Maple Leafs Sign Defenseman Vincent Borgesi, Northeastern Captain Joins Marlies on ATO

Vincent Borgesi spent four years logging more ice time than any defenseman in college hockey. Toronto noticed.

The Maple Leafs signed the 22-year-old Northeastern captain to a two-year entry-level contract on March 17, with Borgesi set to report immediately to the Toronto Marlies on an amateur tryout for the remainder of the 2025-26 AHL season. The deal begins formally in 2026-27, carrying a cap hit of $987,500 per season, according to PuckPedia.

For a Marlies blue line that has prioritized size and length, Borgesi represents a deliberate pivot. The Philadelphia native stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 185 pounds, though The Athletic's Corey Pronman described him as "a tiny defenseman at about 5-foot-8" who is "highly mobile, intelligent and very competitive." The Leafs organization currently lacks skilled puck movers on the back end, and Borgesi profiles as a power-play quarterback and breakout driver at the AHL level to start.

Northeastern head coach Jerry Keefe, who has developed NHL defensemen including Josh Manson and Michael Kesselring over 15 years behind the Huskies' bench, placed Borgesi in rare company. "He is definitely at the top of the list, for the type of kid he is," Keefe said. "I'm sure Toronto signed him because they know how good of a puck mover he is, how well he can break out of your own zone and run a power play. He checks all the boxes. Now it's about him going to the next level and showing that he can defend as well as he did at the college level."

The numbers from his senior season underscore the workload Borgesi handled. He averaged 27:11 minutes per game across 36 appearances in 2025-26, leading the nation in time on ice for the second consecutive season. He posted 20 points on five goals and 15 assists, led all Northeastern defensemen in scoring, and finished sixth on the team overall. He also recorded a career-high 75 blocked shots and was named a nominee for the 2026 Hobey Baker Award, a Walter Brown Award semifinalist, and a Hockey East Second Team All-Star.

Over 135 career NCAA games at Northeastern, Borgesi finished with 80 points on 16 goals and 64 assists, a plus-15 rating, 197 career blocked shots, and 252 shots on goal. His college career ended when the Huskies lost to UMass in the Hockey East tournament, after which he signed with Toronto.

Before Northeastern, Borgesi spent two seasons with the Tri-City Storm in the USHL, posting 50 points across 106 regular-season games and adding four assists in eight playoff appearances. This past winter, he captained the United States Collegiate Selects at the 2025 Spengler Cup, where the team reached the final before falling to host HC Davos.

The contract structure, per PuckPedia as reported by Pro Hockey Rumors, includes an NHL salary of $877,500 plus a $97,500 signing bonus in 2026-27, stepping up to $900,000 and a $100,000 bonus in 2027-28. His minor-league salary with the Marlies sits at $85,000 per season.

Borgesi joins a recent wave of Northeastern players to sign NHL contracts, following Jackson Dorrington (New York Rangers), Cam Lund (San Jose Sharks), Jack Williams (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Cameron Whitehead (Vegas Golden Knights), all from the 2025 class. The next two seasons will determine whether his college résumé translates to the professional game.