If you've watched the Colorado Avalanche battle the Vegas Golden Knights in recent years, you've seen Mitch Marner do something that makes even opposing fans put down their beer and lean forward. A behind-the-back pass that somehow finds tape. A toe-drag that leaves a defenseman spinning. A goal that shouldn't be physically possible from that angle.

Marner isn't just a good hockey player — he's the kind of generational talent that comes along once or twice a decade. And for Avalanche fans, understanding who he is means understanding exactly what Denver's team is up against in the Western Conference.

How Well Do You Know Mitch Marner?

Five questions. Think you know the Knights' star playmaker?

Where was Mitch Marner selected in the 2015 NHL Draft?

• 1st overall — That was Connor McDavid — the only player arguably better than Marner in that draft class. Marner went 4th.
• 4th overall — Correct! Toronto grabbed him 4th overall — a pick that looked better every single season. He was always a top-five lock.
• 10th overall — Marner went much higher — 4th overall to Toronto. Even at 18, scouts knew they were looking at a franchise-level playmaker.
• 19th overall — That was actually his OHL draft position with London Knights. His NHL draft was far higher — 4th overall in 2015.

Marner grew up a fan of which NHL team?

• Toronto Maple Leafs — He grew up in Markham, Ontario — pure Leafs country. Getting drafted by his childhood team is the kind of story that writes itself.
• Ottawa Senators — Not quite — Marner grew up near Toronto and was a Leafs fan through and through. He was eventually drafted by his favorite team.
• Montreal Canadiens — The Habs are a classic rival of the Leafs — Marner grew up rooting for Toronto, the team that eventually made his dream come true.
• Vegas Golden Knights — Vegas didn't even exist as a franchise when Marner was growing up! He's a Maple Leafs kid at heart who eventually landed in the desert.

How many points did Marner record in his final OHL regular season with the London Knights?

• 86 points — That was his minor midget season with the Don Mills Flyers. His final OHL regular season was even more explosive — 116 points in 57 games.
• 116 points — Right on the money. 116 points in 57 games — that's elite even by OHL standards. He finished second in league scoring that year.
• 59 points — That was his OHL rookie season — still excellent, but Marner was just getting started. He exploded to 116 points two years later.
• 100 points — Close! Marner actually hit 116 points in his final OHL regular season — a performance that made him one of the most anticipated NHL prospects in years.

Before choosing junior hockey, which major university offered Marner a scholarship?

• University of Michigan — Michigan offered him a spot with their Wolverines program — a powerhouse program that's produced countless NHL stars. Marner chose the London Knights instead.
• Boston University — It was the University of Michigan that came calling. Marner ultimately turned down the scholarship to pursue the OHL path with the London Knights.
• University of Denver — A great hockey program right here in Colorado — but it was Michigan that offered Marner a scholarship. He went the OHL route instead and it paid off enormously.
• North Dakota — North Dakota is a hockey hotbed, but the offer came from Michigan. Marner chose junior hockey over college, a decision that fast-tracked him to the NHL.

What trophy did Marner win as the OHL's most outstanding player of the year?

• Wayne Gretzky 99 Award — Exactly right. Winning an award named for the greatest player in hockey history is about as high a junior honor as you can get. Marner earned it.
• Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy — The Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy went to Marner for being the OHL's top-scoring right winger — he won that too! But the most outstanding player award was the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award.
• Red Tilson Trophy — Close — the Red Tilson Trophy is actually the OHL's most outstanding player award, and Marner won it! The Wayne Gretzky 99 Award came as part of his extraordinary playoff run.
• OHL MVP Award — The official name is the Red Tilson Trophy for OHL's most outstanding player, which Marner earned in his final junior season alongside a string of other hardware.

That quiz you just took scratches the surface of how loaded Marner's pre-NHL résumé really was. Before he ever laced up for a regular season NHL game, Marner had already won a championship, earned individual hardware at every level, turned down a Division I scholarship, and led one of junior hockey's most dominant teams to a title. That's not a prospect. That's a player who arrived.

For context: the London Knights' 2015-16 season — Marner's final junior year — was one of the most dominant in OHL history. Playing alongside future NHL stars Christian Dvorak and Matthew Tkachuk, Marner orchestrated an offense that made opponents look like they were playing in slow motion.

Mitch Marner's Journey to the NHL

• May 5, 1997 — Born in Markham, Ontario — grows up in Thornhill as a Leafs fan
• 2011–12 — Vaughan Kings — wins GTHL title
• 2012–13 — Don Mills Flyers — 86 points in 55 games, 2nd in GTHL scoring behind Dylan Strome
• 2013 — Turns down University of Michigan scholarship; signs with London Knights (19th overall, OHL Priority Selection)
• 2013–14 — OHL Rookie season — 59 points in 64 games; runner-up for OHL Rookie of the Year behind Travis Konecny
• 2014–15 — Dominant sophomore season alongside Max Domi; named OHL First All-Star; wins Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy
• June 26, 2015 — Selected 4th overall by hometown Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL Draft
• Oct. 1, 2015 — Named co-captain of London Knights alongside Christian Dvorak
• 2015–16 — 116 points in 57 games — wins Red Tilson Trophy (OHL's most outstanding player)
• Spring 2016 — 44 points in 18 playoff games — leads London Knights to OHL championship; wins Wayne Gretzky 99 Award
• 2016 — Makes NHL debut with Toronto Maple Leafs
• 2024–present — Signs with Vegas Golden Knights — becomes Avalanche fans' new Western Conference nemesis

He was consistently included as one of the top prospects in the draft — not just a top ten pick, but potentially top five. Then he led the league in scoring.Scouting consensus heading into the 2015 NHL Draft

What made Marner's junior career remarkable wasn't just the numbers — it was the timing. Every time a bigger stage appeared, Marner raised his game. Regular season? Led the OHL in scoring for most of the year. Playoffs? 44 points in 18 games on the way to a championship. That ability to elevate in high-pressure moments is exactly what Mitch Marner carried into the NHL — and exactly why Colorado Avalanche fans should know his name by heart.

His path also reflects a road less traveled in elite hockey development: he turned down a free ride to one of America's top hockey programs, bet on himself in the OHL, and won. It's the kind of decision that defines careers — and Marner's bet paid off at every single level.

Marner vs. His 2015 Draft Class Peers

Marner Then vs. Now

The Junior Prospect (2013–2016)

• 19th OHL Draft Pick London Knights, 2013
• Turned down University of Michigan scholarship
• Co-captain of London Knights at age 18
• 116 Points in Final OHL Season 57 games

The NHL Star (2016–Present)

• 4th NHL Draft Pick Toronto Maple Leafs, 2015
• Became one of NHL's premier right wingers
• Signed with Vegas Golden Knights
• 29 Current Age Still in his prime

Junior Career By the Numbers

• 59 — OHL Rookie Points
• 86 — Midget Points
• 116 — Final OHL Season
• 44 — Playoff Points
• 3 — Major Junior Trophies
• 1 — OHL Championship

For Denver hockey fans, Marner's story carries a broader lesson about what elite junior development looks like. The London Knights pipeline — which also produced Tkachuk and Dvorak, both familiar names to Avalanche followers — is one of the most respected in North American hockey. Marner didn't just pass through that system. He defined a generation of it.

Now wearing gold and gray in the desert, Marner brings all of that pedigree to a Vegas team that's built to compete right now. When the Golden Knights roll into Ball Arena, or the Avs head west, the player setting up goals and making the Vegas power play hum is the same kid who chose junior hockey over college, won everything there was to win at 18, and never looked back.

The World Marner Grew Up In: OHL Hockey in Southern Ontario

The Greater Toronto Hockey League and the Ontario Hockey League aren't just feeder systems — they're the most competitive youth hockey pipelines on the planet. Marner's path from Markham to Thornhill to Vaughan to London mirrors dozens of NHL stars who came before him.

The London Knights specifically have an almost unfair track record: Patrick Kane, Rick Nash, Corey Perry, Bo Horvat — the list of former Knights who became NHL headliners reads like a Hall of Fame wing. When Marner was named captain at 18, he was inheriting that legacy.

The decision to skip the University of Michigan — a powerhouse program that has sent players like Zach Werenski, Tony Amonte, and Brendan Morrison to the NHL — reflects the fundamental fork in the road every elite Canadian prospect faces. The OHL path is faster but harder. College offers security and development time. Marner chose speed, and his 116-point season validated every bit of it.

Sources & References

• Primary source: en.wikipedia.org
• Hockey Reference — Mitch Marner career statistics and draft information
• Ontario Hockey League (OHL) — Red Tilson Trophy, Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy, and Wayne Gretzky 99 Award historical records
• National Hockey League — 2015 NHL Entry Draft results and player biographical data
• Wikipedia / Mitchell Marner entry — Source article: early life, junior career, and draft history facts