Toronto Maple Leafs' Mitch Marner watches the action from the bench during first period action at the 2015 NHL Rookie Tournament Friday September 11, 2015 in London, Ont. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Marner is the Ontario Hockey League's most outstanding player this season.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley
Republished May 03, 2016 - 11:14 AM
Original Publication Date May 03, 2016 - 7:10 AM
TORONTO - Mitch Marner has some advice for whoever the Toronto Maple Leafs select with the first pick at the upcoming NHL draft.
"Just make sure you're ready to play," said Marner, Toronto's fourth overall pick in 2015. "(Toronto is) a big city, but they love their teams.
"There's a lot of upside coming on in Toronto and it's going to be a fun time to play there. Whoever it is, they're lucky they're coming into a place that's going to love him."
Marner, the co-captain of the London Knights was awarded the Red Tilson Trophy as the Ontario Hockey League's most outstanding player on Tuesday.
The skilled forward, who turns 19 later this week, finished third in OHL scoring in 2015-16 with 116 points (39 goals, 77 assists) in 57 games. He leads playoff scoring with 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 14 games entering Game 1 of the league championship series Between the Knights and the Niagara IceDogs Thursday at London's Budweiser Gardens.
In 184 career regular-season games with the Knights, Marner has collected 96 goals and 205 assists.
"Not only is he an exciting player, fun to watch and so creative, but over the course of the last three years Mitch has really matured," Knights general manager Basil McRae said. "He's become a captain, a leader, and we see him every Friday night leading on the ice, but he's also taken great pride in being a leader 24/7."
Marner joined the Knights for the 2013-14 OHL season. The team was fresh off its second league title and had a talented roster featuring star forwards Max Domi and Bo Horvat. But the Knights struggled in the playoffs in Marner's first two seasons, failing to advance past the second round.
With the team's old stars now in the NHL, Marner and linemates Christian Dvorak and Matthew Tkachuk decided it was time to make the Knights their team.
"Last year we had an early exit that we didn't want," Marner said. "This year the leadership group took it upon itself that if we want to go far we've got to take over and we're ready to go every game. I think we've done that.
"When your leadership group shows the younger guys how to play, it just makes the younger guys hungrier. It's happened all playoff long."
Next season Marner will join a Maple Leafs organization in transition. While the Leafs finished last in the NHL, the Toronto Marlies are challenging for an American Hockey League title with a young team led by winger William Nylander.
That young core will be augmented by whoever the Leafs select with the top pick. American centre Auston Matthews, who has already excelled at the professional level in Switzerland, is the presumed No. 1 selection for the upcoming draft.
"I was sitting at home with my family watching it go down, and as a Leaf fan it's pretty special to see the No. 1 pick go to them," Marner said.
The Tilson Trophy is named in honour of Albert (Red) Tilson, a former scoring champion who was killed in action during the Second World War.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016