Amidst the whirlwind that was Day 2 of the NHL Draft in Buffalo, after Alexander Bilecki first heard his name attached to his favourite boyhood hockey team, and somewhere between pulling on a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater and matching cap and fielding a congratulatory phone call from “Mr. Sundin,” the prospect spotted Aunt Gail’s face in the crowd.
She was sitting near Grandma and Mom and Dad.
“My aunt’s been a diehard Leafs fan since she was a kid. So, I saw it brought a tear to her eye,” the 18-year-old said that night of his 60th-overall selection.
“Surreal, really. Obviously, being from Mississauga-Toronto area, I was always watching the Leafs. It’s a great feeling, obviously, hearing your name being called, especially by this organization.”
A golden ticket named Gavin McKenna — the prospect who preceded Bilecki in Toronto’s 10-player, cupboard-stocking haul at the ’26 draft — will, of course, be the most anticipated teenager to don the Blue and White this weekend at the pre-camp rookie tournament in Gatineau, Que.
But for an only child from Mississauga who made a name for himself with the Memorial Cup–clinching Kitchener Rangers, repping his family’s favourite team Saturday (versus Ottawa) and Sunday (versus Winnipeg) is the stuff of fantasies.
Bilecki had interviewed with Toronto’s brass at the combine and had been in touch with the Maple Leafs throughout his breakout OHL sophomore campaign, so he had an inkling that he might be their second-round target.
“But you never really know until your name gets called,” he said. “And it’s a special feeling for sure.”
Draft experts were quick to crown the six-foot-one, 180-pound, left-shot defenceman a steal at 60, and heading into his third season in Kitchener, Bilecki is eager to prove them correct.
Last season, the puck-moving blue-liner tripled his goals (from three to nine) and more than doubled his points year-over-year. He then exploded for 11 points in the Rangers’ 18-game playoff run to the CHL title.
All that positive energy trickled into the draft and through early July’s development camp, where “Bils” became fast friends with roommate McKenna. McKenna invited Bilecki to the Portugal-Croatia World Cup game, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Bilecki smiles widely when he vows to tell his grandkids that he saw Cristiano Ronaldo score.
As Antsy as GM John Chayka might be for a back-end playmaker to support (or eventually supplant) lefty Morgan Rielly, the Maple Leafs will take their time to properly develop Bilecki, as they’re doing with 20-year-old Ben Danford.
“My skating and just my hockey IQ, the way I see the ice, if it’s on a breakout pass or creating a chance in the offensive zone, a backdoor seam pass, I just think that’s what I can bring,” Bilecki said. “Be dynamic offensively and contribute that way.”
Bilecki’s playmaking IQ is the critical piece here.
In Chayka’s first Toronto draft, the executive says he focused on selecting defencemen who rated high in mobility and puck-moving — a sharp detour from the size and snarl prioritized by the GM’s predecessor.
“Smart, competitive players who can move the puck, play with the puck, possess the puck, skate, forecheck, and make a play with quick decisions,” Chayka explained. “Guys who make a play and join the rush instead of always leading the rush.”
Still, the prospect is a self-confessed “lanky guy” who understands he needs to fill out his frame and build the necessary muscle to box out grownups around the crease.
“Just keep on eating and putting on strength, and I can really round out my game and become a player,” Bilecki said confidently.
Surely that confidence was only enhanced by lifting a championship trophy alongside his “brothers” on the Rangers.
“Absolutely. You want winners. That is part of building culture and the room you want,” said Leafs assistant GM Judd Brackett.
“It is not just the winning, too; it’s the role he played on the team. He played top-four minutes and had the chance to win the Memorial Cup. He will continue to build off the success that team had. His role will continue to expand with Kitchener. We are really excited about that.”
As is Bilecki to join the franchise he would root on a few times each winter, when his season-ticket-holding friend would bring him east to Scotiabank Arena.
“Always, I was watching like, ‘Hey, maybe I can be a part of that and do something special.’ So, it’s kind of my goal, and we'll see what happens,” Bilecki said of the Maple Leafs.
“I mean, I’m ready to bring it, ready to get to work. And I’m a winner. So, can’t wait to bring that mentality into Toronto.”
