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Topi Niemela

AHL Shuffle: 3/30/23

March 30, 2023 at 9:47 am CDT | by Tanner Holubar 2 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs have sent defenseman Topi Niemela to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, the Marlies announced on Twitter. Niemela finished his season with Karpat of the Liiga, Finland’s top league, earlier this month, and is set to cross the pond to get his first taste of North American pro hockey. Drafted in the third round by Toronto in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Niemela played 58 games for Karpat this season, tallying 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 points. It was a dip in production, as he recorded 10 goals and 22 assists in just 48 games in 2021-22. He will join a Marlies squad that has already punched a ticket to the AHL playoffs, and the chance for Niemela to learn while on a playoff run will only be more beneficial. He will likely spend a decent amount of time with the AHL squad before suiting up for the Maple Leafs.

 

  • The Florida Panthers recalled goaltender Mack Guzda from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL, according to Chris Johnston of NorthStart Bets. Johnston reported Wednesday that both Alex Lyon and Sergei Bobrovsky both took the morning skate before yesterday’s win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Lyon got the start, stopping 40-of-42 shots in the 3-2 Panthers win. The Panthers are set to take on the Montreal Canadiens tonight. Guzda, 22, has appeared in 26 games with Charlotte this season, posting an .899 save percentage and 2.86 GAA. If Guzda were to get into a game, it would be his NHL debut.
  • The Anaheim Ducks have recalled defenseman Andrej Sustr on an emergency loan from the AHL, according to CapFriendly. Sustr, a veteran defenseman of more than 350 NHL games, has spent the entire season in the AHL. He played 39 games with the Iowa Wild, then was flipped to the Ducks in the John Klingberg trade, and has played seven games with the San Diego Gulls. Sustr suited up for the Ducks in both 2018-19 and 2021-22, making this his third stint with the team.

Anaheim Ducks| Florida Panthers| NHL| NLA| Topi Niemela| Toronto Maple Leafs Andrej Sustr| Mack Guzda| NHL Entry Draft

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Finland Announces Preliminary Rosters For 2022 WJC

June 22, 2022 at 2:50 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

While the focus is on the Stanley Cup Final right now, fans will have some more hockey to watch later this summer, when the rescheduled World Junior Championship takes place in August. The event, which was postponed from its normal late-December timeslot because of a COVID-19 outbreak, will kick off on August 9 in Edmonton, Alberta.

All of the same players are eligible for the event, even if they have since turned 20, meaning there is a much bigger pool of talent to pick from this year. That’s led to Finland naming a preliminary roster and a challenger roster, which will battle at a camp this summer according to Lassi Alanen of Elite Prospects.

The main roster:

G Leevi Merilainen
G Rasmus Korhonen
G Juha Jatkola

D Matias Rajaniemi
D Ruben Rafkin
D Ville Ottavainen
D Joni Jurmo
D Eemil Viro
D Topi Niemela
D Kasper Puutio
D Petteri Nurmi
D Aleksi Heimosalmi
D Rami Maatta

F Samuel Helenius
F Roni Hirvonen
F Oliver Kapanen
F Ville Koivunen
F Juuso Maenpaa
F Aatu Raty
F Joakim Kemell
F Kalle Vaisanen
F Brad Lambert
F Kasper Simontaival
F Joel Maatta
F Roby Jarventie
F Elias Koponen
F Eetu Liukas
F Roni Karvinen

Prospects| Topi Niemela Aatu Raty| Aleksi Heimosalmi| Brad Lambert| Joakim Kemell| Roni Hirvonen

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Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Roni Hirvonen, Topi Niemela

May 13, 2022 at 10:04 am CDT | by Gavin Lee Leave a Comment

A day after experiencing an excruciating overtime loss, Toronto Maple Leafs fans have something to cheer about today. The team has announced three-year entry-level contracts for both Roni Hirvonen and Topi Niemela, which will start next season and carry average annual values o $856,666.

Hirvonen, 20, was the 59th selection in 2020, picked out of Finland’s top league after holding his own as a teenager. In the two years since Hirvonen has shown that was no fluke, and had 26 points in 46 games for HIFK Helsinki this season. His excellent two-way play elevated him to captain of Finland’s World Junior team this year, though the club was only able to play in two games before the tournament was postponed due to COVID-19. He will still be eligible for the event later this summer, though perhaps he will be more focused on competing to land a spot with the Maple Leafs in the fall.

Speaking of World Junior standouts, Niemela made his own name at the tournament in 2021 by leading all defensemen in scoring. He earned best defenseman of the tournament honors and then took that success back to his league play. This season for Karpat, Niemela was a scoring machine, recording ten goals and 32 points in 48 games by constantly joining the rush and letting shots fly from the point. He too will be eligible for the rescheduled junior tournament this summer, though again, a future with the Maple Leafs organization may be more important at this point.

While neither one is a lock to step into the NHL right away, both are on the fast track to making an impact with the Maple Leafs after spending so much time in the professional ranks in Finland. Hirvonen and Niemela were ranked sixth and third respectively in the Toronto prospect pool by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic earlier this year, and should quickly rise up the depth charts now that they have inked their first deals.

Topi Niemela| Toronto Maple Leafs Roni Hirvonen

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