It was an opportunity he wanted with the Maple Leafs, but one that never truly presented itself in seven years with the organization.
Born and bred in Ontario, and having played his entire junior career in that province, Leivo became the embodiment of the dream of every young hockey player from that province when he heard his name called by the hometown Leafs at the NHL Draft in 2011.
It was a fairy tale right from the beginning for Leivo just to be selected, let alone by his hometown Leafs. A strong playoff campaign with the Sudbury Wolves in his draft eligible season helped boost his stock and led to his somewhat surprising selection in the third round, 84th overall, ahead of the likes of future stars Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Tobias Reider, Ondrej Palat, and Andrew Shaw. Not too shabby for a guy that Central Scouting didn't even have ranked heading into the Draft.