Vegas' newest star on ice, Mitch Marner, will return to face the team that drafted him on Jan. 23.

After hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 15, the Golden Knights will travel to Toronto eight days later, as the 28-year-old returns home for the first time since being traded to Vegas.

"It was really tough to leave Toronto, to be honest," Marner told reporters on July 1. "I didn’t ever think it would maybe come to that day.

"Being a family man and a father, we thought it was time to look somewhere else - to find a new home and a new place to grow our family. I’m so grateful to be here and so, so happy to be a part of this."

Marner left Toronto as its fifth-highest scorer in franchise history with 741 regular-season points on 221 goals (14th) and 520 assists (fourth).

Marner's ranks fifth in the league with 521 assists since his rookie season (2016-17), while he ranks eighth with 741 points.

"I was so grateful to play there for nine years," Marner said. "I said at my end-of-year interview that they took a risky pick on a small kid from Toronto who is forever grateful to have worn the Maple Leaf jersey and to have played in front of some of the greats who ever wore that jersey."