Metcalfe was born in Toronto, Ontario. He began his junior career playing with the Kingston Canadians of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) from 1983 to 1986, playing in 192 games, scoring 213 points (88 goals and 125 assists), and added 3 goals and 6 assists in 10 playoff games, before being traded to the Windsor Spitfires for the 1986–87 season, for whom he played 57 games, with 25 goals and 57 assists, plus 5 goals and 5 assists in 13 playoff games. He also played for Team Canada at the 1987 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, scoring 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists) in six games. Metcalfe was drafted by the Edmonton Oilers with their first pick, 20th overall in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft.