Cup.

His solid season in the AHL was able to earn him an extended look in the NHL this past season, where he registered three points (a goal and two assists) in 23 games. His lack of production stemmed from the fact that he was given almost exclusively fourth-line minutes and averaged just 10:16 of ice time on the season.

“I think just getting the reps every day, and you learn to play at the pace and that level. I felt like every game I played in the NHL, I got more comfortable,” Quillan said during an appearance on Leafs Morning Take on April 23. “I felt like I was able to make plays, and I’m just hoping to bring that confidence down here with the Marlies to help the team win and see what we can do.”

Quillan was always considered a low-risk bet for the Leafs to make, yet he has exceeded expectations by earning his way into the NHL lineup for large stretches of last season. While former coach Craig Berube was reluctant to use the centre with better players in an attempt to get more out of him, Quillan clearly learned a lot from the experience and will be better off for it the next time he is back up with the Leafs.

Although the Leafs ended up making a bunch of free agent signings to help shore up their depth down the middle, Quillan should still be fairly high up the depth chart and be among the first call-up candidates if the Leafs run into injuries during the 2026-27 season. It is worth noting that he is waivers-exempt until either the 2027-28 season or reaching 46 career NHL games played, which means he will have to appear in at least 19 games to lose that waiver exemption.