It always felt like a strange fit.
Mitch Marner was supposed to be the homegrown miracle that finally lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs past their ghosts. A local kid from Markham, molded into a junior hockey juggernaut with the London Knights, then a golden hero with Team Canada at the Four Nations Faceoff. He had the skating, the vision, the résumé that said winner in bold letters.
And yet, in Toronto, none of it ever seemed enough.
For nearly a decade, Marner was the easy target—his playoff production dissected, his contract debated on sports radio, his legacy framed by games in May that ended in heartbreak.
Fans in London still talk about the way he danced through defenders in the 2016 Memorial Cup, capturing MVP honours while leading the Knights to a perfect 4–0 record and their second national title in franchise history.
Scouts still recall his leadership at the 2014 Four Nations Tournament, where he shredded international competition and made it clear he was born for big moments.
Suiting up for Team Cherry at the 2015 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, where he showcased his playmaking skills in front of dozens of NHL scouts. Photos: Aaron Bell/OHL Images
In Toronto, those same big moments became heavy baggage.
It didn’t matter that Marner racked up 639 points in 576 regular-season games—more than any Leaf not named Matthews or Sundin in the modern era. It didn’t matter that he earned Selke Trophy votes as one of the NHL’s best defensive forwards, or that his power-play creativity helped Toronto set franchise scoring records.
When the Maple Leafs sputtered out of the playoffs—again—he was front and center for the blame.
Maybe that’s the burden of playing in hockey’s biggest market. Maybe it’s the curse of expectations that have hardened into something like fatalism over the last half-century.
Either way, the trade to Vegas feels like the inevitable final act of a relationship that was never fully comfortable.
Focused between shifts: Marner adjusts his helmet during a break in the action with London. His #93 sweater became synonymous with his junior hockey dominance.
Mitch Marner launches into celebration after scoring for the London Knights during the 2015–16 season—a year that would end with OHL and Memorial Cup championships.
Leading the charge: Marner, wearing the captain’s “C,” skates back to the bench after another Knights goal as linemates trail behind him.
Representing Team OHL in the CHL Canada-Russia Super Series, an annual showcase of the league’s top talent against international competition.
Standing behind a microphone at his introductory press conference in Las Vegas, Marner looked relieved as much as excited.
“It feels like a fresh start,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Bruce Cassidy and the way he runs his bench. It’s exciting to be reunited with him.”
Cassidy had coached Marner briefly during Hockey Canada camps, a connection that clearly helped shape his comfort level with the move.
He also made a point of explaining his choice of jersey number—a little nod to where all this began.
“I’m going back to 93,” he added with a grin. “That was my number in London, and it feels like the right time to bring it back.”
Marner heads to the desert with a chance to reinvent himself in a locker room that already knows what it takes to win in June. In a strange twist, the very qualities that once made him the target of frustration—his creativity, his risk-taking—might finally be celebrated instead of scrutinized.
For Toronto, it’s an end and a beginning. A clean slate, perhaps, if such a thing even exists in a city so haunted by history.
But for Marner, it’s something simpler: the freedom to just play.
And maybe, finally, to win the way he always did when the pressure wasn’t yet a prison.
Draft Day Realized: Marner meets the media in Sunrise, Florida, after being selected fourth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2015 NHL Draft.
haring the ice with young fans before puck drop: Marner captained the Knights to a remarkable 17-game playoff winning streak en route to the 2016 Memorial Cup.
About the Book
Junior Hockey Giants is my newest book project, coming soon from Hockey Docs. It’s a deep dive into the formative years of Mitch Marner and dozens of other NHL stars—capturing their rise from junior hockey prospects to professional standouts.
Inside, you’ll find exclusive stories, rare behind-the-scenes photos, draft day moments, and the triumphs and challenges that shaped some of the biggest names in the game. From the OHL to the Memorial Cup to the NHL Draft stage, this book chronicles the journeys that fans rarely get to see up close.
If you’ve enjoyed this story about Marner’s path, you’ll love Junior Hockey Giants.
👉 Stay tuned for the official release date—Click brlow to join the Insiders List for first access and preorder bonuses.