Maple Leafs rookie Fraser Minten starts the season in the NHL.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a major announcement regarding rookie forward Fraser Minten.

There was a ton of speculation surrounding the 19 year old forward following some very impressive performances during training camp and the preseason, and on Monday morning the Leafs officially confirmed that Minten had cracked the starting roster. This means that, instead of returning to the Western Hockey League and the Kamloops Blazers, Minten will officially be a member of the Maple Leafs opening roster on Wednesday when they take on the Montreal Canadiens. 

Although we only learned of the news on Monday, Minten himself received a very special phone call from Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving on Sunday night, informing him that his hard work in training camp had paid off in the form of a roster spot.

Unsurprisingly, the young man admitted that he was simply overjoyed upon learning of the news.

It means everything, it's been a dream of mine for as long as I've been alive and playing hockey to be in a position like this," said Minten on Monday.

Minten revealed that it was after facing some tough matchups against the Montreal Canadiens that he felt like he had a genuine chance of making the roster.

"Maybe after those couple Montreal games I started to really believe it," admitted Minten. "After those games, I was playing tough matchups and I was holding my own, I got the inner confidence that it was a possibility."

Minten also realizes that, as difficult as it was to earn a starting spot on the roster, it will be even harder to maintain that spot throughout the regular season. The young forward has vowed to work hard to do so, all the while acknowledging that he doesn't yet fully understand the challenges ahead of him.

For his full comments on the big news, check out the short clip below: