Toronto Maple Leafs opt for Mitchell Marner and his 'elite hockey sense and a will to win'

Mitchell Marner and Mark Hunter are reunited with the Toronto Maple Leafs, who went for the brainy forward with upside at No. 4 overall at the NHL draft in Sunrise, Fla., on Friday.

Hunter, putting his stamp on the Leafs' prospect pool, opted for the diminutive dynamo that he selected in the OHL priority selection two years ago for the London Knights before Marner became a prolific playmaker. The Leafs evidently believe that Marner, generously listed at 5-foot-11 and 165 piounds, has a greater chance of being a game-changing influence than the highest-ranked defenceman, Boston College's Noah Hanifin, who was chosen No. 5 overall by the Carolina Hurricanes. 

"I think my heart was beating too fast," Marner, a Thornhill, Ont., native, told Sportsnet. "I was speechless. It was an awesome moment. He [Hunter] called my name in the OHL draft. I'd never thought he'd call my name in the NHL draft.

"I wanted to play with this team my whole life," Marner added.

Marner's progress last season in London, where he totalled 126 points across 63 games while manning both centre and wing, has elicited comparisons with Chicago Blackhawks attacker Patrick Kane, who also played under Hunter in London during his draft season in 2007-08. Marner repeatedly displayed advanced on-ice intuition and ability to think two or three moves while moving at top speed both north-south and east-west. He was also able to finish off chances in close confines around the net despite being smaller than almost all defencemen in the OHL. 

Hunter, the Leafs assistant GM, said the franchise had a long debate over how to utilize its highest choice since 1989.

"It was a big debate because there were some real good hockey players in that area — [Dylan] Strome, Hanifin," Hunter told Sportsnet. "We were pretty excited about getting Mitch, but there was some conversation. I think he's got elite hockey sense and a will to win."

Marner was chosen after the Edmonton Oilers chose Erie's Connor McDavid first overall, the Buffalo Sabres took Boston University's Jack Eichel second and the Arizona Coyotes chose Erie's third.

He is the highest pick by the Leafs since Scott Thornton was chosen No. 3 overall in 1989.

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