Leafs provide update on prospect who was knocked out cold during development camp scrimmage
In case you missed it during today's blue vs white scrimmage to close out Leafs summer development camp, one top Leafs prospect, Roni Hirvonen, was absolutely LEVELLED by camp invitee and Mississauga, ON native Nolan Dillingham of the Sarnia Sting. You can see the devastating hit here:
Hirvonen was knocked unconscious on the play and as both of the blue and white teams looked on with a great deal of concern, everyone was thankful to see Hirvonen eventually get up and skate off the ice under his own power, albeit with a little bit of help.
The 21-year-old Espoo, Finland native was spotted walked around the facility following the hit, which was a bit of a relief, given how nasty of a hit he had just taken, but unfortunately, even with the positive signs, he was not able to escape a serious injury. Per Leafs AGM Hayley Wickenheiser, Hirvonen has indeed suffered a concussion as a result of the hit and will require some time to recover.
Leafs Nation is split into two camps right now. One side believes that Dillingham had no business laying such a hit during a scrimmage game at a summer development camp. The other side believes that Hirvonen, who has a significant amount of professional experience playing in Finland's top men's league, should have known better than to cut through the middle with his head down. Regardless of which camp you fall under, I think everyone is just wishing Hirvonen a speedy recovery right now and hoping that he doesn't suffer any long-term effects following the hit.
