MAPLE LEAFS WJC - REVIEW

Nicholas D'Agostino

The 2022 World Juniors wrapped up this weekend after Canada defeated Finland to win Gold yet again. While this was a rather unusual tournament as it was canceled halfway in December and resumed this summer, it still had many great World Junior moments that we are all accustomed to. This tournament allows players to show their worth on the international stage, while also proudly representing their country with large stakes on the line.

At this tournament, the Leafs had 3 prospects represent their countries. Finnish defenseman Topi Niemelä, fellow Finnish forward Roni Hirvonen, and United States forward Matthew Knies. Both Niemelä and Hirvonen just attended their second World Juniors and they both collected a medal in consecutive years.

Topi Niemelä

Like I stated earlier, Niemelä is coming off his second straight World Juniors. Niemelä has been a workhorse for Finland over the past two World Juniors. In 2021 Niemelä won defenseman of the tournament as he scored 8 points in 7 games. Niemelä shined with his offensive and play driving ability. This year, he had 6 points in 7 games.

He didn't have quite the eye-opening tournament that he had last year but nonetheless he was outstanding for Finland as he helped along their journey towards the Gold Medal game. This year Niemelä truly showed that he can be trusted on defense as every game he was Finland’s ice time leader.

He was the backbone of their defense all tournament which is why in my eyes he can develop into a true top 4 defenseman one day. This upcoming year, Niemelä will be looking to develop and improve some more as he inches closer and closer to making the jump to the NHL.

Roni Hirvonen

This tournament, Roni Hirvonen emerged with his exceptional play. The Finnish captain was one of Finland’s best players all tournament long and was a part of one of the best lines alongside Aatu Raty and Joakim Kemell. Hirvonen really played well on Finland's top line as he used his speed and playmaking ability to help set up his line mates.

Hirvonen scored 7 points in 7 games with 3 goals. Hirvonen truly had a productive tournament in terms of his development and improvement. The way I see it, Hirvonen showed that he can be an effective winger even if he doesn't have the offensive instinct’s as top offensive players. In the NHL, Hirvonen can be an effective middle six winger if he continues on the trajectory he currently is on.

Matthew Knies

The last Leafs prospect at this year's tournament is Matthew Knies. This was Knies first World Juniors and it was probably a tad underwhelming. With all the hype around Matthew Knies coming into this tournament he failed to score and only had 3 assists in 5 games. To be fair, not only did he have an underwhelming tournament but the entire USA team did as well as they failed to reach the final four.

Even though Knies didn’t score much he was able to impact the game through his physicality and energy. This is what makes Knies and exceptional talent as he can impact the game in more ways than one. To be specific, there were a couple of times where he finished his checks in an attempt to ignite his team.

After this underwhelming tournament, Knies will be looking to improve his play in University and potentially make the jump to the NHL after the trade deadline. For me, Matthew Knies is the most intriguing prospect on this list as I believe he can be a top player for the Leafs one day. With his combination of skill, physicality and hard work he can be a special player in the NHL for years to come.

Overall, this tournament was pretty good for Leafs prospects and in the meantime it gave the Leafs the chance to evaluate the development of their prospects.