This week, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced that Kitchener native Steven Lorentz is locked in for a three-year extension.

The 29-year-old became a fan favourite last season as a Southern Ontario kid who brought size and physicality to Toronto’s bottom six. On Wednesday, Lorentz joined Nick Alberga and David Pagnotta on Leafs Morning Take to share his excitement about being able to continue to play for his boyhood team.

“It’s awesome, my heart was always here,” Lorentz said. “I know I only played one year in Toronto, but I fell in love with it. How can you not, being a local kid?”

Lorentz finally signed his extension Monday after what he shares was a somewhat lengthy process. The 6-foot-4, 216 lb. skater said the intention to re-sign traced back to early in the season, but discussions were put on hold through the end of the year and playoffs as the hockey became priority. In the end, it “took a little longer” than he’d hoped, but he was happy to finally get it in ink in time to pop the champagne on Canada Day.

“I was a little bit stressed there, I wanted to enjoy my long weekend a little bit more, but I was waiting by the phone for that phone call,” Lorentz said. “Finally it came on Monday, and after a little bit of back and forth, we got it done.”

While there was mutual interest in a contract extension from both the team and the player, Lorentz’s main focus was getting term over a higher dollar amount. Now, he’s happy to be able to settle in for the foreseeable future.

“Three years, it’s the longest contract I’ve signed,” Lorentz said. “I’m just proud and happy that the Leafs have shown that faith in me to be able to give me that extension.”

While Lorentz’s first year as a Maple Leaf didn’t end the way the team would have hoped, it’s clear things are changing for the group under Craig Berube. Also in his first year with the team, Lorentz gave credit to the work Berube did as head coach to push the team to be tougher on the ice.

“Chief knew that we had the talent and the skill in that locker room, and it would come together if we dug in and played just a little bit harder than maybe what they were used to in the past,” Lorentz said. “It was uncomfortable at times … and Chief preached that it’s not always gonna be pretty. You could see the success we had once we figured that out.”

A Maple Leafs fan since childhood, Lorentz also took the time Wednesday morning to share some of his favourite players growing up. Mats Sundin was of course number one (remember this viral photo of a young Lorentz with a Sundin poster?), but he also shouted out Curtis Joseph, Darcy Tucker, Tomáš Kaberle, and Matt Stajan, as some of his many favourites.

“There was a lot of names, it kind of just depended who I was playing that day in the driveway, playing mini sticks, I’d just be somebody else different,” Lorentz said. “But yeah, I was a big Mats fan growing up, always loved watching him play.”

Now locked in for the next three years, Lorentz has a chance to be that fan favourite for a whole new generation of Leafs fans. And while he’s sure to credit the hard work he put in to get here, it’s a big moment for a Kitchener kid who only dreamed one day he’d regularly don the blue and white sweater.