Second Round
The Toronto Maple Leafs originally held the 44th overall pick in the second round, but made a draft day trade with Ontario rivals the Ottawa Senators, who jumped up to select Tyler Kleven with the pick.
In exchange, the Leafs acquired the 59th overall pick as well as the 64th overall pick, which was the second pick in the third round. With the 59th pick, the Leafs selected a player that was generally ranked far higher – defensive centreman Roni Hirvonen out of Ässät of the Finnish SM-Liiga.
The 5-foot-9, 170lbs forward had the unique experience of having his name called while he was in the middle of playing a game, as his side overcame HPK 4-3 with the game requiring a shootout to decide.
Hirvonen already has plenty of professional experience despite his young age, having played in 52 regular-season games last year with five goals and 16 total points while he has added three more appearances to his resume so far this season, with one assist to date.
He is defensively reliable and moves the puck with great pace, able to pick out teammates with smooth passes. He projects to be more of a defensive centreman in the NHL and was a surprise early drop on day two of the draft.
Third Round
After selecting one Finnish player that had a surprising drop, Dubas did the same just five spots later when he selected right-handed defenseman Topi Niemelä with the 64th overall pick.
The general consensus on rankings for Niemelä prior to the draft was early second round, so for him to fall into the Leafs’ lap a full round later gives Dubas a great, high-value young defensive prospect to develop.
Like Hirvonen, Niemelä already has plenty of professional experience after playing 47 games with Kärpät in the SM-Liiga – registering a goal and seven total points.
Niemelä is viewed as a skilled, defensively responsible puck-moving defenseman who could do with filling out his 6-foot, 163lbs frame, but could easily outperform his draft position after initially having rankings around the 40th pick mark.
Like his fellow countryman, Niemelä will continue his development in Finland, having already registered four points (1G, 3A) in the Finnish junior league this season, but could find himself brought over to North America sooner rather than later.
For fans calling out for the Leafs to add defensemen to their system, they have done so and he may be one of the steals of the draft with the position he was taken, potentially moving over to the AHL as early as next year.