The 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship has recently come to a close. The Toronto Maple Leafs had six prospects in the tournament, each having varying levels of success.
Though the Toronto Maple Leafs did not have any prospects on team Canada, and though the results could obviously have been better, for the Leafs, at least, it can been seen as a successful tournament.
The Leafs had six players at the World Juniors this year, and among them their recently drafted forward Rodion Amorov. Notably, top prospect Nick Robertson did not play as he was being held back to attend the Leafs training camp.
All stats from this article from IIHF statistics
Toronto Maple Leafs World Junior Recap
Roni Hirvonen – Finland
7 GP 2 G 4 A
Hirvonen is a natural centre who played the vast majority of the tournament on Finland’s first line left wing. The first line was heavily leaned on and were regularly the only Finnish forwards who could muster any offense. Hirvonen is an incredibly smart player and always seemed to be in the right spot to make a play. He is highly skilled and used his playmaking ability to create and extend plays.
Hirvonen scored two clutch goals in the tournament, one with 23 seconds left to defeat Sweden, and one with two minutes left to tie the game with The United States. It will be interesting to see how his play at the World Juniors will carry over to LIIGA play.
Topi Niemela – Finland
7 GP 2 G 6 A
The 18 year old Niemela was one of the breakout stars of the tournament, and stood out the most among all Toronto Maple Leafs prospects. Despite not previously being known for his offensive ability Niemela was the highest scoring defenseman at the tournament and was an impact player at both ends of the ice for Finland.
Niemela quarterbacked Finland’s second powerplay unit and regularly demonstrated his ability to break up plays in the neutral and defensive zones. Niemela’s role was elevated as the tournament went on and he ended up playing the second most minutes of any Finnish player. As a reward for his play, he was named the top defenseman at the tournament.
Mikko Kokkonen – Finland
7 GP 0 G 1 A
Kokkonen was a steady defender and assistant captain for Finland throughout the tournament. He was primarily deployed in defensive situations and was solid on the penalty kill.
Kokkonen was named one of Finland’s top three players of the tournament after their final round robin game, while this was surprising to many it shows how much he meant to the Finnish team and reflects what the Finnish coaching staff thinks of him.
Rodion Amirov – Russia
7 GP 2 G 4 A
The Toronto Maple Leafs 15th overall selection in the 2020 entry draft led the Russians in both scoring and shots on goal throughout the tournament. He was consistently one of Russia’s better players and was instrumental in ending Sweden’s 54 game round robin winning streak.
Amirov is great at controlling the puck on zone exits and breaking up opposing rushes. Amirov was on Russia’s first line power play and penalty kill, highlighting his stellar two-way play. While he did not have the breakout scoring tournament many Leafs fans wanted him to, Amirov was one of the few Russians who seemed to be able to create offensive chances.
Mikhail Abramov – Russia
4 GP 0 G 2 A
Abramov had an incredibly up and down tournament. He was initially scratched for Russia’s first two round robin games before drawing into the lineup as their second line centre. He was suspended for Russia’s quarterfinal game against Germany after a slew-foot against Sweden in their final round robin game.
When he was in the lineup Abramov was one of Russia’s better offensive forwards, using his speed and skill to create chances. He was on the Russian powerplay and was on the ice whenever they needed a goal. While he did not light up the scoresheet Abramov demonstrated his dynamic playmaking ability and vision.
Artur Akhtyamov – Russia
1 GP SV% .945
Russia leaned heavily on starter Yaroslav Askarov throughout the tournament, resulting in Akhtyamov only starting one game. He made 17 saves on 18 shots in a win over Austria and looked sharp when he had to.
All in all, it was a great tournament for the Leafs, owing mainly to the success of Topi Niemela who was selected in the third round of this past draft, and who will be making his way onto every Leafs top ten prospect list in the future.