Maple Leafs Morgan Rielly Reveals Humorous Story About Why He Chose to Become a Defenseman

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Julien Trekker
November 11, 2023 (12:47)

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Rielly: A Key Part of Toronto's Defense for More than 10 Years

Morgan Rielly has been a key member of the Maple Leafs' defensive unit for more than 10 years now.

He was drafted by the Leafs in 2012 and has played 733 games with Toronto since then. In that time, he has scored 425 points, including 75 goals.

One of Rielly's main attributes: his offensive skills. He scored 11 points in 14 games this season.

His scoring abilities come from his younger days, where he played as a forward!

In a recent interview, he shared the funny story of why he became a defenseman.

Rielly Shares the Story of Why He Became a Defenseman

He revealed that it was his dad who moved him to defense to get more ice time!

"When I was younger, I played as a forward, and then my dad moved me to defense because there were fewer defensemen and therefore you got more ice time. So I was kind of down with that."

In the interview, Rielly also spoke about the journey that led him to where he is:

"I think when you're really young, you dream about [making the NHL], but you don't, like, make a decision. And ever since I was a kid, I loved [playing hockey]. I was always kind of realistic. I knew that it would be challenging.

Then, in grade nine, I moved away from home and went to Notre Dame, which is kind of a hockey school in Wilcox, Saskatchewan. That move was kind of my first step toward doing, you know, anything out of the ordinary to try to pursue [an NHL career]."

Do you think Rielly has been the best defenseman in Toronto in the past ten years?

As seen on Daily Hive - Leafs' Rielly reveals funny reason why he became a defenceman