Maple Leafs have an ardour for Marner: the coast-to-coast

Combing all corners of the country and the blogosphere for your junior hockey headlines ...

WHL

Mike Morreale has his final, final, no takebacks, mock draft. (NHL.com)

Tri-City Americans defenceman Brandon Carlo will be 77 inches of tightly coiled energy until he hears a team call his name. (Colorado Springs Gazette)

Overage forward Scott Feser has been moved to the Swift Currento Broncos from Memorial Cup host Red Deer. (Southwest Booster)

What would a WHL team in Nanaimo, B.C., mean for that city's Junior A team? (Nanaimo Daily News)

Very sad news: former WHL player Cody Smuk died after battling cancer on Thursday. He was 26. (Moose Jaw Times-Herald, CTV Saskatoon)

Not the Dub, but Tyler King does a number on politicians in Fort McMurray, Alta., for choosing a company with a checkered past for the city's arena project. Did anyone else read this and think of Lyle Lanley on The Simpsons? "I've sold arenas to Prescott Valley, Casper and North Haverbrook, and by gum that put them on the hockey map!" (Fort McMurray Today)

OHL

The Toronto Maple Leafs really, really, really want Mitchell Marner. (Globe & Mail)

Marner was born a snake handler, or something. (Sporting News)

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds speed merchant Zach Senyshyn might have been wise to put his skates in his suitcase when he left for the draft. Someone will want him a development camp really quickly. (Sault Star)

Top-ranked North American goalie Mackenzie Blackwood didn't move to the cord cottage until he was 12 years old. (Barrie Examiner, Vancouver Province)

The Windsor Spitfires have top pick Gabe Vilardi in the fold. (Windsor Star)

Lost in the draft hype, Josh Ho-Sang is out of Hockey Canada's bad books. Truthfully, there might not even be one. (St. Catharines Standard)

You might recall the story of how the Junior B Stratford Cullitons allowed forward Mitch Vandergunst to play this season after he had been convicted of sexual assault. An investigation has concluded only the coach and "a small number of players" knew that Vandergunst had a criminal conviction. (Stratford Beacon Herald)

QMJHL

League scoring champ Conor Garland didn't exactly turn his back on his college hockey. Only Penn State showed any interest. Now Garland might be this season's Tanner Pearson. (Wicked Local Scituate)

Halifax Mooseheads star Timo Meier, like every projected first-rounder ever, is just trying to enjoy the process. (Metro Halifax)

Some wise team is going to land Shawinigan centre Anthony Beauvillier. (Times Online)

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @naitSAYger.