Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby (#31) makes some saves during development camp. Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Topi Niemela has his first point at the 2022 World Junior Championship when he and fellow Leafs prospect Roni Hirvonen assisted on Aatu Raty's goal in the third period of Finland's 4-3 shootout victory against Czechia. Niemela, Toronto's third-round pick (64th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft was held off the scoresheet in Finland's tournament opener against Latvia. With his team on the power play, the 20-year-old kept the puck alive in Czechia's zone and found Hirvonen waiting around the net. Hirvonen, Toronto's second-round pick (59th overall) at the 2020 NHL Draft, found Raty just as the power play expired. Raty's goal helped Finland cap off three unanswered goals for Finland, who were down 2-0 to Czechia in the first period. Niemela nearly posted a goal in the opening game after wiring a shot off the crossbar. A video review of the play revealed that the puck never crossed the line. Hirvonen increased his point total to four points for the tournament. The 20-year-old scored a goal and added two assists in their first win against Latvia. He was the first player to shoot in the shootout on Thursday, but his deke attempt went wide of the net. The Finnish captain had five shots on goal in the game to finish with Raty for the team lead. Niemela had just one shot on goal, but had a big block when he kneeled down to get a leg on Czechia defenseman Tomas Hamara's shot. Finland gets a couple of days off before taking on Slovakia on Sunday. Further Reading Maple Leafs’ Prospect Knies Involved in Bizarre Goal Challenge at World Juniors [https://www.si.com/nhl/maple-leafs/news/maple-leafs-prospect-knies-involved-in-bizarre-goal-challenge-at-world-juniors] Maple Leafs Legend Borje Salming Reveals Battle with ALS [https://www.si.com/nhl/maple-leafs/news/maple-leafs-legend-borje-salming-reveals-battle-with-als] Why the Maple Leafs Don’t Need to Force a Trade to Become Salary Cap Compliant [https://www.si.com/nhl/maple-leafs/analysis/why-the-maple-leafs-dont-need-to-force-a-trade-to-become-salary-cap-compliant]
