Leafs' top defensive prospect's jersey number revealed as he is set to debut in North America
It was announced earlier this week that the Leafs' top defensive prospect, Topi Niemela, would officially join the Marlies roster soon. Today, the team shared the first look at Niemela's new jersey.
Niemela was drafted 64th overall by the Leafs in the 2020 entry draft. The 21-year-old has since had a breakout year during the 2021-2022 season in the Finnish Elite League, before signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Leafs in May 2022. He led all defensemen in points during the 2021 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship and played a crucial role for Team Finland in getting them to the gold medal game against Team Canada in 2022. Niemela took that almost game-winning shot on the wide-open Canada net that was famously blocked by Mason McTavish, preventing Finland from stealing one from Canada.
It's not uncommon to see Niemela's name mentioned along with other top prospects for the Leafs, such as Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson, so it'll be exciting to see how he does with the Marlies during their run for the Calder Cup this year.
