When centre Roni Hirvonen and defenceman Topi Niemela signed to play hockey in Europe in the upcoming season, they struck a dagger through the heart of the Maple Leafs’聽2020 draft class.
It may go down as the worst, or unluckiest, in not just the team’s history but in league history.
The Leafs, under general manager Kyle Dubas and director of amateur scouting John Lilley, had 12 picks over the seven rounds of the draft. And, five years later, none of the players selected picks have made it to the NHL.
One might have by now, but first-round pick Rodion Amirov was diagnosed with brain cancer and later succumbed to it.聽Still, to miss on the other 11 is quite remarkable.
The 2020 draft was in the middle of the COVID pandemic. It was held in October rather than June and most of the prospects hadn’t played since March. Scouts did their final evaluations of those that did skate by video.
But to miss on every pick is quite remarkable.
After swapping Reaves for blueliner Henry Thrun,聽the Leafs have $5.3 million (U.S.) in
The Leafs came close in 1999, when they drafted Switzerland’s Luca Cereda in the first round. He was diagnosed with heart problems that hampered his development. The only player among the nine they drafted that year to make the NHL was Pierre Hedin, and he only played three games.
Teams rarely get shut out in the draft but it happens. Arizona went 0-for-8 in 2007, the same year Vancouver went 0-for-6 and Montreal went 0-for-7. Vancouver also went 0-for-5 in 2020.
And it’s not impossible that a Leafs pick from 2020 makes the NHL. But time is running out. Some remain in the system, some are already cast off, some have dropped off the team’s prospects radar.
Roni Hirvonen, Topi Niemela
The Leafs took a pair of Finns after Amirov: Hirvonen in the second round and Niemela in the third.
Hirvonen suffered an eye injury early in his Marlies career and has somewhat limited vision. He plays hard-nosed hockey but is only five-foot-10. He had 10 goals and 11 assists with the Marlies last season, then signed with Karpat of the top Finnish league.
The six-foot-three forward and son of former NHLer Pascal Rh茅aume had four points in 37 games
鈥淚 would call it an average season for Roni (Hirvonen),鈥 said Hayley Wickenheiser, the Leafs assistant GM in charge of player development. 鈥淚 think that he expects more of himself and we certainly do. I think he’s gotten more offensively to contribute.
“We spend a lot of time talking to him about deferring less. He’s just such an unselfish person. He is a great leader, he is a good culture builder.鈥
Niemela signed with Malmo in Sweden after his second year with the Marlies, where he scored twice and had 20 assists.
鈥淗e’s still got a ways to go in terms of his physical maturity,鈥 Wickenheiser said. 鈥淗e’s got some special tools offensively, can make plays, jump into the rush, play on the power play. But he didn’t play as much as I would have expected him to, and I think at times it came down to physical fatigue and his overall strength.鈥
The door isn’t totally shut. The Leafs issued both qualifying offers to retain their playing rights.
Artur Akhtyamov
Akhtyamov, a Russian goalie, might ultimately save this group from ignominy. The fourth-round pick made a good first impression in his rookie AHL year, going 11-8-6 with a .901 save percentage, and joined the Maple Leafs ‘Black Aces’ reserve squad for the post-season.
William Villeneuve
Villeneuve, another fourth-rounder, has been with the Marlies for three seasons and hasn’t gotten a whiff at the NHL level. The 22-year-old defenceman had four goals and 36 assists in his best season as a pro, leading Marlies defencemen in scoring. Right-handed and six-foot-two, he might have a chance in GM Brad Treliving’s world. The Leafs issued him a qualifying offer to retain his rights.
Dmitry Ovchinnikov
Ovchinnikov, a fifth-round pick, is a centre who played parts of three seasons with the Marlies, but returned last year to Novosibirsk Sibir of the KHL and spent most of the season in a lower league.
Axel Rindell
Another undersized defenceman at six feet, the sixth-rounder played a handful of games for the Marlies and the now defunct Newfoundland Growlers before heading back to Europe for 2023-24. He’ll play for HV71 in Sweden next year, his fourth club in four years.
Veeti Miettinen
Another sixth-rounder, the five-foot-nine winger finished his four years at Cloud State University in 2023-24 and headed home to Finland.
There’s a decent chance 色色啦’s latest acquisition auditions for the top line’s right wing, in
Joe Miller
Miller, the Leafs’ third pick in the sixth round, is heading into his fourth year at Harvard, where he’s been close to a point-a-game forward. He’ll be captain this season. But, like so many others in this Dubas-Lilley draft, he is undersized at five-foot-10 and not likely going to be in big demand on a Treliving team.
John Fusco
One of three seventh-round picks, Fusco is another small defenceman (five-foot-10) whose numbers at Dartmouth College are less than overwhelming. And he’s 24.
Wyatt Schingoethe聽
Schingoethe finished as NCAA champion at Western Michigan University. The six-foot centre had five goals. None of Miller, Fusco or Schingoethe were at the Leafs’ development camp this year.
Ryan Tverberg
Tverberg’s game popped enough at the University of Connecticut that he earned an invitation to Canada’s 2021 world junior camp and got a pro contract. But his game has levelled off with the Marlies (four goals, seven assists in 2024-25). He has one more year left on his contract.
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