As we count down to the start of Maple Leafs rookie camp next month, THN Toronto looks at the organization's top 10 prospects in their system.
As we count down to the start of Maple Leafs rookie camp next month, THN Toronto looks at the organization's top 10 prospects in their system.
Roni Hirvonen is looking to have a massive season after a year filled with trials and tribulations.
From Aug. 12 to Aug. 23, I will highlight the top 10 prospects within the Maple Leafs organization. The rankings will be based on:
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Roni Hirvonen (Toronto, AHL) 22, LW, 5-foot-10, 179 lbs
The 22-year-old is glancing ahead to an influential season in his development after a year in which he lost his father, was concussed at Maple Leafs development camp, and suffered a near career-ending eye injury.
In Hirvonen's second-ever AHL game, he took a stick to the eye, causing him to miss three and a half months. He couldn't skate for three months after the injury, which was incredibly difficult for the young forward. But he found a way to get through it.
Hirvonen's the type of player who can defy the odds. His friend, and teammate, Topi Niemela, describes the 5-foot-10 winger as mentally strong. It's why he returned to the Marlies lineup and played 37 games after everything that's happened.
"We are great friends and he's tough. His mind is tough because a lot of things, like last year, what's been happening to him," Niemela told The Hockey News in early April.
In those 37 games with AHL Toronto — playing throughout the Marlies lineup — Hirvonen scored seven goals and six assists. As the season went on, the Espoo, Finland native was slowly building himself back into the promising prospect he is.
What stands out about Hirvonen's game on the ice is his strength on the puck even though he stands below six feet tall. His elusiveness and power with the puck allows him to skate to key areas in the offensive zone before finding a teammate for a scoring chance.
He's a player who doesn't quit on a play either which ties into how mentally strong he is individually. Hirvonen also possesses a very sneaky shot that often leaves a goalie surprised that it went past them and into the net.
"He's been through a lot with his eye and just being a second-year pro and putting probably a lot of pressure on himself," Marlies head coach John Gruden said in April. "But, he keeps getting better. He keeps working at his game. He works extremely hard at his craft."
Hirvonen's determination is why I still believe he's an important prospect for the Maple Leafs. He could've easily fallen out of the top 10 due to the time missed this season. However, as I've seen throughout the last year, the forward carries himself in a manner that demonstrates just how much he desires to be a vital player for Toronto.
If everything pans out for the forward, I believe he can be a key part of Toronto's bottom-six, when the time is right.
The expectation from myself — and likely many others around Hirvonen — is that he enters this next season and plays well enough to warrant a call-up from the Maple Leafs either later this year or in 2025-26.
THN Toronto's Prospect Rankings
Counting Down the Top 10 Maple Leafs Prospects in 2024: No. 8 - Noah Chadwick
Counting Down the Top 10 Maple Leafs Prospects in 2024: No. 9 - Artur Akhtyamov
Counting Down the Top 10 Maple Leafs Prospects in 2024: No. 10 - Nicholas Moldenhauer
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