Toronto Maple Leafs: Mitch Marner Going to the Worlds

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner has decided to participate in the IIHF World Hockey Championship, a choice that will give the young forward more experience in future seasons.

The first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs is finished and the season is over for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Sadness, disappointment, and a multitude of interviews usually follow a certain routine.

Reporters ask, “What did you feel you could do more?”, or, “What will you learn from this playoff run?” Another question reporters may ask is whether a player is participating in the IIHF World Hockey Championship.

Once a year, players around the world play in a tournament for a national trophy. Each time is usually filled with NHL players whose team didn’t make the playoffs or were eliminated. Seeing as how the Leafs were eliminated after a Game 6 loss to Washington, that question has floated around the team’s stars.

It was announced Wednesday, that Mitch Marner will represent Team Canada in the tournament this year. The last time the Leafs rookie played with the Canadian Maple Leaf on his chest was during the 2016 IIHF World Junior Tournament. That team had a disappointing end, finishing in sixth place.

Marner gets to build off the success he had this regular season and maybe have the chance to play with some NHL stars while he’s at it. However, one question comes to mind. Is more hockey the right thing for him?

Although Marner is the only Leaf at the moment to announce his participation, he’s not the only player on the team to make a decision. Defenceman Morgan Rielly took part in the tournament last year, winning Gold with Team Canada.

However, Rielly has stated he will not go. Speaking to the Toronto Sun‘s Terry Kosham and other members of the media, he said:

"I feel like it’s best for me to go home and get some rest, recharge."

Along with Rielly, 2016 first overall draft pick Auston Matthews has also told reporters he will not play. During locker clean out, Matthews expressed to the media that he was exhausted, saying:

"Talking to my family and my agent, it’s been a pretty long year for me."

So let’s compare how much hockey Matthews and Rielly have played this year. After being drafted in June, Matthews has taken part in the Leafs rookie camp, the World Cup as a part of Team North America, the regular season, and the playoffs.

It’s also important to mention that Matthews played for Team USA in last year’s World Championships before being drafted. Rielly’s year was similar, except for the rookie camp.

Marner has also played a lot of hockey in the past year. After finishing an OHL regular season with 116 points in 56 games, Marner led the London Knights to a J. Robertson Cup Championship.

His performance in the playoff run was outstanding, scoring 44 points in 16 games. The same London Knights team went on to win the Memorial Cup, where Marner had 14 points in four games.

Not the same level as Matthews or Rielly, but still a fair amount. Add on a rookie season of dominance and a playoff run, and fatigue could be a factor.

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With that being said, Marner’s choice to go to the World’s is nothing less than great. Similar to Matthews’ experience at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game, Marner will get to play to a number of established NHLers. Spending time with the likes of Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, and Mark Scheifele to name a few will do nothing but good for the young star.

After a disappointing playoff performance, Marner knows he will have to work hard this offseason to improve. When asked about the biggest difference between the regular season and the playoffs in terms of style of play, Marner said:

"Just time and space. A lot less time and space. Just gotta think quicker and do plays quicker."

Marner also knows the beast that is the NHL, and with this knowledge he should be able to work on his skills and execution. Working out and eating well is one thing, but there is no better practice than getting in a game.

Next: Was Nikita Zaitsev's Injury Handled Properly?

Head coach Mike Babcock and GM Lou Lamoriello will be at the World’s as well, scouting for potential free agents. It may do the 2015 fourth overall pick some good if he showed them his desire to be better, in his play with Team Canada.