The 22-year-old suffered a concussion, the loss of his father, and a severe eye injury before playing even three games in North America.
The 22-year-old suffered a concussion, the loss of his father, and a severe eye injury before playing even three games in North America.
After Roni Hirvonen took a stick to the eye on Oct. 15 against the Utica Comets, he didn't know if he'd ever play professional hockey again.
"Of course there was [a doubt]. Until I tried to play on the ice again," Hirvonen said.
Forty seconds into the third period, Utica's Max Willman innocently dumped the puck into the Marlies' end of the rink. The follow-through of his stick caught Hirvonen in the eye.
The 22-year-old stayed down for a few moments before leaving his stick, helmet, and one of his gloves on the ice as he exited the ice and went straight to Toronto's locker room.
"We just hope he's okay. That's our number one concern," a visually concerned Marlies head coach John Gruden said following the game on Oct. 15.
But moments after Hirvonen got off the ice, he was sent to the hospital, not knowing how major the injury was. There, he received imaging on his eye, and when he left the hospital, Hirvonen didn't know when he'd be back playing hockey.
"And then it was just, waiting after that [for the eye to heal]," Hirvonen said. "They were not able to do anything."
And neither was Hirvonen.
He couldn't skate. He couldn't do his job. The only thing the young forward could do was stay in shape and be around the team as much as possible. Toronto made sure to keep him as involved as they could so Hirvonen could remain with his teammates.
However, even with all of that — the inclusion, being around the team, and staying fit — being away from the ice was the most difficult part.
"You [are on the ice] every day and then when you can't do it for months, it's tough," Hirvonen said, calmly, as he stared into an empty rink.
But if there are two words Hirvonen knows, it's strength and positivity. The last 10 months have been incredibly difficult for him. But he's found a way to get through it.
The tough journey began this past summer when Hirvonen was on the receiving end of a hit from Nolan Dillingham during the organization's development camp in July which gave him a concussion.
"We all held our breath a little bit," Maple Leafs assistant GM, player development, Hayley Wickenheiser recalled when the collision happened.
A few weeks following development camp, Hirvonen's father, Timo, whom Roni was incredibly close with, passed away from cancer. Then, he suffered what was a career-threatening eye injury in just his second-ever AHL game.
This was a season where Hirvonen was supposed to cement himself as a key prospect in the Maple Leafs' system, but that plan was stopped before he could even have a say.
A young Topi Niemela and Hirvonen met in 2016-17. The two became teammates on Finland's under-16 team in 2017-18, and again last year when they joined the Marlies from their perspective teams in the Finnish Elite League.
Coming to a new country, especially halfway across the world, alone, can be daunting. Even more so when your first language isn't the one spoken where you're going.
But the two have stuck together. When times have gotten tough for Hirvonen, Niemela has made it his goal to be there for his friend. In doing so, Niemela has had a first-row seat to witness how mentally strong Hirvonen is.
"The big word is 'strong,'" Niemela said proudly when describing Hirvonen. "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."
As a friend, Topi did everything he could to be there for Roni. Whatever it was, Niemela tried to help as best as possible.
"Just say that you can talk to me every time you need and if you don't want to, you don't have to. But if he wants, he can talk to me every time," Niemela said.
"Just be a good friend and be positive and don't too much, like, [bring] those things up. Just maybe, when he's with me and Mikko (Kokkonen), just try to be fun together, and do some different things and take his mind away from the bad things."
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Hirvonen said while waiting for his eye to heal, he spent time with his girlfriend, exploring and getting to know the City of Toronto. The Finn also watched a lot of hockey.
"Of course, watching a lot of hockey, and in that way, trying to get better," Hirvonen said.
When you go through these experiences, there are a lot of things you can learn. But at the same time, other people can learn a lot about you too. When speaking with Niemela about how Hirvonen got through this difficult period, he was both in awe and incredibly proud.
"I just have to say I'm very proud of how he handled his dad [passing away] and his eye, and everything. It's been unbelievable to see that he's back now and it's been great," Niemela said with a prominent grin.
"[I learned] how he stays positive still, even he's having very hard times, and I can't even imagine how hard he had when he came here [after his dad's passing]. How he's positive every day, even, s*** happens and a lot of bad things.
"So, that's the one big thing I need to learn and I've been learning that, like, just be positive and come with smile every day to the rink, and enjoy the practice and whatever you do."
On Dec. 29 at Ford Performance Centre — almost three months following the injury — Hirvonen stepped onto the ice for the first time. It was a massive step for the forward who didn't know if he'd ever play professional hockey again.
Just under three weeks later, he participated in his first full practice with the team while wearing a red non-contact jersey. This was when it seemed possible that a return to game action was in the cards.
"It's an exciting time," Gruden said with a glowing smile on Jan. 18. "We're smiling. It's exciting to see him out there. If things go as planned, hopefully, we'll see him [in game action] sooner than later."
Hirvonen registered his first AHL point in his first game back on Jan. 28 in Hershey. He scored his first AHL goal on Feb. 10 at home against the Laval Rocket, tipping in Robert Mastrosimone's shot.
"The way he carries himself, I mean, how can you not like him, pull for him?" Gruden told Marlies play-by-play commentator Todd Crocker on Jan. 28.
Hirvonen has played 29 games since returning from his eye injury. He has six goals and four assists in that span, with two of those goals coming on Saturday afternoon against the team he suffered his injury against.
But as someone close to him, what does it say about Hirvonen's mentality that he can come out of a dark point and have success playing the sport he loves most?
"How strong he is. How much he wants to play hockey. How much he loves hockey," Niemela said passionately. "How much he's able to work to get his goal. That's the biggest things."
Gruden, who's coached every game of Hirvonen's in the American Hockey League, would agree with Niemela.
"He's been through so much. He's such a special young man. Whether things are going good or bad, he just is the same person. That says a lot about him of what he is as a human being," Gruden said.
"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. But, he keeps getting better. He keeps working at his game. He works extremely hard at his craft.
"And we expect him to have another gear here coming up, which will be exciting to see."
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