Morgan Rielly

Morgan Frederick Rielly (born March 9, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Despite his injury, Rielly and fellow defenceman Jake Gardiner became the first two Leafs defenceman to record at least 50 points in a season since Tomáš Kaberle and Bryan McCabe accomplished the feat in 2006–07.

He ended the regular season with a career-high 46 assists and 52 points, tying Gardiner for the team points leader amongst Leafs defencemen, and helped propel the Leafs to their second consecutive playoff showing.

Despite pushing the Boston Bruins to seven games, the Leafs lost the series in the first round, as Rielly finished the playoffs with five points.

Rielly was selected second overall by the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League (WHL) Bantam Draft in 2009.

Before entering the WHL, Rielly played midget hockey for the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox, Saskatchewan.

In his final season with the Hounds, Rielly was the top-scoring defenceman in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, with 55 points in 43 games.

His team captured Canada's national midget championship.

Rielly joined the Warriors for the 2010–11 WHL season, playing in 65 games and recording 28 points.

Heading into the 2011–12 WHL season, Rielly was a highly ranked prospect for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

He suffered a serious knee injury, a torn anterior cruciate ligament, causing him to miss most of the season.

He returned for the tail end of the Warriors playoff run against the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Despite the injury, Rielly still finished the season ranked fifth among North American skaters by the Central Scouting Bureau.

He was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the first round, fifth overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Before being drafted, Rielly played with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League.

Rielly was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round, fifth overall, and he signed a contract with the club shortly before the 2012–13 NHL lockout.

He spent the 2012–13 season with the Warriors, with a stint in January at the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp, but eventually was returned to finish the season in the WHL.

Rielly made his professional debut at the end of the 2012–13 season with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL).

At the start of the 2013–14 NHL season, Rielly made the Maple Leafs roster out of training camp.

He made his NHL debut on October 5, 2013, against the Ottawa Senators.

On December 16, 2013, Rielly scored his first NHL goal, against Stanley Cup winner Marc-André Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Rielly recorded his first multigoal game with two goals against Cam Talbot of the New York Rangers on February 10, 2015.

Throughout the 2015–16 season, Rielly earned much praise from Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, as well as other figures of management.

In addition, he would see an increase in ice time, often appearing on the top pairing for the club.

He also set career highs in multiple offensive categories such as goals, assists and points.

He has represented Canada internationally on several occasions, most notably at the 2016 World Championship, where he won a gold medal.

Rielly signed a six-year, $30 million contract on April 13, 2016, carrying an average value of $5 million a season.

Before the 2016–17 season, Rielly was named as one of the Maple Leafs' alternate captains, along with teammates Tyler Bozak, Leo Komarov, and Matt Hunwick.

He had his first career four-point game (1 goal and 3 assists), on November 11, 2016, during a 6–3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers.

He spent most of the 2016–17 season with rookie Nikita Zaitsev on the Leafs' shutdown defence pairing, and finished the season with 27 points in 76 games.

Rielly was nominated for the Bill Masterton Trophy at the end of the 2016–17 season.

During the 2017–18 season, Rielly was injured in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on January 19, 2018, and was placed on injured reserve on January 22.

He was back in the Leafs' lineup on February 3, 2018, after missing six games.

During the 2018–19 season, on October 9, 2018, Rielly recorded a career-high four assists in a 7–4 win over the Dallas Stars, bringing him to ten points in his first four games, tying him for the NHL lead in points alongside teammate Auston Matthews.

The following game, on October 11 against the Detroit Red Wings, Rielly passed Bobby Orr for most points by a defenceman in a team's first five games, with 12 points.

By picking up an assist the next game, he established the longest season-opening point streak by a defenceman in franchise history.

On October 14, Rielly was named as one of the NHL's 3 Stars of the Week for the first time in his career.

He had an NHL-leading six assists, along with an overtime goal against the Chicago Blackhawks, during a four-game Maple Leafs win streak.

He was named as the NHL's second star of the week for his accomplishments.

On December 20, during a 6–1 Leafs win over the Florida Panthers, Rielly recorded his second four assist game of the season, becoming the first NHL defenceman that year to reach the 40-point mark.