Mitch Marner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mitch Marner
Marner with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020
Born	(1997-05-05) May 5, 1997 (age 28) Markham, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team	Toronto Maple Leafs
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	4th overall, 2015 Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	2016–present

Mitchell Marner (born May 5, 1997) is a super talented Canadian ice hockey player. He plays as a right winger and is an alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Maple Leafs picked him fourth overall in the 2015 NHL entry draft, which is a really big deal!

Mitch Marner's Hockey Journey

Early Days in Hockey

Mitch Marner started playing hockey at a young age. He worked on his skills at the 3 Zones Hockey School. He went to two special schools in Ontario, The Hill Academy and then Blyth Academy.

Marner played in minor hockey leagues in the Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). In the 2011–12 season, he played for the Vaughan Kings and helped them win a GTHL championship.

For the 2012–13 season, Marner joined the Don Mills Flyers. He had an amazing year, scoring 86 points in 55 games. He was the second-highest scorer in the GTHL that season. After playing with the Flyers, Marner joined the St. Michael's Buzzers and even won a championship with them!

When he was younger, Marner had a big decision to make. He could have gone to the University of Michigan to play college hockey. But he was also drafted by the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He decided to play for the London Knights.

Playing for the London Knights

Marner had a great first season with the London Knights in 2013–14. He scored 59 points in 64 games. He was almost named the OHL Rookie of the Year!

During the 2014–15 season, Marner played incredibly well with his teammate Max Domi. Everyone started to see him as one of the top players for the 2015 NHL draft. He was expected to be picked in the top five. He led the league in scoring for most of the season. For his amazing play, he was named to the OHL First All-Star team. He also won the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the OHL's best-scoring right wing. The Toronto Maple Leafs then picked him fourth overall in the 2015 draft.

On July 28, 2015, the Maple Leafs signed Marner to his first professional contract.

Marner with the London Knights in January 2016

On October 1, 2015, Marner became a co-captain for the Knights. He played on a strong line with Christian Dvorak and Matthew Tkachuk. This trio was super powerful, and the Knights became the highest-scoring team in the OHL. Marner finished second in OHL scoring with 116 points in 57 games. He won the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL's most outstanding player.

Marner was a key player in the Knights' 2016 playoff run. They won the OHL Championship! He led all players in playoff scoring with 44 points in 18 games. He also won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the playoff MVP.

Marner then helped the Knights win the 2016 Memorial Cup. He won both the Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (tournament MVP) and the Ed Chynoweth Trophy (leading scorer). He was only the second player ever to win all these major awards in one season!

Mitch Marner in the NHL

Starting with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2016–17)

After a great training camp, Marner joined the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2016–17 NHL season. He played his first NHL game on October 12. In his next game, he scored his first NHL goal! A few days later, he got his first assist.

On October 27, 2016, Marner had his first game with multiple points, getting three assists. On November 3, he scored two goals in a game for the first time. By November 15, he was tied for the Maple Leafs' leading scorer.

Marner was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for January 2017. He led all rookies in assists and points that month. He also set a Maple Leafs record for most assists by a rookie in a season with 42. This broke a record that had stood for 73 years! Marner finished his rookie year with 61 points. He, William Nylander, and Auston Matthews were the first trio of rookies since 1981 to each score at least 60 points. His great play helped the team make the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. He scored his first playoff goal in Game 1. The team lost in six games to the Washington Capitals.

Marner with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs

Growing as a Star (2017–19)

On December 19, 2017, Marner had a four-point game, scoring one goal and three assists. On February 10, 2018, he had his first five-point game (two goals and three assists). He was the first Leafs player to do this since 2009! Marner finished the season leading the Leafs in assists and points. He also set new career highs in goals, assists, and total points. The Leafs made the playoffs again. Marner led the Leafs in playoff scoring with nine points, but they lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games.

On October 9, 2018, Marner had another four-point game. On October 27, he got his 100th career assist. On January 3, Marner tied a Maple Leafs record for the fastest goal to start a game, scoring in just seven seconds! On January 17, 2019, he became the first Maple Leafs player to start his NHL career with three straight seasons of 60 points or more. On February 23, he reached 200 career NHL points. He finished the season leading the team in scoring with 94 points. This was the first time a Maple Leaf had scored at least 90 points since Mats Sundin in 1997.

New Contract and Challenges (2019–21)

On September 13, 2019, Marner signed a big six-year contract with the Maple Leafs. He was also named an alternate captain for the team. On November 9, 2019, he got an ankle injury and missed some games. But he came back strong! On December 23, 2019, Marner had his second five-point game. He helped the Leafs come back from being down 6–4 to win 8–6! He was also picked for his first NHL All-Star Game. On February 7, 2020, he got his 200th NHL assist.

The regular season ended early because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NHL held the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in a special "bubble." The Maple Leafs played the Columbus Blue Jackets but lost. Marner had four assists in five games.

In the 2020–21 NHL season, teams only played against others in their own country because of travel rules. The Leafs were in an all-Canadian division. On April 15, 2021, Marner became the fourth Maple Leafs player to have at least five seasons in a row with 40 assists. The Maple Leafs finished first in their division. They played the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. They were expected to win, but they lost the series 4–3. Marner had four assists in seven games. At the end of the year, Marner was named to the NHL First All-Star Team as the best right winger in the league. This was the first time a Maple Leafs player made the First All-Star team since Börje Salming in 1977.

Continued Success (2021–23)

The 2021–22 NHL season was back to normal. Marner had another great year, scoring 35 goals and 62 assists in 72 games. He, Matthews, and Michael Bunting formed one of the best lines in the league. On February 26, 2022, Marner had an amazing night, scoring a career-high four goals and six points! This was his first NHL hat-trick and four-goal game. He almost reached 100 points that season, but his coach rested him for the playoffs. Marner was again named to the NHL First All-Star team.

In the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Maple Leafs played the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had won the championship twice in a row. Marner scored his first playoff goal since 2019 in Game 1, and also had two assists. He played very well in the series, but the Leafs lost again in the first round.

The 2022–23 Toronto Maple Leafs season was another successful one for Marner. He led the team in scoring. He had an incredible 23-game point streak, which is a franchise record! He scored 11 goals and 21 assists during that time. He was one of only twelve players in NHL history to have such a long streak. He finished the season with 99 points, just one shy of 100. He was also a finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is given to the best defensive forward.

The Maple Leafs finished fourth in the league. They played the Tampa Bay Lightning again in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. Marner played a huge role, scoring eleven points in six games. The Leafs finally won their first playoff series since 2004!

Recent Seasons (2023–25)

On November 30, 2023, Marner scored his second career hat trick.

In the 2023–24 Toronto Maple Leafs season, Marner scored 85 points in 69 games. He had an ankle injury in March but returned to play.

On December 7, 2024, Marner recorded his third career hat-trick against the Detroit Red Wings.

During a game on January 4, 2025, Marner helped score the game's first goal for the 112th time in his career. This tied him with Börje Salming for the fifth most by a Maple Leafs player.

Playing for Team Canada

Medal record
Representing  Canada
Ice hockey
World Championships
Silver	2017 Germany/France

Marner first played for Canada at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. He won a gold medal there! He tied for the leading scorer from Canada in that tournament.

At the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Marner led Canada in scoring with four goals and two assists in five games. Canada reached the quarterfinals but lost to Finland.

Marner then played for the Canada senior team at the 2017 IIHF World Championship. Team Canada won a silver medal. Marner scored 12 points in 10 games, placing him in the top ten scorers of the tournament.

About Mitch Marner's Life

Mitch Marner was born in Markham, Ontario. He grew up mostly in Thornhill. His parents are Paul and Bonnie Marner, and he has an older brother named Christopher.

When he was at Blyth Academy, Marner and his London Knights teammates, Christian Dvorak and Owen MacDonald, started a small café called MOD Feast. "MOD" stood for their names (Marner, Owen, Dvorak). They sold bagels and other snacks, and pizza on Fridays!

Growing up, Marner was a big fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team he would later play for. He also liked the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins because of his favorite players, Patrick Kane and Sidney Crosby. Marner's favorite movie is Step Brothers, and his favorite TV show is The Big Bang Theory. He enjoys playing Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty video games.

In July 2020, Marner became a part-owner of OverActive Media, an esports company. This company owns Call of Duty and Overwatch teams in Toronto.

In June 2021, Marner's longtime girlfriend Stephanie LaChance announced they were engaged. They got married on July 29, 2023, in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Career Statistics

International Play Statistics

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2014	Canada Ontario	U17	5th		5	6	3	9	2
2014	Canada	IH18			5	2	5	7	6
2016	Canada	WJC	6th		5	4	2	6	4
2017	Canada	WC			10	4	8	12	8
Junior totals					15	12	10	22	12
Senior totals					10	4	8	12	8

Awards and Honours

Marner lifts the Memorial Cup over his head after the London Knights win the 2016 Memorial Cup

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Mitch Marner para niños