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STAND AND DELIVER

LANNY MCDONALDDRAFTED:

1973, 1ST ROUND, 4TH OVERALLTORONTO CAREER (1973-80):

477 GAMES, 219-240-459The man with the iconic moustache rode shot-gun with Sittler for years, posting four consec-utive 40-or-more-goal seasons from 1976-80, and scoring a memorable playoff OT goal against the New York Islanders on April 29, 1978. McDonald would go on to win a Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1989, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1992.

DARRYL SITTLERDRAFTED:

1970, 1ST ROUND, 8TH OVERALLTORONTO CAREER (1970-82):

844 GAMES, 389-527-916Sittler still owns the NHL record for points in one game (10) after scoring six goals and collecting four assists against Boston on February 7, 1976. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1989, Sittler gained international attention when he scored the overtime game winner for Canada over Czechoslovakia in the 1976 Canada Cup. He also twice broke the 100-point plateau, and scored 90 or more in three other seasons.

A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF TORONTO’S MOST NOTABLE NHL DRAFT SIGNINGS

text KEVIN SNOW

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very summer at the NHL Draft, teams call the names of some talented young players to help shape the future of their franchises, and the Maple Leafs have

struck gold many times. Here’s a look at some of the top draft choices in Toronto’s history.

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JOHNANDERSONDRAFTED:

1977, 1ST ROUND, 11TH OVERALLTORONTO CAREER (1977-85):

534 GAMES, 189-204-393Anderson tallied four straight 30-or-more-goal seasons from 1981-85, and his 189 goals place him 14th all-time in franchise history. The man behind the popular Toronto-area hamburger restaurants has also gone on to a coaching career at both the NHL and minor-league levels.

IAN TURNBULLDRAFTED:

1973, 1ST ROUND, 15TH OVERALLTORONTO CAREER (1973-82):

580 GAMES, 112-302-414Playing alongside Börje Salming on the Toronto blue line, Turnbull quietly posted four seasons of 60 or more points, including a career-best 22 goals and 79 points in 1976-77. Those 79 points remain the Toronto sin-gle-season record for defencemen. Turnbull also holds the NHL record for defencemen with five goals (on five shots) in one game against Detroit on February 2, 1977.

WENDEL CLARKDRAFTED:

1985, 1ST ROUND, 1ST OVERALLTORONTO CAREER (1985-94, 1995-98, 2000):

608 GAMES, 260-181-441The unassuming farm boy from Kelvington, Sask., became an instant fan favourite at Maple Leaf Gardens for his bone-crunching bodychecks and scoring prowess. Clark scored 34 goals and amassed 227 penalty minutes in his 1985-86 rookie campaign, finishing second to Calgary’s Gary Suter for the Calder Trophy. He also scored a career-high 46 goals with the Maple Leafs in 1993-94.

FÉLIX POTVINDRAFTED:

1990, 2ND ROUND, 31ST OVERALLTORONTO CAREER (1991-99):

369 GAMES, 160-149-49, 2.87 GAA, .908 SAVE PERCENTAGEPotvin burst onto the scene with Toronto in 1992-93, and played in all 21 games of the team’s miraculous 1993 playoff run. “The Cat” finished third in Calder Trophy voting that season, and fourth for the Vezina Trophy. Potvin sits third all-time in franchise history in wins (160) and games played (369), trailing only the legendary Turk Broda and Johnny Bower in each category. GE

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NAZEM KADRIDRAFTED:

2009, 1ST ROUND, 7TH OVERALLTORONTO CAREER (2009-PRESENT):

326 GAMES, 81-116-197Toronto’s leading scorer with 45 points (17+28) last season, Kadri, has topped the 40-point plateau in three of his four full sea-sons with the Leafs, and since 2012 has never scored fewer than 17 goals in a season. Kadri also won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2010 World Junior Championships.

WILLIAM NYLANDERDRAFTED:

2014, 1ST ROUND, 8TH OVERALLTORONTO CAREER (2015-PRESENT):

22 GAMES, 6-7-13Nylander averaged more than a point per game for the Toronto Marlies in 2015-16, collecting 45 points in 38 games. The 20-year-old centre also scored 13 points in 22 games with the big club last season, including a pair of three-point outings in wins over Calgary and Philadelphia.

MORGAN RIELLYDRAFTED:

2012, 1ST ROUND, 5TH OVERALLTORONTO CAREER (2013-PRESENT):

236 GAMES, 19-73-92Already entering his fourth season wearing the blue and white, 22-year-old Vancouver-native Rielly posted career highs in goals (9), points (36) and average time on ice (23:14) last season to lead all Toronto defencemen.

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MITCH MARNERDRAFTED:

2015, 1ST ROUND, 4TH OVERALLThe 19-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., was named the Canadian Hockey League’s Player of the Year last season, racking up 39 goals and 77 assists in 57 games with the OHL’s London Knights. Marner followed that up with 44 points (16+28) in 18 playoff games to lead London to a Memorial Cup title, and was named the tournament MVP.

AUSTON MATTHEWSDRAFTED:

2016, 1ST ROUND, 1ST OVERALLThis past June, Arizona native Matthews, now 19, became the second No. 1 overall pick in Toronto history after playing over-seas in the Swiss Elite League. The 6'2", 216-lb. centre – who started playing at age six – scored 46 (24+22) points in 36 games for the Zurich Lions and finished second in voting for league MVP.

DRAFT DIAMONDSLATER-ROUND DRAFT GEMS WHO UNEXPECTEDLY ROSE THROUGH THE RANKS TO SHINE AS LEAFS

MIKE PALMATEERDRAFTED:

1974, 5TH ROUND, 85TH OVERALL

TORONTO CAREER (1976-80, 1982-84):

296 GAMES, 129-112-41

The 5'9" Palmateer played only six seasons in Toronto, but his 129 wins and 296 games played rank him among the top five goaltenders in franchise history.

SERGEI BEREZINDRAFTED:

1994, 10TH ROUND, 256TH OVERALL

TORONTO CAREER (1996-2001):

357 GAMES, 126-94-220

The prototypical sniper, Berezin had four seasons of 20 or more goals in his five years with Toronto, including a career-high 37 in 1998-99.

TOMÁŠ KABERLEDRAFTED:

1996, 8TH ROUND, 204TH OVERALL

TORONTO CAREER (1998-2011):

878 GAMES, 83-437-520

Kaberle’s 520 points (83+437) are second only to Börje Salming in franchise history among defencemen, and his 878 games played rank third all-time among Toronto blueliners.

LEO KOMAROV DRAFTED:

2006, 6TH ROUND,

180TH OVERALL

TORONTO CAREER

(2012-PRESENT):

171 GAMES, 31-40-71

The tenacious forward from Estonia was second on the team with 19 goals last season, and was Toronto’s lone repre-sentative in the 2016 NHL All-Star Game.

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