The NHL season has just begun, but some Toronto Maple Leafs prospects began their season weeks ago in leagues over seas.
Perhaps the most impressive Toronto Maple Leafs prospects overseas so far this season are coming out of the Finnish Liiga. A trio of defensemen are leading the way for Leafs prospects in the Finnish league.
Mikko Kokkonen has 6 points in 12 Liiga games, and Axel Rindell has 4 points in 13 games. The Toronto Maple Leafs most impressive overseas prospect so far this season though is Topi Niemelä with 12 points in 13 games thus far. (All stats from eliteprospects.com)
The season is young but at only 19 years old, Topi Niemelä is already becoming a dominate force in the Finnish professional men’s league as a top point producing defenseman. He was a third round pick (64th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020, and he’s looking like a valuable asset with a shot at the NHL in his future.
Topi Niemelä also showed his worth as a prospect during the World Junior Championships last season recording two goals and eight points in seven games as he helped Finland to a bronze medal finish.
For his magnificent play, Topi Niemelä was awarded Best Defenseman at the World Juniors and lead all defensemen in goals, assists and points. He’s still eligible for the World Juniors this season, and I can’t wait to see what he can accomplish with another year of experience under his belt.
Toronto Maple Leafs Euro Prospect Report
Another highly touted Toronto Maple Leafs prospect playing in Liiga is centre, Roni Hirvonen, who only has three points in 11 games thus far. Hirvonen was chosen by the Maple Leafs in the second round (59th overall) in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
In Russia, Nikolai Chebykin (W) has six goals and seven points in 16 KHL games so far, Semyon Kizimov (RW) has 10 points in 14 VHL games (Russian Minor League) and 19 year old goaltender, Vyacheslav Peksa, has a .935 SV% and a 1.93 GAA in 12 MHL games (Russian Junior League).
The Toronto Maple Leafs 2020 first round pick, Rodion Amirov (LW), has only managed to get into 3 KHL games and has 1 assist thus far. Amirov is only 20 years old, and at that age it’s almost as difficult to get playing time in the KHL as it is in the NHL. I’m sure Amirov will get into more games in the future.
There are some great prospects in the Toronto Maple Leafs system, and I’m excited to see what the future holds. If Topi Niemelä can continue to dominate in Liiga, I could see him signing a contract with Toronto and joining the Marlies when his Finnish league season is over.