Maple Leafs’ future could be Finnish if their European prospects continue to deliver

Fresh off a recent plea for bringing Brad Lambert into the organization and with Matias Maccelli being one of the youngest Leafs on the roster, it seems like a good time to look overseas at a couple of Toronto Maple Leafs prospects that returned to Europe after their entry level contracts expired.

Both Topi Niemela and Roni Hirvonen are off to strong starts to their season’s in Sweden and Finland respectively, and with the Leafs being in a position where a younger, faster, and having something to prove lineup could serve them well, it’s worth considering that contracts for both of these players next season might be the right course of action for Toronto.

Niemela is spending this season with the Malmo Redhawks in the Swedish Hockey League. The 23-year-old is benefiting from the bigger ice surface and his undersized by Brad Treliving’s stature isn’t as much of an issue.

Niemela still isn’t putting up his gaudy offensive numbers that drew a lot of attention to him in 2021-22 and that he was able to mirror in his AHL rookie campaign in 2023-24, but his sound positional play and sound puck movement are being utilized from a defensive perspective and it’s easy to see a potential in road for him at the bottom of the Leafs lineup card now that the powerplay quarterback of the future expectations have eroded.

Niemela’s two-way responsibility is what sets him apart from a more offensive driven prospect like William Villeneuve and why Topi should get some consideration if the Maple Leafs are willing to embrace a young lineup that can move the puck quickly next season.

Roni Hirvonen is putting up the best offensive numbers of his career in any league he’s played in. The 23-year-old centre has returned to Finland to play for Karpat (Topi Niemela’s former Liiga team) and has put up 21 points in 22 games, matching the 21 points that Hirvonen put up last season for the Marlies and he’s just seven points off his career best professional hockey season.

Of course, Liiga is not the NHL, nor is it the SHL or AHL, but Hirvonen getting a bigger opportunity and showing elements of his game that haven’t previously been utilized should turn some heads given that two-way play, agitation, and relentless effort are already part of what makes Hirvonen tick.

Hirvonen, at 5’10, is another player who gets the undersized label and doesn’t fit with the “big bad Leafs” approach of Brad Treliving and Craig Berube. The Leafs might want to overlook size and consider Hirvonen’s drive next season as Roni could be a potential fit for the Leafs’ bottom six based on the number of boxes he checks off as needed.

Even if the Leafs don’t see Niemela and/or Hirvonen as the part of the Leafs future, their results may have attached a little bit of value to them in the trade market and while they might not yield much in return on their own, they are interesting options for balancing out a trade where the Leafs attempt to improve in season.

Both Hirvonen and Niemela signed one year deals with their clubs and the Leafs extended qualifying offers to retain their rights. Given how both players opted to return to Europe after their initial time in the AHL, it is only likely they would be interested in returning to North America if the NHL is their intended landing spot and it’s still too early to say that is the most likely outcome, even if early results make them players worth keeping an eye on.