Heading into training camp, Brandon Kozun was a long shot to make the Toronto Maple Leafs and he’s the first to admit it.
“I can’t tell you that I was coming into camp thinking I was going to make the team,” Kozun told Sportsnet 590 The Fan Tuesday, “but on the other hand I think you need to be confident in yourself and your abilities and believe there’s a chance for it.”
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The 24-year-old was drafted 179th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in 2009, but has never suited up for a regular-season NHL game. That will change Wednesday when the Leafs host the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener.
Kozun’s journey to the NHL was an arduous one and sometimes discouraging.
He spent his junior days with the Calgary Hitmen in the Western Hockey League, racking up 270 points in 217 games there and even winning a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2010 world juniors. However, when it was time to turn pro, he couldn’t crack the Kings’ lineup. He spent three-and-a-half seasons with the Manchester Monarchs before being dealt to the Leafs in January for forward Andrew Crescenzi in a swap of AHLers.
With the prospects of making an NHL roster seemingly slim, Kozun weighed his options when he received several offers from European teams. Ultimately, he never gave up on his childhood dream and stayed in North America.
“I did have some offers to go overseas, but it always came down to I felt like if I did get an opportunity that I could play in the league,” Kozun said. “I always believed in my abilities and for me it was just trying to get better every day and make sure that when I got that opportunity I was ready for it.”
With several forward spots up for grabs in training camp, Kozan got the opportunity he was waiting for and made the most of it. An impressive 2014-15 pre-season showing was enough to earn him a spot on the Leafs’ opening-day roster.
“I’m proud of what I’ve done so far, but on the other hand I don’t want to get too comfortable,” Kozun explained. “I feel like there still is a lot of doubters out there and I’m trying to prove people wrong every day…I think I’ve always had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder being a smaller guy, but it’s something you need to use in a good way.”
At five-foot-eight and 180 pounds, Kozun relies on skill and speed to get results on the ice. With Kozun making the Leafs and enforcers Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren starting the season in the minors, it signifies a possible shift in thinking for a Leafs franchise that has made the playoffs just once in the last nine seasons.
On opening night, Kozun will wear the No. 67, a number that reminds Leafs fans how long it has been since they’ve won the Stanley Cup, and is projected to play on the Leafs’ second line alongside Joffrey Lupul and Nazem Kadri.
“It’s something you dream of your whole life, it’s something I’ve been playing for my whole life and to finally get a chance to get on that ice and actually experience it, it’s going to be pretty surreal.”
