Mitch Marner may not be “old,” but at 744 NHL games, he’s earned the right to be the guy a rookie can lean on. And with 20-year-old Trevor Connelly breaking through for the Vegas Golden Knights, that mentor role is already taking shape.
Connelly has given Vegas a quick jolt in a tiny sample size, posting two goals and four points in six NHL games. He’s also earned a spot on the top power play unit, where the opportunity has only grown with Victor Olofsson on Injured Reserve. Connelly is now the one-time option in the right circle, a spot that can turn a promising young player into a real threat in a hurry.
Marner has clearly taken notice of the rookie’s growth.
“I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with him. [Connelly is a] super great kid,” said Marner following the Golden Knights’ 2-1 overtime win on Saturday.
“It’s always fun to hang out with, uh, you know, kids nowadays. I’m getting kind of old.”
He also made it plain that his confidence in Connelly runs deep.
“Anytime you guys ask me about Trev, I have such confidence in him,” Marner gushed. “He’s such a good player.
You see it daily, just the plays he makes, those little three-foot plays… You see his hockey sense out there. He just reads the plays so well.
He makes so many great offensive plays, and he’s really building his defensive game as well.”
That kind of praise matters coming from Marner, a player who’s had to navigate the league as someone often labeled undersized. He knows the grind, and he knows the adjustment from prospect to regular. That’s part of why he’s willing to be a sounding board for Connelly.
“[Connelly] loves the game and has so much fun out there,” said Marner. “It’s been great to see, and he’s only going to get better. If he’s got questions to ask, I’ll answer them, and always try to help him out.”
For Connelly, the relationship has already become personal as well as professional.
“I think Mitchy’s been really cool,” smiled Connelly. “Went over to his house for dinner.
And on the road, he kind of hung out with me a lot. He’s a guy that I looked up to growing up, and kind of loved the way he played.
So, it’s been surreal being able to spend time with him and just get to know him better.”
That’s the hockey circle of life in action: a young player arrives, a veteran shows him the ropes, and the lessons keep moving forward. In Vegas, Marner is the latest to pass them along.
In Other News...
Golden Knights Face Early Test Beyond Their Red-Hot Top Line
The Golden Knights have opened the season atop the Pacific Division, and much of that early push has come from the kind of top-line production that can carry a team through the first weeks of a schedule. But even in a good start, there are other pressures underneath the scoring, and Vegas is already juggling roster tweaks caused by injury while trying to keep its defensive structure and special teams steady.
Over the next stretch, the focus shifts from simply riding offense to managing the grind that comes with a demanding slate. The Golden Knights have to navigate road trips, balance pairings on the back end, protect their penalty kill, and keep the workload reasonable for their goaltenders while they move through games in Minnesota, Nashville, Calgary and Pittsburgh. The challenge is less about what the top line has already done and more about how well the rest of the roster holds up if the schedule starts asking harder questions. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Call-Up Puts Unexpected Focus On Vegas Blue-Line Depth
The Golden Knights latest roster move brought some unexpected attention back to the back end, with defenseman Ville Heinola recalled from the Henderson Silver Knights to give Vegas another option on the blue line. The move comes as the team adjusts its group after an injury setback up front, and it underscores how quickly depth can become a priority over the course of a season.
Heinolas arrival adds another layer of insurance behind the regular defense rotation, where Dylan Coghlan already serves as a backup option. For a Vegas club that likes to stay protected against attrition, the recall is a reminder that the margin for error can shrink fast, and the next man up often needs to be ready before the lineup picture settles. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Are Getting Exactly What Fans Hoped From This Start
The Golden Knights keep stacking up the kind of early results their fan base was hoping to see, and the latest one came in a familiar, high-leverage way. Vegas beat the Kings in overtime to run the winning streak to four, with Mitch Marner finishing the nights biggest moment, while Trevor Connelly and Mark Stone each chipped in on the scoresheet as the team kept its offense moving.
Just as important, the Knights got production on special teams, converting twice on the power play and showing the sort of balance that can make a hot start feel sustainable. Connellys night stood out in particular as another sign that the supporting cast is finding its footing, and with Minnesota next on the schedule, Vegas now gets another chance to prove this opening stretch is more than a fast start. [Read more 🡒]