DALLAS—Just 19 months ago, Rasmus Sandin walked through the stands on his way to the stage at the American Airlines Centre. His name had just been called by the Toronto Maple Leafs; Sandin was a first-rounder, the 29th pick in the 2018 NHL draft.

He said he felt “a lot of joy” that night. “I was with my family, a couple of friends, too. It was an unreal experience,” said Sandin, who was happy to relive the moment before playing his 11th NHL game, against Dallas, on Wednesday. “That’s the first step you take toward the NHL, and a big dream that you have (had) since you started playing hockey. So, a lot of good memories from that ... it’s fun to be back.”

The Leafs had the 25th pick in that draft, and the Soo Greyhounds defenceman knew the team had interest. The Greyhounds were Leafs GM Kyle Dubas’s old OHL team, and his knowledge of its talent pipeline was expansive.

But Dubas, running his first draft for the Leafs, traded down, sending his first selection to St. Louis for the 29th and 76th picks. Sandin was nervous; he was nervous the whole night.

“I don’t know if it was just about slipping (close) to the second round,” he said. “You were just nervous to see where you were going to go. It ended up pretty well. You get very happy when you hear your name and I couldn’t be happier that it was Toronto that took me. I’m really excited still, and very happy about that.”

The Blues picked winger Dominik Bokk, currently in the Swedish Hockey League. The Leafs got Sandin and, with the 76th pick, Peterborough forward Semyon Der-Arguchintsev.

It’s remarkable how quickly the 19-year-old has risen, justifying his decision to leave Sweden at 17 to play for the Greyhounds. He passed Timothy Liljegren, chosen by the Leafs in the first round in 2017, on Toronto’s depth chart. And he rose quickly to the NHL, making the team out of camp this season for the first six games.

“You want to get to the NHL as quick as possible,” Sandin said. “I don’t know if I thought (it would happen this fast) but I’m always trying to get better.”

And on his second chance with the Leafs this season — this one because of an injury to Morgan Rielly — he seems ready to make the most of it. Sandin scored his first goal Monday against Nashville.

“Since the second call-up, I think pretty much every game so far I’ve been comfortable,” he said. “Just knowing all the guys, and knowing how the league is, obviously helps.”

The word that best describes Sandin is “poised.” It’s the word scouts and coaches have used to describe him for years. Another descriptor could be “level-headed.” He said his phone “exploded” with well-wishers, including past teachers, after he scored his first goal. But he was going to stay off his phone and off social media for the next little while so it didn’t go to his head.

“He doesn’t take himself too seriously,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. “He recognizes he has talent and ability and he’s confident. Yet I think the fact that he’s endeared himself with his teammates as quickly as he has at such a young age, a lot of that is because of the fact that he doesn’t get ahead of himself.

“He’s grateful for the opportunity to play in the NHL and be around these guys. And he’s just doing his part.”

Teammate Jason Spezza poked a little fun at Sandin in a Wednesday video session, noting a spot where he was wide open and Sandin didn’t pass him the puck.

Sandin laughed: “He was all open for a one-timer and I took the shot, so he was just telling me to pass the puck.”

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“I was giving him a hard time,” Spezza said. I said I talked (to reporters) about how good his hockey sense was and, on the clip, I’m waiting for the puck. So it can’t be that good.”

Spezza is quite impressed with the rookie. “He’s very poised with the puck and he’s calm on the blue line. Nothing seems to really bug him. He’s a confident kid but kind of quiet, very respectful, likes to have a good time … He’s fitting well to our group.”

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