Leafs appear to have hit a homerun with former 3rd round pick
Photo credit: AHL
In the third round of the 2020 NHL draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs and now former GM Kyle Dubas selected Topi Niemela 64th overall. At the time, many said the Leafs did not need another small-ish, puck-moving defenseman because they had Morgan Rielly, Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin on their roster. With Sandin gone (dealt at last year's trade deadline) and the Leafs having a handful of free agent defensemen on their blueline this year, Niemela appears to have a pathway onto the Leafs' top-six as early as next season - especially because he fills a need on the right side as a right-shot defenseman.
When the Leafs selected Niemela, he already had one pro season under his belt playing with Karpat in the SM-Liiga. He played another three seasons with Karpat before making the jump to North America and joining the Toronto Marlies this season and he has not disappointed so far.
In his first pro season in North America, Niemela has adjusted well and according to TLN's prospect specialist, Nick Richard, Niemela has gotten more comfortable in recent weeks and has contributed more on offense than many were projecting this early into his career in North America.
"Topi Niemelä's offensive output has increased in recent weeks, and he extended his goal-scoring streak to three games with the overtime winner against Hartford on Sunday. With a pair of goals over the weekend, Niemelä is up to five goals and 10 assists in just 21 games. He has adjusted well to the North American game and is looking more comfortable with each passing game. The 2020 third-rounder will have to continue to add strength in order to hold up against bigger, stronger opponents but his defensive instincts and offensive skill have him trending toward becoming an NHL blueliner in the coming years."
The 22-year-old Finnish prospect is currently tied for 18th in scoring among all AHL defensemen, but many of those ahead of him have played 4 or 5 games more. While it is unlikely that he sees any NHL action this season with how Simon Benoit, William Lagesson and Maxime Lajoie have played for the Leafs, Neimela has certainly put his name in the conversation for a spot with the big club next season.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 18 | 765 ANSWERS Leafs appear to have hit a homerun with former 3rd round pick Will Topi Niemela be a full-time Leaf next season? | ||
| Not a full-time Leaf, but he'll see NHL ice | 392 | 51.2 % |
| Yes, he appears to be ready for his shot | 278 | 36.3 % |
| No, he'll need one more year in the AHL | 95 | 12.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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