Maple Leafs Prospect Roni Hirvonen Suffers Concussion on Final Day of Development Camp
Hirvonen was hit in the middle of the ice by Development Camp invitee Nolan Dillingham
Roni Hirvonen sustained a concussion during a scrimmage on the final day of development camp on Saturday after the Maple Leafs prospect was hit in the middle of the ice by defenseman Nolan Dillingham during a scrimmage.
"He'll need some time to recover," Maple Leafs assistant general manager Hayley Wickenheiser said of Hirvonen. "He's a very tough human and that was a very big hit."
Hirvonen was seen around Ford Performance Centre walking around following the scrimmage. The Finnish forward is one of Toronto's top prospects at the camp and he is expected to spend this season playing with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
Dillingham, who has spent the last five seasons playing with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, was one of several invitees to help fill out the week-long development camp.
Although it's rare to see a hit like the one Dillingham levied on Hirvonen during the scrimmage of a development camp, Wickenheiser had no issue with it.
"It was a clean hit," Wickenheiser said. "It happens to everyone. You never want to see it in a game scenario like this. We all held our breath a little bit, but the fact that he (Hirvonen) was able to get up and get off the ice was a good sign. I think he'll be fine."
The 21-year-old Hirvonen was selected by the Maple Leafs in the second round (59th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft.
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