Alex Hobson is a writer and a radio producer for 610 CKTB. There would have been one more, American Nick Robertson, but the Leafs decided to keep the 19-year-old in Toronto to prepare for the upcoming NHL season, with training camp opening Jan. 3. The Kamloops Blazers centre and 2022 Maple Leafs second-round draft pick recently finished a six-hour bus trip . As such, perhaps that sort of thinking no longer rings true. 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. All three should be interesting to watch at this years World Juniors, not least because its individually each their last shot at the gold. Alex Hobson is a writer and a radio producer for 610 CKTB. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Matthew Knies saved his best game for the last one of the group stage, helping USA win Group B. . Lilley says: Hes made really good strides. Tore it up with Notre Dame this year with 15 G, 32 PTS in 29 GP. This year, Hirvonen will be serving as Finlands captain. The Toronto Maple Leafs 2021 fifth-round (153rd overall) pick has. He likes to play and he wants to compete. Nikita Korostolev 11-2-16 | KIT @ SAR | 1G 0A 1P | -1 The move was to acquire Nick Foligno and Stefan Noesen for a run in the playoffs. He makes the right plays over and over again. Hockey Canada Director of Player Personnel said that Tverberg was among the most improved players at selection camp and was one of the toughest cuts to make. In fact, with Justin Holls deal expiring this coming summer, there is certainly going to be places up for grab on that side of the Toronto Maple Leafs defense. It was awesome to have a good buddy drafted by the same team, and hopefully well get to play there together, said Hirvonen, taken 59th overall in 2020. Hes good defensively. For interview requests or any other inquiries, you can follow Alexs social media pages listed at the bottom of his articles like this one. Brandon Lisowsky is having a great season so far with 8 goals and 18 points in 16 WHL games, but it doesnt seem good enough to garner much interest for Team Canada. Were excited for him. I think hell earn ice time., Drafted: 2020 (third round, 64th overall). Hes a 19-year-old playing in one of the top leagues in the world. So what happened to the picks that couldve been? Lilley says: Hes a steady guy. Niemela will be defending his title as the top defenseman from last years tournament. Despite winning both contests, its been slightly underwhelming for our pair of Fins after two games: As predicted, Niemela has been a key player for Finland at this tournament so far. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today the club's 27-man roster that will participate in the 2022 Traverse City Prospect Tournament at Centre ICE Arena in Traverse City, MI. TLN's 2022-23 Midseason Leafs Prospect Rankings: Prospects 20-16 Rounding out the back half of this countdown was difficult, as there isn't necessarily a ton separating most of the players in . As I wrote about the other day, the Toronto Maple Leafs have three. Hirvonen currently has four goals and seven assists for 11 points in 25 games. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. There are six Leafs prospects at the world juniors in Edmonton three on the Russian team (forwards Rodion Amirov and Mikhail Abramov, and goalie Artur Akhtyamov) and three on Finland (defencemen Mikko Kokkonen and Topi Niemela and forward Roni Hirvonen). Whats more is that the team only had the one selection in the first four rounds in 2021, which certainly doesnt help the case of having a top-end player from any country when it comes to this best-on-best set-up. Said Joshua Roy (MTL) was the other. 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. Watching Knies game, he has a play style similar to that of former Maple Leafs winger Zach Hyman. Hes working on his defence. For those players that have not been drafted yet, playing well at a tournament such as this can do wonders for their draft position. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images). While Minten is proving to still be a reputable pick, the Blackhawks used the first-rounder to take Sam Rinzel 25th overall in 2022 and it was another first-round selection the Maple Leafs had to move to shed salary from a contract they signed. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. He would have missed the start of training camp. Artur Akhtyamov (G) entered this season as arguably the Leafs' top goalie prospect, but his season has been up and down. And one day, they believe, they will play together for Toronto. Interestingly, in both comparisons, we likened him to players who were larger. 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. The Toronto Maple Leafs have a few prospects eligible to play in the 2023 World Junior Championships which will take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick starting on December 26th, 2022. Again, this could easily change over the coming games and for the Finnish teams fortunes, lets hope it does. Ovchinnikov was one of the stories of Toronto's prospect pool last year, putting up a massive season in the MHL with 20 goals and 31 assists in just 40 games. The organizations 2020 NHL Draft may have been their last major haul. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 . Also as predicted, Hirvonen has been a key player for Finland as well. Some teams fear Russian players will choose to play in the lucrative KHL. Six is a fairly impressive number. Tony Ferrari takes a deep look at what the team's future looks. Here is a look at each of those four prospects. Despite his outstanding production at the junior level, he was unable to earn a legitimate look in the KHL until this season. He saw time on their penalty kill and on the powerplay, suggesting that he is certainly well-rounded and able to adapt to the different roles, despite his youth and the fact hes playing against men. This is the most exciting time of the year for everyone that loves hockey.. Hes the captain in Victoriaville this year, which for us is a step in the development department to not only be a good player on your team but then take that next step to be a leader. Lets also hope this doesnt effect any other team at the tournament either. The 19-year-old's ascension from second-round draft pick to point-a-game player in the NCAA was impressive enough to land him a spot representing the United States at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, where he had a goal and an assist in four games. He makes a good first pass and jump into the play. It was really cool.. The 2023 NHL Draft eligible prospect just turned 17 and is one of the most electrifying prospects in all of hockey reflected in his consensus No. Ryan Tverberg is a 2020 seventh-round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs. To order Hes 18 but I think he should be another guy that plays a pretty prominent role on their team. I think he has also improved his skill since last season, especially his pro athlete mindset.. 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. Finland will have its sights set on Gold this year. Niemela is a puck-moving defenceman with three assists in nine games for Karpat in Finlands top league. Marat. 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. He scored twice, tops among Finnish blueliners. Republication or distribution of this content is Its not usual to go at the same time with a good friend.. To order copies of The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be represented well at the 2022 World Junior Championship. What Niemelas been able to do in Finland this year is ridiculously impressive for a 19-year-old, and only makes his presence at the World Juniors that much more intriguing. 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 Updated hourly, with analysis, commentary and features from hundreds writers worldwide, our articles are read over 5 million times every month. Six Maple Leafs prospects will take on the maple leaf at world junior tournament Toronto has three players each on the rosters of Finland and Russia. So the Maple Leafs learned a harsh lesson on Saturday night. The rearranged World Juniors give everyone a chance to get a dose of hockey this summer, not in the least Toronto Maple Leafs fans wholl have high expectations. "We want to see him elevate his game and really take control from the blue line," Wickenheiser said, "and that's from a defensive standpoint as well in terms of being able to play two ways and be that outstanding defenseman that he was last year. But given his style of play, I think hes capable of handling it. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; The first major move of the Toronto Maple Leafs . Toronto Maple Leafs After the COVID-19 forced the cancelation of the 2022 World Juniors last winter, the tournament will be restarted on Tuesday in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images). Some players will enjoy great careers, while other highly-touted prospects will fail to meet the lofty expectations. He has five goals and 17 assists for 22 points in 25 games so far this season. . Knies had three points in five games. What do you think of my list? One of the reasons he was selected is his productive season at the University of Connecticut in the NCAA. He has offensive instincts that should land him on the power play. 84. The defenceman is five-foot-11, shoots right and models his game after Cale Makar, and the younger version of Erik Karlsson. And while a strong tournament, as each of the Leafs' prospects are expected to have, doesn't. The lack of picks, which we will get to in a moment, play a large part in the Maple Leafs not having a representative at the World Juniors in 2023. Niemel picked up an assist in Mondays loss to Canada, his fourth of the tournament. The Finns. ", How acquired: Selected with No. presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution In Finlands seven games, Roni Hirvonen had seven points and Niemela had six points. The Maple Leafs' rebuild is off to a good start following the Mike Babcock hiring. It was a really good experience, Hirvonen said. Steeves was 2nd in the NCAA in primary even-strength points with 20, including 13 of his 15 goals. 2022 World Junior Championship Team Canada Final Roster, 2022 World Junior Championship Team Finland Final Roster, Capitals Ties With Russia Run Deeper Than Ovechkin, Kings Have Several Options to Replace Edler. 553 With the World Junior Championship in the rearview mirror, here's a look at 10 prospects making noise as of late. I also predicted big performances from all three. 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. Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Matthew Knies was expected to. World Juniors; Football. All Rights Reserved. They were drafted five picks apart in 2020. Niemela (5-11, 156) was viewed as a defensive defenseman when he was drafted by the Maple Leafs but has developed into a promising offensive force in his subsequent two seasons. Relatively unknown to the Leafs fan base, Amirov was a surprise pick. Where were they traded and when for the Maple Leafs not to have any representatives at this years World Junior Championship? For starters, the 2021-22 campaign saw the Phoenix, Arizona native suit up for Team USA at the 2022 World Junior Hockey . He has been writing about sports since 2015 and has been with The Hockey Writers since October of 2020. So, How have things been so far? The game airs on ESPN+ and Hulu.Colorado grabbed a 3-2 victory on the road its last time out on January 7 against the Edmonton Oilers.Florida lost 5-1 on the road against the Of his 15 goals defenceman is five-foot-11, shoots right and models his game after Cale,... 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