3. Topi Niemela
Age: 20
Height/Weight: 5′ 11″ 169 lbs
Position: Defense
Shoots: Right
Draft: 3rd Round, 64th Overall 2020
This might be the Toronto Maple Leafs best chance to land a superstar from a lower round. Topi Niemala is a smart, all-round, two-way defenseman who is (I bet you can’t guess) an EXTREMEMLY HARD WORKER WHO IS VERY SMART.
I wouldn’t date a girl who didn’t like the Smiths, and Kyle Dubas wouldn’t draft a player who wasn’t a genius with the dedication to his craft of a blue-collar Woody Guthrie fan.
Even for the Leafs, Niemela’s brain stands out, as Corey Pronman once remarked that “it’s his brain that drives his value.” (which was a quote we used in last year’s article, which came from the Athletic, but which we can’t link to because of paywalls).
Last year Niemela added some offense to his game, and that only serves to make him a better prospect. Playing with the same team as the year before, he went from 4 points in 15 games to 32 in 48.
That’s a great jump, but it’s not why he’s so hyped up. The reason for his hype is that he can control the flow and drive play when he’s on the ice.
The only reason he’s a 3rd rounder with a longshot chance for stardom and not a first round pick with stardom nearly assured is his size.
There just aren’t that many NHL defenseman under 6′ and those who are are usually quite a bit thicker than Niemela, who isn’t even cracking 170.
Jared Spurgeon is two inches shorter and almost the same weight. He drives play and puts up good even strength offensive numbers. Spurgeon is small and quick, but he’s not the fastest guy in the league and doesn’t have the hardest shot. Like Niemella, his success comes from his brain – Spurgeon is known to have some of the best “Hockey IQ” in the game.
Jared Spurgeon, named captain of MIN, is a top two-way defenceman who has been consistently elite for years. He's also one of the top goal scoring blueliners in the league. #MNWild pic.twitter.com/PljW41ej7x
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 3, 2021
Topi Niemella is a similar player, two inches taller, a bit thinner, and who was also a late round pick. If Niemella becomes even 10% of a Jared Spurgeon, the Leafs will be happy. I include the JFresh card here to show that there are small, right handed, intelligent play drivers who have been successful in the NHL.
Niemella will likely come play for the Marlies after the Liga season ends, and I think we’ll see him on the Toronto Maple Leafs at some point next season. The Leafs have no reason to rush him, but he’s clearly going to be an NHL Player, and he might just become a top pairing guy if he can put on enough weight to avoid getting constantly injured.