Second shot pays off for Durzi
D-man undrafted in 2017 goes to hometown Leafs with 52nd pick this time
DALLAS— A year ago around this time Sean Durzi made an unfortunate trip to Chicago.
He travelled to the 2017 NHL draft with the hope that a team would see him as a prospect worth an investment. He returned home without finding a taker.
“I went through a lot,” Durzi said. “It was a long process, I’d say.”
If that long process amounted to an aspiring NHLer’s worst nightmare, Saturday’s scene at the American Airlines Center was, to use Durzi’s words, “a dream come true.” A year after being passed over by the entire league, the defenceman was snapped up by the Maple Leafs with the 52nd selection. Given that Durzi is from a family of Maple Leaf fans and grew up near Mississauga’s Square One shopping mall worshipping Toronto blue-liner Bryan McCabe, the fit couldn’t have been more natural, or more surreal.
“It was definitely a surprise to hear my name,” Durzi said. “It was almost a relief.”
At age 19, Durzi, who had 49 points in 40 games for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack this past season, is the latest of bloomers. He mostly played AA hockey with the Mississauga Braves as a kid. And it wasn’t until his OHL draft year that he moved up to AAA, joining the Mississauga Rebels en route to getting drafted by the Attack in the 12th round.
There’ve been other setbacks along the way. A couple of years ago he was found to have an extra bone in his ankle that became inflamed. The resultant surgery led to a slow start to the season that might have helped explain the lack of interest in his first NHL go-round.
Durzi is hardly a stranger to the organization. Last year, after his Chicago disappointment, he attended the Maple Leafs’ developmental camp and raved about the tips he received from Toronto’s contingent of “some of the best skills coaches in the world.”
GM Kyle Dubas said the Leafs might have signed Durzi as a free agent last year but were hamstrung by a lack of room for a pro contract. As it was, they kept their eye on him and liked what they saw. Durzi, to his credit, used the crushing heartbreak of last year’s draft to further fuel his pursuit of the dream.
“He’s really transformed the way he lives day to day,” said Dubas. “Not that there was anything wrong before. He was a teenager before. Now you talk to him, he monitors everything that goes into his body. He’s very meticulous with his habits. He’s really become a pro in the year. And obviously it pays off for him today, going from undrafted to picked in the second round. We’re happy to have him.”
Durzi, for his part, was philosophical about Saturday’s smile-inducing milestone.
“I think with experience you mature and you become better, not only on the ice but off the ice,” Durzi said. “I think it’s been a long ride for me. I’ve put a lot of hard work into it. Especially going through the draft last year and not being picked — it’s been crazy. Right now, this is a dream come true. I really have no words for it.”