With the thrilling conclusion of the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship tournament in the books, and the gold, silver and bronze medals having been distributed to the United States, Canada and Finland, respectively, I think we can all agree that the tournament, if nothing else, was thoroughly entertaining and a fantastic precursor to NHL hockey, which is set to return one week from today, on January 13th.
By now, most will have heard that American forward and Anaheim Ducks prospect Trevor Zegras walked away with the tournament MVP honors, while Canadian goaltender and Florida Panthers prospect Devon Levi was named the best goaltender of the tournament.
There was a third announcement made ahead of the awarding of the gold and silver medals, and it's one that the Toronto Maple Leafs and their overwhelming contingent of fans found extremely encouraging as they look toward the future of the franchise.
The Leafs' 2020 3rd round draft pick (64th overall), Topi Niemelä, was named the best defenseman in the tournament after recording 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points in 7 games in a bronze medal winning effort for Team Finland. This marks back-to-back years in which a Leafs prospect earned the honor, as 19-year-old Swede Rasmus Sandin was named as the tournament's best defenseman last year.
The significance of this honor should not be overlooked, as nearly every single defenseman who has ever been named the best in the WJC tournament has gone on to become a legit top four - or top pairing defenseman. In fact, all but one defenseman (Brandon Gormley, 2012) since the 2005 tournament have been high quality top four defensemen in the NHL, with the jury yet to rule on the three most recent recipients of the honor.
It's safe to say that it's only a matter of time before Rasmus Sandin finds himself in a top four role in Toronto after suiting up in 28 contests for the Buds in 2019-20 as a 19-year-old, just one year after being drafted in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft (29th overall). In those 28 games, Sandin did not look out of place, and showed all of the poise you would hope to see from an NHL veteran, albeit as a teenager. He also has his first NHL goal and 8 career NHL points to show for his efforts last season.
All signs also point to the 2019 tournament's top defenseman Alexander Romanov being a solid bet to take up mantle in the Montreal Canadiens' top four as well - possibly as soon as this upcoming season. His dynamic skill set and relentless compete level provide him with all of the tools he should need to succeed - and excel at the highest level.
Should Niemelä live up to that same lofty potential remains to be seen, but all things considered, he is off to a very, very good start.
Neimelä, 18, currently plays for Karpat in SM-liiga, Finland's top men's league. What's more impressive is that this is not his first season playing for Karpat. Last season, the Oulu, Finland native played 43 games for Karpat as a 17-year-old, notching 7 points over that span. This season, his production should increase exponentially, as he has already registered 3 points through 9 games.
The Leafs have to be salivating at the thought of a potential (and probable) future Sandin/Neimelä pairing.
