CanWNT hopeful Kaylee Hunter showing early value of NSL with breakout for surging AFC Toronto
As we near the halfway point of the inaugural Northern Super League season, there has been no shortage of storylines to emerge from the league’s first campaign, such as Holly Ward’s journey from Vancouver Rise star to CanWNT regular, Delaney Baie Pridham’s scoring exploits with Rapid Ottawa, and the Montréal Roses' hot start, just to name a few.
Leading the way in that regard, however, is what’s brewing in Toronto, where AFC Toronto are now four points clear at the top of the table after 11 games, as they’re riding a run of four straight victories following a 3-0 win vs. the Ottawa Rapid on Thursday.
There, they were paced by a brace from Kaylee Hunter, as the 17-year-old forward scored a brace in her second straight match, pushing her to six goals and one assist on the season.
Kaylee Hunter playing this game on easy difficulty 🎮 pic.twitter.com/GzMjNPqIzy
— Northern Super League (@NorthernSuperLg) July 10, 2025
For context, that number of six goals only puts her behind Baie Pridham’s nine goals in the NSL’s Golden Boot race, which is quite impressive for a young striker making her first steps into the professional game.
“Every goal I score fuels me to go get more,” Hunter said after the match. “In every game, I’ve been working hard to hit the back of the net, and that just keeps me motivated. I’m focused on putting in strong performances, and hopefully more goals will come. I’ve got my eyes on the top scorer spot, so I’ll just keep pushing toward that.”
Yet, this shows why many were quite impressed when Toronto were able to sign her after she impressed with the Vancouver Rise’s (formerly Whitecaps) academy team in League 1 BC across the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, scoring 20 goals in 26 appearances across all competitions for the Rise.
Given that the Rise were one of the six founding teams in the NSL, it felt like a no-brainer to see her make her first professional steps with that club, but Toronto did well to swoop in and sign her in what’s proven to be a huge coup for them.
Already a talented team from day one, led by Croix Soto at the back, Emma Regan, Victoria Pickett and Nikayla Small in midfield and the play of Esther Okoronkwo up front, it was going to be interesting to see where Hunter might fit in, but the answer has been rather seamlessly,
They took their time to integrate her into the squad, as she didn’t start either of their first two games, but once she scored the club’s first-ever goal in her second appearance off the bench, she became a fixture in the Toronto lineup.
Now, after this brace vs. Ottawa, she’s started seven of Toronto’s last nine games, with the only two games she didn’t start coming because of her presence with the U20 CanWNT side that won the Concacaf Championship, which saw her miss one game outright before being reduced to a sub role upon her return.
Safe to say that she’s already become a key piece on this Toronto side, already racking up 700 minutes, meaning she’s on pace to push towards 2000 minutes by the end of this year.
That’s huge, as this is the exact sort of success story this league was about. The same way that it’s been excellent to see someone like Holly Ward has turned a strong debut season with the Rise out of college into a prominent role with the CanWNT, this league was about giving Canadians a chance to shine while playing in their backyard, and Hunter is an example of that.
Yet, when looking at Ward’s emergence, that’s been a story more typical of Canadian players, as she spent four seasons with the University of Texas Longhorns before going pro, a journey many have followed. That’s not a bad thing, as that’s been a reliable route through which many top players such as Kadeisha Buchanan, Ashley Lawrence, Christine Sinclair, Jessie Fleming, Julia Grosso and many, many others have undergone, with the NCAA to pro route once being the best path for North American players - and that’ll still be a valuable route for late bloomers to follow.
Now, however, the global trend is for players to hit the pro ranks as early as possible, and that was tough for Canadians to do given the lack of league options. Players who did, such as Olivia Smith or Jordyn Huitema, had to jump immediately to Europe, which is never easy to do for a young player.
With Hunter, though, she’s earning high-quality minutes at just 17, and that’s pushed her to a new level already, which is impressive given the potential she showed with Vancouver.
That’s shown in her scoring exploits, as she’s not just been one of the NSL’s best youngsters, but best players, period. 
Here are Hunter's numbers against all NSL forwards who have played at least 200 minutes this season (WyScout)
Just look at her numbers, as she’s averaging 0.39 xG per 90, which means she’s on pace to finish with around 10 xG. She’s overperforming her xG by a decent amount now, which means she could cool down, but even if she regresses to the mean, she seems likely to score at least 10 or more goals, which is a fantastic return for a young forward in her first professional season - and that number can push higher if she stays on this run of form.
There's no stopping Kaylee Hunter's strike! TOR takes the lead ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/oWHBAqs6rv
— Northern Super League (@NorthernSuperLg) June 21, 2025
Given that she’s not taken any penalties, that’s doubly as impressive, as her goals have come from a mix of good runs and tidy finishes. In particular, her shot volume stands out, as she’s generating a whopping 3.06 shots per 90 minutes (and is third in the league in shots), which is strong for any forward.
Kaylee Hunter looks for the strike and gets that equalizer for Toronto ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/et3uc79AZg
— Northern Super League (@NorthernSuperLg) June 21, 2025
Yet, the big reason for that comes down to her ability to get into the box, as she’s averaging 3.89 touches in the box per 90 minutes, thanks to the fact that she’s averaging 2.71 progressive runs and is attempting 4.36 dribbles (at a 40.5% success rate). When she gets on the ball, she wants to drive it forward, as seen on some of her goals, which have come from impressive individual efforts.
Kaylee Hunter puts Toronto on the scoresheet before full-time.@afc_toronto pic.twitter.com/xlfFioetkl
— Northern Super League (@NorthernSuperLg) April 27, 2025
As with every young forward, Hunter will want to continue to round out her overall game, given that she’s completing just 68.1% of her passes and has just 0.47 key passes per 90, and has won just 36.8% of her duels, but that’ll only come with time. Often, strikers will get better at those skills as they enter their mid-20s, but what can be harder to learn is that ability to get into dangerous scoring positions, something which Hunter thrives at.
Plus, as seen with her recent form, which has seen her score five goals and nab an assist in her last four games, that confidence could lead to rapid gains in those areas of her game as she continues to adapt to this level. 
That’s good news for Toronto, who will want to start to build a lead atop the table over the next few months, as they look to carve out a key edge ahead of the NSL’s inaugural playoffs in the fall, especially after making some huge signings in the form of Canadian internationals Sarah Stratigakis and Zoe Burns in recent weeks.
Before then, however, look for Hunter to catch the eye of Casey Stoney, as one can wonder if her recent play has put her on the cusp of a potential CanWNT call. Unfortunately, the earliest that can come is in October, with no games for Canada until then, but perhaps by that point, Hunter will have further solidified herself as one of the best attackers in the league, making a call-up possible.
Given the opportunities Stoney has given to Ward, while also calling up Montréal’s Latifah Abdu as an injury replacement for a camp as she rode a hot start to the year, she’s clearly keeping an eye on the young Canadian attacking talent in the league as she looks to expand the CanWNT player pool.
Kaylee Hunter doubles Toronto's lead just before half-time ✌️ pic.twitter.com/DfhlXiTRlo
— Northern Super League (@NorthernSuperLg) June 12, 2025
Because of that, look for Hunter to continue this run, as she continues to showcase the importance of the NSL, especially in terms of developing the next generation of CanWNT players. Between the likes of Ward and Regan, the league has hit the ground running in that regard, but Hunter’s breakout could push that to another level, and for good reason.
From there, further doors could open for her, such as a move to an elite European club, among other possibilities, just showing how important this platform can be for young Canadians.
Hunter’s leading the way in that regard, and what’s next for her should only open the doors for the next generation of youngsters, many of whom are likely watching Hunter’s breakout and imagining following in her footsteps by signing in the NSL, an idea that might’ve seemed foreign not that long ago.
To have that happen so early on in the NSL’s existence is huge, but it’s yet another reminder of why these first few months have been so important, so look for that to continue as the league hits the halfway mark of this first season over the next few weeks.
All numbers via WyScout
