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NHL DRAFTJune 26, 2015Mitchell MarnerSUNRISE, FLORIDA Q. You said all along this would be your dream. What's it like? MITCHELL MARNER: There's no really words to put it. I was sitting up there and obviously Dylan's name got called and happy for him, and when the Leafs got up there, my heart started beating, didn't know what was going to happen. I think ‑‑ when Mark kind of went to the mic, I think I had a little understanding what was going to happen, so it was an exciting time. Q. Talk a little bit about your history with Mark. We talked earlier about the first time he came to see you. It's come full circle. MITCHELL MARNER: Yeah, if you would have told me that he would have drafted me in the NHL and the OHL at the same time, I wouldn't have believed you. But weird things happen like this and it's a special thing to happen. Obviously when I got up there he gave me a big hug and said thank you. He's been with me since day one, drafting me and taking a risk on me, and there's really no words to put in how much I thank him. Q. So he didn't give you a heads up that he was going to take you? MITCHELL MARNER: No, he was pretty bad on that. He was quiet all year to me. That's how Mark is, though, he's a quiet guy and likes to stick to himself, and you've got to respect that. Q. What did you learn in London? MITCHELL MARNER: You learn a lot. You learn a lot of defense, a lot of offense, a lot of skills that you didn't have going in there, and both of them play in the NHL, and Dale has coached in the NHL, and he's a special guy. Every time I step on the ice, I learn something new every time. Q. Did you feel the pressure when the season started in London, maybe having to produce points that maybe equated to what might have been a slow start by your standards? MITCHELL MARNER: Yeah, for sure. I think I was thinking too much about this draft. I kind of went home and just thought about it and kind of relieved myself of that, and ever since then, my game just kept going up and up and getting better and better, and that's how I thought of it the rest of the year, and I kept getting better as the games went on. Q. Do you think you're ready to play in the NHL in October? MITCHELL MARNER: That's the goal for me. I want to play, and if I don't play, I've got a great organization to go back to. It's all up to them. Q. I see you're wearing a blue and white tie. Were you expecting this on some level? MITCHELL MARNER: No, I got asked that a couple times, but I like blue. I go with blue a lot for my colors. It's kind of funny that it's worked out. Yeah, I was sitting there with Strome and he looks at my tie. He's like, you have Leafs on your tie. I'm like that's not good. He's like, you probably planned this. And I'm like, no, I didn't. We joke around like that and it's fun. Q. What were you thinking at 3? Were you sitting near him and what happened there? MITCHELL MARNER: He was sitting across from me. I kept trying to stare in his eyes, just to kind of see if he was hinting on me or anything, but nothing was going on. But when it was called, I was obviously applauding and I was happy for him. He wanted to go to Arizona, and it happened for him, and his dream has come true. Q. What do you know about Mike Babcock? MITCHELL MARNER: Obviously I know a lot. He's a great coach. He's hard on his players, and that's how I want a coach to be. I want him to be hard and I want him to make me learn something new every practice, and that's what I'm willing to do. Q. Does it bother you or excite you to go to a team that is going through a rebuild? MITCHELL MARNER: I'm excited. It's a great up and coming team, and we have the best fans behind us. I think that building is always bumping and it's a great place to play in, and I can't wait to step in there for the first time. Q. Did you ever see games there? MITCHELL MARNER: I've seen a couple. It's hard going out, but it's obviously a lot of fun going there, watching games, and the fan base blows me away every time I step in there. Q. What was the last game you saw there? MITCHELL MARNER: I think it was the year before this one I went there, and it was a crazy atmosphere there, and it was a lot of fun watching. Q. What do you think life is going to be like as a Maple Leaf playing in Toronto and in the spotlight? MITCHELL MARNER: I don't know if there's words to put it. It's a special thing. You get a lot of praise from the fans when you're doing well and sometimes not the best when you're doing bad. But that's how every fan base is. You've got to respect them, and you've just got to go out there and work hard every game and hope for the best. Q. What do you think your biggest challenge is going to be to get to the NHL and find success? MITCHELL MARNER: I think I've got to put on the right strength. I think if I do that, then I can do it. But it's all coming with weight and strength, and that's what I'll focus on this summer. Q. You had some growing to do. You've talked many times about your stature, but it's not a big man game anymore in the NHL. MITCHELL MARNER: Yeah, he picked me when I was 5'5", 120, into the OHL draft and he had no doubt on me there, and it looks like he has no doubt now. That means a lot for a kid growing up when someone takes a risk on them and puts a lot of responsibilities into him, and that's the guy I want to be. I want to be someone that everyone puts responsibilities in and puts pressure on to do well. That's how I want to be. Q. Do you see yourself as a center or a winger long‑term? MITCHELL MARNER: I don't think it really matters. I think I can be any of them. I think it matters what the coach wants me to play, and wherever he wants me to play, I'll play. Q. (Inaudible). MITCHELL MARNER: I know a lot of guys in this draft. I'm happy if anyone gets drafted, especially to this team that I just got on board on. I have a lot of good friends out there waiting for their name to be called. Obviously if I know the guy well and he gets called, I'll obviously be excited. But I don't think it matters. I'm going to be friends with this guy no matter who he is and no matter how much I know him. Q. What do you think this means to your family? MITCHELL MARNER: I don't think there's words to put into that. My mom and dad sacrificed so much of their time, so much work for me. And even these past two years, how much time they took off work to come watch me play in the OHL, it's crazy. That was kind of the funny thing about this. They were talking about if you get drafted to the Leafs, we finally don't have to drive too far. It's about a 30‑minute drive to the rink. I said, exactly, that's perfect. They were kind of joking around about stuff like that. It's a lot of fun. They sacrificed so much time for me, and I'm happy that I can pay them back with this, and hopefully I can keep going in the future. Q. Who else is here with you? MITCHELL MARNER: I have a lot of people. I have obviously my whole family, my mom and dad, my brother, and then I have about 30 family, friends or more, and they've been with me since day one. There's a couple people in the stands that have held me when I was a baby, and it's pretty remarkable nowadays, we're sitting here in this chair and I'm wearing a Leafs jersey and they were all big Leafs fans growing up, so it's funny that this happened. Q. (Inaudible). What has that organization meant for your development? MITCHELL MARNER: Yeah, it's done everything for my development. It's made me so much better of a player and a person. That's one of the best fan bases in the OHL if not the best. I think it's probably the best in the CHL, if anything. You go out there after every game, and there's a lot of fans and young fans standing out there getting autographs. It's fun going out there making kids smile. I know it's the same with the Leafs. I know they have a lot of fans and young fans, and that's what I want to do, I want to be a great person off the ice and on the ice, and that's what my goal is. And obviously on the ice Mark and Dale push you every step of the way and make you better in every way. Q. (Inaudible) say anything to you at the podium? MITCHELL MARNER: He said welcome, glad to have you, and that's really all I got to talk to him so far, but obviously I'm excited to see him up top. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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