Maple Leafs’ World Juniors Review: Hirvonen, Niemela & Knies

In the tournament, he did not look out of place on Finland’s top line with the Nashville Predators’ #17 pick in the 2022 NHL draft, Joakim Kemell, and the #52 pick of the New York Islanders in the 2021 draft, Aatu Raty.

When playing against lesser opponents like Latvia and Germany and given room to maneuver, Hirvonen looked a lot like Mitch Marner on the ice. However, it was a different story against tougher, tighter-checking opponents like Canada and Sweden. However, Hirvonen did have a decent game vs Canada in the final and had some good scoring chances but was unable to capitalize. 

Hirvonen is presently playing on the HIFK Helsinki team in Finland. Once he does come overseas to North America, we expect his first destination to be the AHL. If he does become an NHL player it looks more like it would most likely be two or three seasons down the road. 

Player Two: Topi Niemela

Topi Niemela was voted the best defenseman in the 2021 World Championships.  He definitely did not have as good a tournament in 2022. He saved his best game for the final. He came oh so close to winning the game in overtime. He did play in all situations (even strength, power play, penalty kill) and handled himself fairly well in those situations. 

While not a big player (5-foot-11, 170 pounds) and not overly physical, he seemed to have a bigger presence when he was on the ice in the tournament. He also used his body well to shield the puck when he was in possession of it. His lack of size and strength was a little more obvious when he was battling for the puck.

As you might expect with a junior-aged player, Niemela’s game with the puck is much stronger than his game without it. His defensive positioning at times was suspect and he looked awkward at times when attempting to block shots. 

Where he looks the best and the most confident is on the point in the opposition’s zone. Throughout the tournament, he controlled the play at even strength and on the power play very well at the blue line in the offensive zone. 

He seemed to panic a bit at times when facing heavy pressure in his own zone, and did cough up the puck a few times in those situations. 

Niemela needs to bulk up to be more effective as an NHL defenseman, but he does show potential. Like Hirvonen, he also appears to be two to three years away from making the NHL. One key to Niemela’s success is the fact he’s right-handed. With the Maple Leafs being short on right-handed defenders it could speed up his assent to the NHL lineup.

Player Three: Matthew Knies

While the general consensus is that Matthews Knies had a so-so tournament, he looked to us to be the closest of the three players to being NHL ready.  

Knies only had three assists in the five games and was not close to being the best player on the US team. Honestly, he wasn’t the best player on his line. His linemates for most of the tournament were Matt Coronato (the #13 overall draft pick from 2021) who scored four goals and three assists for seven points and Logan Cooley (the third overall draft pick from 2022) who scored two goals and four assists, for six points. 

With those two talented players on the line, it was Knies job to forecheck, get them the puck, and head for the front of the net, which for the most part he did very well. He was also very physical and used his 6-foot-3, 210-pound size to his advantage. This happens to be exactly what the Maple Leafs are looking for and need in their lineup. 

It would not surprise us at all to see him get some time on the left wing of the Maple Leafs’ second line near the end of the NHL season once his college year is complete. Having said that, we don’t expect him to make the Maple Leafs’ roster full-time right out of school. At the very least, one full year in the AHL seems more likely. 

[Note: I want to thank my regular co-author at The Hockey Writers Stan Smith for his work on this post. I learn a lot from Stan and his ideas and have come to appreciate him. Thanks, again.]