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. Also, it just broke today that they will forfeit their second game as there has been more than one player who has tested positive for Covid-19. And with fans expected to be back in the buildings, this years festivities will be extra fun to keep tabs on.Team CanadaPlayers to WatchRosterTeam USAPlayers to WatchRosterTeam AustriaPlayers to WatchRosterTeam CzechiaPlayers to WatchRosterTeam FinlandPlayers to WatchRosterTeam GermanyPlayers to WatchRosterTeam LatviaRosterTeam SlovakiaRosterTeam SwedenPlayers to WatchRosterTeam SwitzerlandPlayers to WatchRoster, Guide to the 2022 World Junior Championship, 2022 World Juniors Schedule, Groups, Rosters, Predictions & More, Predictions for the 2022 World Junior Championship, 2022 World Juniors: 2023 Draft-Eligible Players to Watch, 6 Predictions for the 2022 World Junior Championship. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Matthew Knies will probably remember his opening game at the 2022 World Juniors for being in the middle of the most bizarre review and re-review of a goal. Lilley says: Its a 19-year-olds tournament. Minten was added to Team Canadas summer camp earlier in the year, but was passed on by a team that had more than 10 returnees from the summer when Canada won a gold medal. Totals (OHL, RW): 18 GP, 6 G, 32 PTS, 2023 Guide to the World Junior Championship, 3 Takeaways From Rangers 2-1 Shootout Loss to Lightning, Brobergs Impact Making Oilers Trade Deadline Decisions Easier, Montreal Canadiens 2023 Trade Deadline Preview, 3 Potential Trade Destinations for Panthers Sam Bennett, 3 Potential Landing Spots for Red Wings Tyler Bertuzzi, Rangers Adam Fox Eyeing His Second Norris Trophy, Blue Jackets News & Rumors: Jenner, Sillinger & More, 5 Bruins Storylines to Watch in the Second Half of 2022-23, Islanders Sorokin Having a Vezina Trophy-Worthy Season, Bruins News & Rumors: Horvat, Potential Trade Targets & More, NHL Rumors: Senators, Coyotes, Jets, Sharks, Maple Leafs, Devils Could Target Vejmelka as 1B to Vanecek, Oilers Forward Line Predictions When Evander Kane Returns, Remembering an Old Friend: Buffalos Memorial Auditorium, The 8 Best Defensive Forwards in Hockey History, The Day the Mark Messier Era Ended in New York, 6 Takeaways From Devils Dominant 6-2 Victory Over Ducks. But knock Dubas all you want, his draft classes since he took over GM duties look promising, and should be given a chance to flower before the abilities of him and his scouting team are questioned. One of the reasons he was selected is his productive season at the University of Connecticut in the NCAA. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ty Voit has somehow been overlooked when it comes to the USA World Juniors camp. Topi Niemela - Finland - The Finnish born defenseman was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs 64th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He has a very nice shot to go along with some sneaky speed for his size, and a solid physical game as well. For those players that have not been drafted yet, playing well at a tournament such as this can do wonders for their draft position. 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. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Sign up for our regular 'Maple Leafs Newsletter' for all the latest. Team Finland will play Germany in the tournaments first game on December 26th at 2 pm ET. He plays for HIFK in Liiga this season after spending the previous two seasons playing for Assat. I think hell earn ice time., Drafted: 2020 (third round, 64th overall). ", How acquired: Selected with No. However, plenty of smaller players are now proving more than competent in the NHL. 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. He scored in all three games and was named MVP at the Karjala Cup as Russias under-20 team beat senior teams from Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Finally,Niemel is probably the hardest to predict. "We want him to dominate every time he steps on the ice," said Hayley Wickenheiser, the Maple Leafs assistant general manager of player development. Hes a 19-year-old playing in one of the top leagues in the world. Also like Niemela, it hasnt resulted in much success on the score sheet. The defenceman is five-foot-11, shoots right and models his game after Cale Makar, and the younger version of Erik Karlsson. 64 pick in 2020 NHL Draft, 2021-22 season: Karpat (Liiga): 48 GP, 10-22-32. Niemela is one of two Toronto prospects representing Team Finland at the World Junior Championship. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the. As I mentioned earlier, Maple Leafs 2020 seventh round pick Ryan Tverberg was among the last cuts for Team Canada, which largely had to do with the emergence of Bedard at selection camp. Regardless of how you look at it, heres a look at how the Maple Leafs were left without a single prospect in this years U20 tournament. 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. 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. They selected him with the #64th overall pick. Lets hope this doesnt derail USAs tournament as theyre poised to really make some noise and defend their gold medal from last year. For interview requests or any other inquiries, you can follow Alexs social media pages listed at the bottom of his articles like this one. Or, you could see it from the standpoint that the Maple Leafs lack of representation comes from their lack of draft picks over the past few years at least in the first three rounds. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Topi Niemela has his first point at the 2022 World Junior Championship when he and fellow Leafs prospect Roni Hirvonen assisted on Aatu Raty's goal in the third period . 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. Giving him the fairest chance to make the Maple Leafs is the ultimate goal.. EDMONTONIt would seem Maple Leafs prospects Roni Hirvonen and Topi Niemel are inseparable. Were excited for him. Both players aged out this time around and werent able to return with Finland to the tournament being held in Moncton and Halifax leaving the hopes of the Maple Leafs having representation at the tournament on the shoulders of their more recent prospects. He definitely deserves an invite to camp, but if he doesnt make the team this year, hes eligible for the 2024 tournament as well. He does everything on the ice. Of course, prior to the World Juniors over the Christmas period the Team USA roster will need to be trimmed down to 25 players and injuries might occur, but the reality is that the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect is likely not getting a look in. Hockey Prospect has him . Knies will be representing Team USA at the World Junior Championship. He also had three assists for the U.S. in the 2022 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in August. He also makes weekly appearances on THWs Maple Leafs Lounge Roundtable. The sixth-place team in the Western Conference, the Minnesota Wild (22-13-2), host the 11th-ranked St. Louis Blues (19-17-3) at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday at 7:00 PM ET.Minnesota grabbed a 5-1 victory at home its last time out on January 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.In its most recent game 72. Topi Niemela (TOR) scores his first goal of the tournament. Mintens injury to start the season might slightly hamper his chances at making the team, but he has 3 goals and 11 points in 7 WHL games since returning. Matthew Knies is seemingly the most likely to make the Leafs in the short-term, but that doesnt mean thatNiemel and Hirvonen cant aspire to making the NHL. Somehow though, the Pittsburgh-born youngster hasnt been given the chance to help the United States in their quest for World Juniors gold. Kokkonen has been regular on Finlands national junior teams since he was 15, playing above his age bracket and appearing in the world juniors last year at 18. NHL Prospects; World Juniors; Merch Shop; CHL. The Toronto Maple Leafs may be on hiatus, but some of their prospects are keeping busy at the World Juniors. Here, Rasmus Sandin starts the breakout on the powerplay and it leads to a nice chance for the Leafs 2018 6th round pick Pontus Holmberg. Alex Hobson is a writer and a radio producer for 610 CKTB. With 25-man rosters for. Good skater. Tore it up with Notre Dame this year with 15 G, 32 PTS in 29 GP. World Juniors; Hockey Canada; Olympics; Euro; . Marner, selected Thursday to the NHL All-Star . Knies had three points in five games. American Matt Knies is the other. 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. Man, oh man, has this kid ever been turning heads at the collegiate level. One of the Maple Leafs best forward prospects, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev is a trade candidate leading up to the 2023 deadline. The team took Matthew Knies in the second round, 57th overall, before selecting Voit at 153rd overall in the fifth round and Vyacheslav Peksa at 185th overall in the sixth round. Six is a fairly impressive number. We look forward to seeing him in this tournament. Russia's forward group is also quite strong up the middle. The Toronto Maple Leafs 2021 fifth-round (153rd overall) pick has been on fire with the Sarnia Sting this season, with 48 points in 27 games. 57 pick in 2021 NHL Draft, 2021-22 season: University of Minnesota (NCAA): 33 GP, 15-18-33. The hockey world wasn't exactly taken by Zdeno Chara early in his career, either. There would have been another with the. Auston Matthews, Calle Jarnkrok, Conor Timmins, Zach Aston-Reese and Timothy Liljegren also scored for Toronto, which swept its three-game season series with the Flyers. The Finns. The Toronto Maple Leafs will be keeping a close eye on their four prospects and hoping to see great things. He provides analysis on the top draft-eligible players, prospects drafted by NHL teams and all other relevant prospect information. Theyve known each other since they were kids. Toronto Maple Leafs news fromFanSided Daily, Toronto Maple Leafs Put Streak on the Line vs Kings, Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson InjuredAgain. He is not as good a skater as Makar, but some day hes going to be a power player and a penalty-killing defenceman, Pennanen said. Alan Millar calls Ryan Tverberg (TOR) one of the two most improved players in the Hockey Canada program during the evaluation process this year. The ceiling for Hirvonen with the Maple Leafs might very well cap out at the third line, but if he can offer anything close to what Pierre Engvall does, while on a cheaper deal, the Leafs will be laughing. . The Americans finished undefeated in their group after they hung on . Hes only scored a single goal so far and no assists but this could change and things are clearly happening when hes on the ice as hes a +6 over the tournament as of now. A prospect could go from a projected third-round pick to a second-round selection. Hirvonen is a centre, unafraid to compare his game to that of Mikael Granlund, a 10-year NHLer with Minnesota and Nashville. Firstly, the Maple Leafs were so close to having a prospect in the tournament had Voit been considered for the U.S. team. He needs more strength. These were the players we came up with. He has been writing about sports since 2015 and has been with The Hockey Writers since October of 2020. Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. "One thing he really elevated was his shot selection and choosing when and where to shoot the puck. 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. . 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. With many players aging out from the 2022 tournament, he will have a good shot at making it this year. Before the World Juni0rs was shutdown, Bedard was having a great showing for Canada. Knies is being viewed as a future top-six power forward, though it still remains to be seen when he eventually leaves college hockey behind whether he can stand-out in the NHL. Hes the former play-by-play voice of the London Jr. Knights for Rogers TV and currently hosts the Sticks in the 6ix podcast. Over the last 10 tournaments, the Leafs have sent only a handful of prospects to Canadas team at the world juniors: Nazem Kadri (2011), Morgan Rielly (2013), Frederik Gauthier (2014, 2015), Mitch Marner and Travis Dermott (2016), and goalie Ian Scott (2019). He competed (in the world juniors) last year. They can make a good living and not have to learn a new language or new customs. "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. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto All Despite his outstanding production at the junior level, he was unable to earn a legitimate look in the KHL until this season. Lilley says: Hes a steady guy. 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. 553 And Hirvonen is captain of the Finnish entry at the world junior hockey championship, while Niemel is an alternate captain. Toronto has 11 prospects eligible to be in the tournament this year, but only the best get selected to represent their country. He covers the Toronto Maple Leafs, World Juniors, and the NHL Entry Draft, and is also part of the Sticks in the 6ix Podcast, presented by THW. He also makes weekly appearances on THWs Maple Leafs Lounge Roundtable. 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. The 20-year-old's 2021-22 season was derailed early when he sustained a non-displaced fracture of his right fibula in the second game of the AHL season and was out for four months. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Matthew Knies saved his best game for the last one of the group stage, helping USA win Group B. . Toronto Maple Leafs: High Expectations For Prospects at World Juniors EDMONTON, AB - DECEMBER 26: Joel Mtt #32, Topi Niemel #7 and Roni Hirvonen #22 of Finland celebrate a goal. Torontos group of prospects include Matthew Knies, Topi Niemela, Roni Hirvonen, and Ryan Tverberg. Through three games in the KHL, he has a .904 save percentage, in eight games in the second division, he has a .935 save percentage, and three games at the junior level, he has a .926 save percentage. The Flames used it to take Aidan Thompson with the 90th overall pick and retained 50 percent of Rittichs contract. He's played primarily in the VHL for Ak Bars, where he has a .910 sv% in. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. He can make some plays. . 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. Related: 2023 Guide to the World Junior Championship. I think he has also improved his skill since last season, especially his pro athlete mindset.. The 18-year-old has five goals and four assists in 21 games for Assat in Finlands top league. Instead, guys like Noah Laba, Tyler Boucher and Sam Lipkin got call-ups when theyre useful role players but have hardly stood out this season on their respective teams. Still, no first round pick and just two of those picks came in the first three rounds with Fraser Minten going 38th overall in the second round and Nicholas Moldenhauer going 95th at the tail end of the third round. Toronto is encouraged by his combination of hustle and muscle (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) and sees him as an effective NHL power forward after continued development in college. Kind of a good all-around player., Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. There have been some standout performances by players throughout the system and . It was a really good experience, Hirvonen said. Relatively unknown to the Leafs fan base, Amirov was a surprise pick. Niemela is a 19-year-old defenseman from Oulu Finland and is currently playing for Karpat in Liiga (Finnish Elite League). Nick Robertson will not be returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. Matthew Knies is a 2021 second-round pick of the Leafs selected #57th overall in that draft. It was in his best interest and the best interest of everybody to give him the best opportunity to make the Toronto Maple Leafs, Lilley said. To order copies of Enter Search Term. Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read over 5 million times every month. Jan 10, 2023. Komarov is 5-foot-10 and 213 pounds. Hes good defensively. This is a great opportunity to compare him against his peers, the top players in his own age group. All three will be playing pivotal roles for their teams and will look to do the Maple Leafs organization proud. [Maple Leafs 32 in 32: Season preview | 3 Questions | Fantasy breakdown], How acquired: Selected with No. Just five picks before the Maple Leafs selected Niemela. The Toronto Maple Leafs had three prospects playing in the tournament: Roni Hirvonen and Topi Niemel played for Team Finland, and Matthew Knies played on one of the Team USA rosters. While no Maple Leafs prospects will be representing Team Canada this year, they will have some representation in North America. Artur Akhtyamov (G) entered this season as arguably the Leafs' top goalie prospect, but his season has been up and down. Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Oulu Finland and is currently playing for Karpat in Liiga ( Finnish Elite league ) and Hirvonen captain! 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