Topi Niemelä

Topi Niemelä
Niemelä at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
Born (2002-03-25) 25 March 2002 (age 22)
Oulu, Finland
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Marlies (AHL)
Oulun Kärpät
NHL draft 64th overall, 2020
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 2019–present

Topi Niemelä (born 25 March 2002) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] Niemelä was drafted 64th overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, ranking within the top ten of European skaters.[2][3]

Playing career

Following a break out year in the Liiga with Oulun Kärpät during 2021–22 season, Niemelä was signed to a future three-year, entry-level contract with draft club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, on 13 May 2022.[4] Niemelä returned to Oulun Kärpät for the 2022–23 season and appeared in 58 games, scoring 8 goals and 18 points. At the end of the season, he joined the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies.[5] Niemelä attended the Maple Leafs' 2023 training camp, but was assigned to the Marlies to start the 2023–24 season.[6]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Finland
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2022 Canada
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Canada

At the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Niemelä led all defensemen in points, accumulating two goals and six assists on the way to winning the bronze medal with Team Finland.[7][8] After the end of the tournament, he was named Best Defenceman by the IIHF Directorate.[9] He joined Team Finland again for the 2022 edition of the tournament. The team reached the gold medal game this time, playing against Team Canada, and Niemelä played a pivotal role in the game's most famous moment, when his potentially game-winning shot into a wide open Canadian net was knocked out of midair by Canadian captain Mason McTavish, preventing Finnish victory. The Finns won the silver medal.[10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2018–19 Oulun Kärpät Jr. A 39 1 7 8 16 11 1 3 4 2
2019–20 Oulun Kärpät Liiga 43 1 6 7 8 — — — — —
2019–20 Oulun Kärpät Jr. A 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
2020–21 Oulun Kärpät Liiga 15 0 4 4 2 4 0 2 2 0
2020–21 Oulun Kärpät Jr. A 6 1 3 4 0 — — — — —
2021–22 Oulun Kärpät Liiga 48 10 22 32 20 6 0 1 1 2
2022–23 Oulun Kärpät Liiga 58 8 10 18 12 3 0 0 0 4
2022–23 Toronto Marlies AHL 6 1 1 2 0 7 2 3 5 2
2023–24 Toronto Marlies AHL 68 8 31 39 43 3 0 0 0 2
Liiga totals 164 19 42 61 42 13 0 3 3 6

International

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2018 Finland U17 6 1 0 1 2
2019 Finland U18 5 1 0 1 0
2019 Finland HG18 3 0 3 3 0
2021 Finland WJC 7 2 6 8 6
2022 Finland WJC 7 0 6 6 2
Junior totals 28 4 15 19 10

References

  1. ^ "Topi Niemelä player profile". eliteprospects.com. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  2. ^ Kournianos, Steve (July 31, 2019). "NHL Draft 2020 prospect rankings: Preseason top 62 players on next year's big board". sportingnews.com. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  3. ^ Morreale, Mike G. (June 22, 2019). "Lafreniere headlines 2020 NHL Draft prospects". NHL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  4. ^ "Maple Leafs sign Roni Hirvonen and Topi Niemela to entry-level contracts". Toronto Maple Leafs. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Maple Leafs assign prospect Niemela to AHL's Marlies". TSN. 29 March 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  6. ^ Hornby, Lance (October 2, 2023). "Maple Leafs get scissors out to trim roster". Toronto Sun. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  7. ^ "IIHF - Statistics 2021 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  8. ^ "IIHF - Lundell leads Finns to bronze". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  9. ^ "IIHF - Zegras named MVP". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  10. ^ Alter, David (August 20, 2022). "Maple Leafs Prospect Niemela Has World Juniors Winning Goal Snatched Away by Unbelievable Defensive Play". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 22, 2022.


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