Why Maple Leafs prospect Alexander Bilecki has swagger in his step

Дата публикации: 03-07-2026 23:31:40

"I'll always have that fight in me"

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What a difference a week can make for a hockey prospect.

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Alexander Bilecki went into last weekend with a pretty good idea that he would be selected in the National Hockey League draft.

On Saturday, the Kitchener Rangers defenceman and Mississauga native heard his name called by his hometown Maple Leafs in the second round, 60th overall.

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Not quite seven days later, he has spent the Leafs development camp rooming with future star Gavin McKenna, took batting practice at the Rogers Centre and with McKenna, attended the World Cup Round of 32 game between Portugal and Croatia.

It’s what Bilecki has done on the ice, including helping the Rangers win the Memorial Cup in May, that is keeping him grounded.

“I think I’ll look in the mirror and know that I earned this, I earned my spot to be here, but I still have a lot to prove, and it’s the start of the journey,” Bilecki said on Friday. “That’s how I like to look at it. I have to have that mentality.”

A good question

Bilecki and McKenna were lounging in their downtown hotel room a couple of nights ago when the latter looked over and asked: ‘Hey, Bills, you want to go to the World Cup game?’

“I’m like: ‘I wouldn’t mind,’ ” Bilecki said. “It was great experience, thanks to him. We talked about it — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to tell our grandkids, that we got to see Cristiano Ronaldo play, and score a goal too.”

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Rangers general manager Mike McKenzie told the Toronto Sun during a phone interview on Friday that Bilecki’s second season in the Ontario Hockey League in 2025-26 was marked by growth in consistency, and developed to the point that Bilecki became a key performer for Kitchener.

As the season progressed, Bilecki was able to handle the increased internal pressure that can come during a player’s draft year.

“He was on a good team with other good players, so nothing was given to him, which in the long run probably helped his development a lot, in that he had to work for every minute of ice time he could get,” McKenzie said. “Maybe on a rebuilding team, he is going over the boards no matter what. That was helpful in his development.

“He has the ability to be one of the top defencemen in the league on both sides of the puck. Last year, he was a piece of the puzzle. Moving forward, he is going to be the piece on the back end for us.”

Chip on shoulder

That’s the kind of appraisal Bilecki likes to hear. He has some swagger, and winning the Memorial Cup helped put some stock in that.

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“I don’t really like to boast about it, but you know, people ask, I go: ‘Yeah, I’m a Memorial Cup champion,’ ” Bilecki said. “That has always been part of my game, part of me as a person, where I have a chip on my shoulder.”

Bilecki has had some bite in his game at camp this week.

“I’m a skinnier, lankier guy, I’m trying to get stronger, but I’ll always have that fight in me, that grit,” Bilecki said.

Bilecki will be back with the Rangers in 2026-27, though the NCAA route could be an option in two years.

As an NHL second-round pick, he falls more into the good-bet-to-make-it category than a later-round pick would. Having more eyes on him next season as a result already is something he is anticipating eagerly.

“I love it,” Bilecki said. “I think I showed that in playoffs, in the Memorial Cup, where stakes are high, bigger situation, I elevated my game. I think I’ll continue to do that next year and in the years to follow.

“I just want to prove that it was the right pick (by the Leafs).”

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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