6 Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects Heading to World Juniors

The Toronto Maple Leafs will have six prospects playing in the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships (WJHC).

If you’ve missed Toronto Maple Leafs hockey, the upcoming WJHC will be a welcomed event for you. Who knows whether or not these six prospects will eventually wear the blue-and-white but this tournament should give us a real indication their future.

No matter what country you root for, it’s always fun to see a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect get represented in this event. Within the NHL, the Leafs have the third-most prospects playing in this tournament, which should say a lot about the organization.

Kyle Dubas has done a great job building the prospect pool, making sure that there’s always up-and-coming talent. Currently, it’s Nick Robertson and Rasmus Sandin, but down the road it could be one of these players in the WJHC.

Six Leafs Prospects to Play at WJHC

Although the Leafs have six prospects in the tournament, they’re only representing two countries. I was hoping to see Nick Robertson with Team USA, but the Leafs decided it wasn’t the best idea for him, despite his eligibility.

Team Finland:

Roni Hirvonen, Forward (2020 NHL Entry Draft, 59th Overall)

According to DobberProspects, Hirvonen has “middle-six upside” and is “primarily a playmaker.”

Hirvonen isn’t expected to play the North American style for a few more seasons, but I’d expect him to be a point-per-game player with Team Finland.

Mikko Kokkonen, Defense (2019 NHL Entry Draft, 84th Overall)

This will be Kokkonen’s second consecutive WJHC with Team Finland and he should be one of the team’s best defenseman.

The two-way defenseman has been playing a ton of minutes for his club team in Finland and according to DobberProspects, is well on his way to playing for the Toronto Marlies, as soon as there is room for him. He may not score a lot of goals, but he’s a very smart player with great possession stats.

Topi Niemela, Defense (2020 NHL Entry Draft, 64th Overall)

The Toronto Maple Leafs third draft pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft is set to play in his first ever WJHC. Unlike his teammate Mikko Kokkonen, Niemela is more comfortable getting into the rush, so you may recognize him more when you’re watching.

Team Russia:

Artur Akhtyamov, Goaltender (2020 NHL Entry Draft, 106th Overall)

It’s nice that Akhtyamov was named to Team Russia, but you probably won’t see much of him in action. He’ll be behind Yaroslav Askarov, who is Russia’s star goaltending prospect and was recently selected 11th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Mikhail Abramov, Forward (2019 NHL Entry Draft, 115th Overall)

Abramov is expected to be one of Team Russia’s top forwards and is a player you should watch closely. He’s had a tremendous start with the Victoriaville Tigers, already racking up 14 points in nine games played.

He has high offensive upside, so don’t be surprised if he’s on the scoresheet a few times this tournament.

Rodion Amirov, Forward (2020 NHL Entry Draft, 15th Overall)

I truly think that Toronto Maple Leafs fans are going to look back on the Kasperi Kapanen trade in a few years and wonder how they were able to steal a first-round pick in order to draft Rodion Amirov. That’s just how talented this kid is.

Named as the top forward at the Karjala Cup Tournament in November, I’d expect big things from Amirov at junior hockey’s biggest stage.