Maple Leafs prospect Roni Hirvonen signs 1-year contract with Oulun Kärpät

Hirvonen is currently an RFA as he had completed his entry-level contract he signed with the Leafs in May 2022. Should the Leafs opt to qualify him by the June 30 deadline, they will retain his rights and have the first right on signing him if he wishes to return to North America in the future. It remains to be seen whether the Leafs will qualify Hirvonen, given the changes in philosophy that the organization made to their drafting and personnel structure from when he was selected in the second round of the 2020 draft.

It has been a difficult development period for Hirvonen as he has had to face numerous setbacks throughout his two seasons in North America. He suffered a concussion during his first rookie camp in 2023 from a crushing open-ice hit from defenceman Nolan Dillingham. Later in the summer, his father, Timo, died after fighting cancer. Hirvonen took an errant high-stick directly in his eye that caused serious damage in only his second AHL game, and left doubts about whether his hockey career could continue.

He was able to make a full recovery from that last ailment and finished out the rest of the season, though it understandably took him a while to fully get going due to the extended time away from the rink. Hirvonen finished his rookie AHL campaign with 13 points (six goals and seven assists) in 37 games played while going scoreless in three postseason games.

This past season saw him mostly healthy, which was a step in the right direction given the major obstacles he faced early on. Unfortunately for Hirvonen, his offensive output only marginally improved with 21 points (10 goals and 11 assists) in 59 games that had him placed 10th on the Toronto Marlies in scoring. He later went on to record an assist in one playoff game as his team was eliminated in the first round by the Cleveland Monsters.

In total, the 23-year-old combined to register 34 points (17 goals and 17 assists) in 96 AHL games across two seasons.