Mitch Marner emerged as a national hero with a standout performance in the 4 Nations Face-Off Final, delivering the primary assist on Connor McDavid’s tournament-winning goal for Team Canada. It’s clear that Marner impressed his Canada teammates not only as a playmaker, but as a person as well.

Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis provided a glowing review of Marner prior to Saturday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“Yeah, he’s amazing. He’s an incredible person. He was a lot of fun to hang out with. We grew a good friendship, it was fun to be around him, and obviously, seeing him play is something special. In those moments like that, it definitely shows,” Jarvis said of Marner.

Marner was asked to play in different roles throughout the tournament for Canada, playing on a shutdown line with Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli, and was bumped up to the top line during Thursday’s final, alongside McDavid and Brayden Point. During the tournament’s opening game, Marner notched the overtime winner against Sweden, which proved to be the difference in the head-to-head tiebreak at the end of the round robin.

Jarvis is one of the NHL’s premier defensive forwards, and could be a staple of Canada’s 2026 Olympic team alongside Marner, so it’s all the more impressive to see Marner earn plaudits from his peers, who mirror his game.

Marner spoke to reporters Saturday morning and said he’s looking firmly ahead to the rest of the Maple Leafs’ season, with 25 games remaining.

“It’s been cool, lots of fun celebrating with everyone, and obviously flip the switch pretty quickly, getting on a plane, getting back here, and getting ready for a game,” Marner said.

Marner has been one of the NHL’s best players this season, tied for fourth in NHL scoring with 71 points ahead of Saturday’s game, where he’s been asked to contribute in all situations for the Maple Leafs. It’s clear that he’s universally respected by his peers, and now Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander and the rest of the Maple Leafs are solely focused on the elusive pursuit of a Stanley Cup.