Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ethan MacKenzie referred to the moment he was taken 69th overall by the team during the 2026 NHL Draft as a special moment.

Having passed over in the last two drafts, he was slightly older than most players in this year’s draft class. But there was enough talent in MacKenzie’s game to understand why the Leafs took the gamble on him in the third round. He scored 22 goals in 59 games en route to a 58-point season with the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings in 2025-26. He also represented his country at the World Juniors, recording a goal and five points in seven games.

MacKenzie told TSN’s Mark Masters that he watched the draft at home with his friends and family when he got bombarded with texts from people in Buffalo that he would be joining the Leafs organization before he saw it on TV.

“ My first couple years in the Western League didn’t really quite go the way I wanted to, so it’s definitely kind of a weight off my back and just a relief that it actually happened,” he said.  ”I know there’s a ton more work to come and my goal is not done just getting drafted, so I got a lot more work to do. But just being able to have that reassurance that whatever I was doing before worked out, just to continue to keep doing that and keep working.  It’s kind of how I’ve been the last couple of years, put my head down and work, and it’s been working out, so just trying my best to stay level-headed and keep continuing that way.”

He admitted that he got star-struck when he received the phone call from GM John Chayka and Mats Sundin about being drafted by the Leafs, which he described as an honour to remain in Canada and don the Leaf. While the entire process has been a whirlwind, MacKenzie recounted several positive meetings he had with the Leafs ahead of the draft.

When asked what he learned throughout his journey to getting drafted, MacKenzie said the best thing to do in dealing with the ups and downs of the process was to keep working hard and push himself to want it more than the next guy.

“ My first year through the draft I knew it wasn’t gonna happen cause I had an injury that last the whole year, so I didn’t really get to play hockey.  Then last year I thought I had a pretty good chance, and after I went through that draft, I kind of told myself and my close family members, ‘I’m gonna prove it wrong to everyone else, and it was a mistake they didn’t pick me,'” he said. “ I just wanted to have another strong year and kinda just show I’m good enough and I wanna be playing in the NHL someday. I  wanted to show that all the teams kind of made a mistake not picking me. So all throughout the year, it was in my head that I wanna get picked in this draft, and I wanted to do it. I’m just happy it actually came true.”

MacKenzie described himself as a two-way defender who is competitive and willing to go to the dirty areas to make things difficult for the opposition while chipping in offensively when he can. He stated that he models his game after the likes of Bowen Byram and Sean Durzi, both of whom are known for their sharp skating and calmness with the puck. He will surely put those skills to good use when he starts his collegiate career in the fall at the University of North Dakota.

As far as getting acclimated to the organization, MacKenzie already knows the likes of Gavin McKenna and Ben Danford from their time at the World Juniors, as well as Oil Kings teammate Miroslav Holinka. He had high praise for all three players, noting he had gotten close with Holinka in particular over the years.

“ He’s unreal. You know, he’s a special player,” MacKenzie said of McKenna. “You always have that high-end talent when you’re going to one of those camps, but just the way he can excel and prove that he is the best even in that camp and with all those guys there, it was pretty cool to watch him play. He’s just so, so special. His hands, his feet, his IQ of the game and how he sees the ice is unreal.”