The Leafs prospect is a standout skater and transition player whose two-way game helps his team on the penalty kill. Go To Comments. If theres any prospect Maple Leafs fans are going to be watching closely this year, its Niemela. His combination of size and skill make him an integral part of the team, and theres no doubt in my mind that hell be utilized as such. Right now, there is already a log-jam of defensemen in the line-up, though the fact he shoots right might very well smooth his path to the Leafs. Nikita Korostolev 11-2-16 | KIT @ SAR | 1G 0A 1P | -1 The Flames used it to take Aidan Thompson with the 90th overall pick and retained 50 percent of Rittichs contract. Last year, the Toronto Maple Leafs saw prospects Matthew Knies suit up for Team USA and Roni Hirvonen and Topi Niemela play for Finland. Steeves was 2nd in the NCAA in primary even-strength points with 20, including 13 of his 15 goals. The 2023 edition of the World Junior U20 Championship to this point has gone off without a hitch that is, aside from the handful of upsets that have seemingly overtaken the group stages early on. As mentioned, Voit didnt even get the call for the American squad, while Knies hit the age of 20 as well and became unavailable to his country for the U20 tournament. NHL.com is providing in-depth prospect analysis for each of its 32 teams from August 8-September 8. Who do you agree and disagree with? He also had three assists for the U.S. in the 2022 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in August. He likes to play and he wants to compete. Enter Search Term. Knies announced in April he'll be returning to the University of Minnesota, a decision the Maple Leafs fully support. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. NHL 2022. He saw time on their penalty kill and on the powerplay, suggesting that he is certainly well-rounded and able to adapt to the different roles, despite his youth and the fact hes playing against men. Hip surgery forced. Here are some 2020/21 highlights from the newest #Leafs prospect, Alex Steeves What Niemelas been able to do in Finland this year is ridiculously impressive for a 19-year-old, and only makes his presence at the World Juniors that much more intriguing. He has a great shot. Niemela is a 19-year-old defenseman from Oulu Finland and is currently playing for Karpat in Liiga (Finnish Elite League). With many players aging out from the 2022 tournament, he will have a good shot at making it this year. Mike Zeisberger, Stanley Cup Final | Avalanche vs. He does everything on the ice. Hes a smart player, hes got excellent speed. His OHL lead in scoring had shrunk to 4 points with Pavel Mintyukov on his heels. Roni Hirvonen puts Finland ahead 3-2 with just 23.3 seconds to go. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. Marat. And. Prior to the season . permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. Tikkanen is 6-foot and 200 pounds. If he continues to progress, hell have a better shot at making the team the year. Knies, Niemela, and Robertson all look like they could become regular NHLers someday, and the rest of the prospects I listed certainly dont lack potential. Now, the Americans have only played one game in the tournament so far. The game airs on ESPN+ and Hulu.Colorado grabbed a 3-2 victory on the road its last time out on January 7 against the Edmonton Oilers.Florida lost 5-1 on the road against the Fast forward a year, and Knies easily looks like he could have been a first-round pick. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onToronto Maple Leafs and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. Niemela will be defending his title as the top defenseman from last years tournament. But on top of the tenacity and physical play Hyman has, Knies also has a very good shot. The rearranged World Juniors give everyone a chance to get a dose of hockey this summer, not in the least Toronto Maple Leafs fans wholl have high expectations. Marner, selected Thursday to the NHL All-Star . With Seattle Kraken prospect Matthew Beniers and Calgary Flames prospect Matthew Coronato set to lead the charge for the States, Knies has an opportunity to step into a big secondary role for the United States. EDMONTON, AB - DECEMBER 26: Joel Mtt #32, Topi Niemel #7 and Roni Hirvonen #22 of Finland celebrate a goal against Austria in the third period during the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship at Rogers Place on December 27, 2021 in Edmonton, Canada. Komarov is 5-foot-10 and 213 pounds. There are six Leafs prospects at the world juniors in Edmonton three on the Russian team (forwards Rodion Amirov and Mikhail Abramov, and goalie Artur Akhtyamov) and three on Finland (defencemen Mikko Kokkonen and Topi Niemela and forward Roni Hirvonen). I hope all of the Leafs prospects do well in the tournament. To order Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects Will Play Big Roles at 2022 World Juniors Maple Leafs Prospects Will Play Big Roles at 2022 World Juniors December 14, 2021 by Alex Hobson As we move. Toronto Maple Leafs news fromFanSided Daily, Toronto Maple Leafs Put Streak on the Line vs Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson InjuredAgain. Fraser Minten drafted 38th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs Leafs Prospects Anthony Petrielli - Jul 8, 2022 A day after trading down, the Leafs have made their first selection in the. Firstly, the Maple Leafs were so close to having a prospect in the tournament had Voit been considered for the U.S. team. World Juniors 2020: Breakdown of every NHL teams' prospects | Sporting News Canada MIN DAL 12:00p -154 ANA WIN 12:00p -256 DET CBJ 3:00p SJ BUF 4:00p CHI NYI 4:30p VGS BOS Mon, 4:00p COL PHI Mon,. 57 pick in 2021 NHL Draft, 2021-22 season: University of Minnesota (NCAA): 33 GP, 15-18-33. He makes a good first pass and jump into the play. This is the third of four meetings during the regular season, with the Leafs winning 4-1 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Jan. 7 in the most recent meeting, while . Six is a fairly impressive number. All three should be interesting to watch at this years World Juniors, not least because its individually each their last shot at the gold. After missing training camp and the first month and a half of the 2022-23 season, Woll has been incredible with an 8-0-0 record to kick off his season with the Toronto Marlies - tying a franchise record run in the process. Ovchinnikov was one of the stories of Toronto's prospect pool last year, putting up a massive season in the MHL with 20 goals and 31 assists in just 40 games. Lightning. As I wrote about the other day, the Toronto Maple Leafs have three. The 19-year-old is having a good season in the NCAA for the University of Minnesota. On April 11, 2021, the Maple Leafs moved their 2021 first-round pick, their 2022 fourth-round pick which they eventually got back and their 2021 fourth-round pick to the Columbus Blue Jackets and San Jose Sharks, respectively. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. Somehow though, the Pittsburgh-born youngster hasnt been given the chance to help the United States in their quest for World Juniors gold. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution Hes a 19-year-old playing in one of the top leagues in the world. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution To order copies of They grabbed notable names like Rodion Amirov in the first round, Roni Hirvonen in the second round and Topi Niemel in the third round. Despite only having three prospects at the World Juniors this year, all three players I mentioned will be worth keeping an eye on as the tournament gets underway in Edmonton and Red Deer. Hirvonen has two goals and four assists on the top line with Islanders prospect Aatu Rty and Joakim Kemell, drafted 17th by the Nashville Predators this year. The Los Angeles Kings have nine players in Edmonton, the Detroit Red Wings have seven prospects, followed by the Anaheim Ducks, the New Jersey Devils and the Leafs with six each. Kressler may be a long shot to join Team Canada, but hes had a hot start with 8 goals and 12 points in 8 OHL games after starting the season hurt. rights reserved. Those two names will both be appearing for Finland, both likely in high-profile roles, with Topi Niemel likely one of their top-pairing defensemen and Roni Hirvonen likely to be on the wing in the top-six as they open against Latvia. Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Kind of a good all-around player., Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. Lilley says: Its a 19-year-olds tournament. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. The Leafs will have six prospects three with Russia and three with Finland competing at the 2021 world junior hockey championship in Edmonton, starting on Dec. 26. Said Joshua Roy (MTL) was the other. The playmaking center, who was the MVP of the SHL Playoffs in 2021 with 14 points (seven goals, seven assists) in 14 games, joined Toronto of the AHL at the end of the 2021-22 season and had four points (two goals, two assists) in six games, impressing Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas in the process. Lilley says: Hes playing in three different leagues, but quite frankly hes doing his part in stopping the puck. As I wrote about the other day, the Toronto Maple Leafs have three prospects at this years World Juniors and all should play a key role for their countries if they are to make it far. Lots of skill on the ice, Pennanen said. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nick Robertson will unfortunately have zero impact on the 2022-23 season, as he underwent shoulder surgery, ultimately keeping him out six months. Hes been taking Finlands top pro league by storm this year, so one can only imagine what hell be able to do with a years worth of experience and training under his belt after he was already named the tournaments top defenseman once. Noesen played just one game for the Maple Leafs in the regular season and ended up heading to Carolina the following season. Of the four Toronto Maple Leafs prospects that did get selected, there will be three countries represented. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. He went on to play 15:17 in the 3-2 win over Slovakia. I also predicted big performances from all three. All three players have aged out and are ineligible for this years tournament. All Rights Reserved. Surely its not the end of the world for a team to not have a representative at this best-on-best tournament, but it is a compliment to have prospects competing for gold year in and year out. Its not usual to go at the same time with a good friend.. Toronto has 11 prospects eligible to be in the tournament this year, but only the best get selected to represent their country. Should the Toronto Maple Leafs hang onto their first-round pick in the 2023 Draft, they'll select a very talented player. With the departures of Lundell and Winnipeg Jets prospect Ville Heinola, who served as captain last year, Hirvonen will have some extra responsibility. In fact, with Justin Holls deal expiring this coming summer, there is certainly going to be places up for grab on that side of the Toronto Maple Leafs defense. Four of the six Maple Leafs prospects competing at the 2021 World Junior Championship were in action on Christmas, kicking off the tournament in Edmonton. Its more likely a year away for the 20-year-olds, who are under contract for one more season in the Finnish top league Hirvonen with HIFK Helsinki, Niemel with Karpat. Ryan Tverberg is a 2020 seventh-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs. For interview requests or any other inquiries, you can follow Alexs social media pages listed at the bottom of his articles like this one. Lets hope he can pick up his offensive production over the next few games and lets hope Finland can finish in the gold medal game. Beyond Matthew Knies, the Leafs only have two other players headed to Edmonton for this summers World Juniors. Perhaps the stand-out of Roni Hirvonens performances is the fact that, per EliteProspects, in 11 games with the Finnish Under 20s team last season, he scored 12 goals and added a further 3 assists for 15 points; statistically that shows through. Hes also logging big minutes comparatively, playing 14:17 in their first game and 15:17 in their second game. All Prospect Pool Overview: Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs have some notable names in the prospect pipeline. The 20-year-old, under contract with Karpat in Finland's top professional league for another year, had six assists in seven games for Finland at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship and was voted the top defenseman at the 2021 World Juniors. As good as Akhtyamov has been in the KHL and two lower leagues, hes not expected to get much ice time in the tournament with teammate Yaroslav Askarov seen as the next big thing in goaltending. Tverberg currently has nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in 14 games. Whatever the state of affairs within the United States hockey program, its a massive oversight to leave Ty Voit out. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. American Matt Knies is the other. "On the ice and off the ice, he wants to know what the best are doing and how they're achieving their fitness standards, for example," Wickenheiser said, "and he really has a plan for himself of where he wants to see himself go. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. With the departure of Heinola from the teams defensive corps, Niemela will without a doubt be Finlands rock on the back end, especially considering the unit as a whole is relatively inexperienced. Difficult cuts. He needs more strength. Get a bit more ice time than he did last year, and take on a leadership role. Brandon Lisowsky is having a great season so far with 8 goals and 18 points in 16 WHL games, but it doesnt seem good enough to garner much interest for Team Canada. He would have missed the start of training camp. Newspapers Limited, 8 Spadina Avenue, 10th Floor, Toronto, ON M5V 0S8. Clearly a trade the Maple Leafs brass would like back considering the Blue Jackets used the first-rounder to select Corson Ceulemans with the 25th overall pick. Matthew Knies out of the University of Minnesota gets the ball rolling as Toronto's first untouchable prospect. in trade talks for the past few years in Toronto, but given his modified no-trade clause . There would have been one more, American Nick Robertson, but the Leafs decided to keep the 19-year-old in Toronto to prepare for the upcoming NHL season, with training camp opening Jan. 3. As for the main acquisition, Foligno, he played seven games during the regular season with four assists and four playoff games after suffering an injury. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Hockey Canada Director of Player Personnel said that Tverberg was among the most improved players at selection camp and was one of the toughest cuts to make. Finally,Niemel is probably the hardest to predict. by The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star The defenceman is five-foot-11, shoots right and models his game after Cale Makar, and the younger version of Erik Karlsson. MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 08: Fraser Minten is selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs during Round Two of the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. With the calendar turning over to 2023 and the World Juniors signaling the unofficial halfway point in the hockey calendar, it's an excellent time to reassess the Leafs' prospect pipeline. He began his broadcasting with CBCs Hockey Night in Canada team as well as being part of their coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. Fantasy; Betting; Shows; Schedule; Player News; Starting Goalies; Line Combos; Ad. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a few prospects eligible to play in the 2023 World Junior Championships which will take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick starting on December 26th, 2022. ", How acquired: Selected with No. Marner set the franchise record with a 23-game point streak earlier in the season. OHL; QMJHL; WHL . The Zamboni word mark and configuration of the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc. 2022. Watching Knies game, he has a play style similar to that of former Maple Leafs winger Zach Hyman. Were excited for him. Hirvonen and Niemel worked out with the likes of John Tavares and Michael Bunting while getting to know the organization and city before returning to Finland to attend their world junior camp. Jan 10, 2023. "We want him to dominate every time he steps on the ice," said Hayley Wickenheiser, the Maple Leafs assistant general manager of player development. Alex Hobson is a writer and a radio producer for 610 CKTB. The 19-year-old's ascension from second-round draft pick to point-a-game player in the NCAA was impressive enough to land him a spot representing the United States at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where he had a goal and an assist in four games. 7 Reasons Connor McDavid Is the Worlds Best Hockey Player, Avalanche Must Fix Attitude and Power Play Problems, NHL Rumors: Blackhawks, Kraken, Bruins, Canucks, 3 Devils Who Can Join Jack Hughes at the All-Star Game, Red Wings Jake Walman Is Proving His Worth. However, lets recap Knies performance so far. It speaks volumes to a United States program that seems to insist upon being insular and looking specifically for college hockey players as opposed to exploring those options that play in Canada. Its telling that the Team USA roster has all but completely shunned the CHL (only 2 call-ups play in the CHL). 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