Defenseman Morgan Rielly, the fifth pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, agreed Friday to a three-year entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Rielly, 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, appeared in 18 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League last season, registering 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) and two penalty minutes. Rielly missed the majority of the 2011-12 season due to a knee injury. In 83 career games over two seasons with Moose Jaw, he has nine goals, 37 assists, 46 points and 23 penalty minutes.
The 18-year-old, a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, will represent Canada at the 2012 Canada-Russia Challenge in Yaroslavl, Russia and Halifax, Nova Scotia from Aug. 8-14. He has played for Canada twice previously, recording four points (one goal, three assists) in five games and winning a gold medal at the 2011 Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in the Czech Republic/Slovakia, and posting two goals and an assist in seven games at the 2011 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Germany.
With the Los Angeles Kings agreeing to terms with Tanner Pearson earlier in the day, 13 of the 30 first-round picks are now under contract. That includes the four players selected in front of Rielly: Nail Yakupov (Edmonton Oilers); Ryan Murray (Columbus Blue Jackets); Alex Galchenyuk (Montreal Canadiens); and Griffin Reinhart (New York Islanders).