Former Sharks Defenseman Just Landed Another NHL Opportunity

After a season with the Leafs organization, defenseman Henry Thrun finds a new opportunity with the Winnipeg Jets on a one-year, two-way deal.

The Winnipeg Jets have added another blue-liner, agreeing to a one-year contract with unrestricted free agent Henry Thrun on Thursday afternoon.

Thrun, 25, arrives after spending the 2025-26 season in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. He dressed for just four games with Toronto and didn’t record a point, then spent most of the year with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. There, the 6’2″ left-shot defenseman put up 23 points in 55 regular-season games before appearing in 24 playoff contests during the Marlies’ run to the Calder Cup.

The Jets said the deal is a two-way contract with an $850,000 NHL cap hit, a small drop from the $1 million NHL salary attached to his previous contract. Thrun had been a pending restricted free agent, but the Maple Leafs chose not to extend a qualifying offer, which opened the door for him to reach the market.

A fourth-round pick, No. 101 overall, by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2019 NHL Draft, Thrun headed from the U.S. National Team Development Program to Harvard University after being selected.

He spent three seasons with the Crimson, finishing with 17 goals and 84 points in 99 games and wearing the captain’s letter in his final year. Thrun also represented Team USA at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he picked up one assist and four penalty minutes in seven games while helping the U.S. win a silver medal.

Late in the 2022-23 season, Anaheim dealt Thrun’s rights to the San Jose Sharks. He signed his entry-level deal with San Jose soon after and got into his first eight NHL games that spring. Over parts of three seasons with the Sharks, he played in 119 games before being traded to Toronto in the 2025 offseason for veteran winger Ryan Reaves.

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