8. Roni Hirvonen
Age: 20
Height/Weight: 5’9 176 lbs.
Position: Centre
Shoots: Left
Draft: 2nd round, 59th overall, 2020
The Captain of Team Finland’s most recent entry into the World Juniors, Hirvonen has played in the Finish Elite League (SM LIGA) for the past four seasons.
He is back there again this year, and has already started his season. He is not at the Leafs training camp, and so likely won’t be breaking into the NHL, at the earliest, for two more years. When his team’s season finishes, he’ll likely play some Marlies games near the end of the year, at least, the Leafs tend to make that happen when they can.
Hirvonen is definitely going to make the NHL. He is a great two-way player in Finland, and should end up as a decent middle-of-the-lineup NHL player. He is mainly known for his effort and competitive nature, which is probably why he’s the captain of Finland’s Junior team and their 1C.
He does have offense in his game, but he’s been playing in a pro league as an undrafted player, and so he hasn’t been a top centre or the the main offensive option on his team, so what he’ll score like in the NHL is anyone’s guess.
As with most Leafs prospects, especially the ones on this list, he is known to play a smart and intelligent game, and be an extremely hard worker. Due to that, an unexpected star turn is not outside the realm of possibility.
Smart player, quick, doesn’t quit. That describes a lot of Leafs recent prospects: Sandin, Robertson, Amirov, Steeves and more.
I am excited for Roni Hirvonen to come to the AHL so that we can get a better look at his game. I couldn’t have cared less about this year’s World Junior tournament that was held in August, so I missed a chance to see Hirvonen first hand, but by all reports, he was great.