Roni Hirvonen (born 10 January 2002) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 59th overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, ranking within the top ten of European skaters of the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.[1][2]
| Roni Hirvonen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Hirvonen at the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships | |||
| Born |
10 January 2002 Espoo, Finland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Marlies (AHL) Ässät HIFK | ||
| NHL draft |
59th overall, 2020 Toronto Maple Leafs | ||
| Playing career | 2019–present | ||
Playing career
editLiiga
editHirvonen played in 152 career games in Liiga with HIFK and Ässät. In 2021–22, his third year in Liiga, Hirvonen posted 9 goals and 26 points through 46 games.[3] He returned to Liiga for the 2022–23 season where he scored 15 goals and 28 points in 57 games.[4]
North American career
editHirvonen was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the second round, 59th overall, in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Hirvonen was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with Maple Leafs on 13 May 2022.[3] On 7 July 2023 while attending the Maple Leafs development camp, he suffered a concussion when flattened by another prospect, former Sarnia Sting captain Nolan Dillingham-Morelli.[5] He returned to action in September during a rookie tournament, playing alongside Dilligham-Morelli.[6]
Hirvonen was invited to the Maple Leafs 2023 training camp, but was assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, for the start of the 2023–24 season.[7] In his second AHL game on 15 October 2023, Hirvonen suffered a serious eye injury after being struck by a stick. He returned to the team on 28 January 2024.[8]
International play
editHirvonen has played for Finland at several tournaments. He played for the team at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he led the team in scoring, but Finland finished fourth.[9] At the 2021 World Junior Championship, Hirvonen scored six points in seven games and Finland won the bronze.[3] In his final tournament, he captained the team at the 2022 World Junior Championship, scoring seven points in seven games and took the silver medal.[4][10]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Finland
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2022 Canada | |
 |
2021 Canada | |
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2017–18 | Blues | Jr. A | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Blues | Jr. A | 50 | 21 | 34 | 55 | 34 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 16 | ||
| 2019–20 | Ässät | Liiga | 52 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ässät | Liiga | 54 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | HIFK | Liiga | 46 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2022–23 | HIFK | Liiga | 57 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 32 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 37 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Liiga totals | 209 | 35 | 56 | 91 | 124 | 16 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 4 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Finland | U17 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2019 | Finland | U18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 2019 | Finland | HG18 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2021 | Finland | WJC | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 18 | |
| 2022 | Finland | WJC | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 26 | 11 | 9 | 20 | 38 | |||
References
edit- ^ Kournianos, Steve (31 July 2019). "NHL Draft 2020 prospect rankings: Preseason top 62 players on next year's big board". The Sporting News. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ Morreale, Mike G. (22 June 2019). "Lafreniere headlines 2020 NHL Draft prospects". National Hockey League. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "Maple Leafs sign Roni Hirvonen and Topi Niemela to entry-level contracts". Toronto Maple Leafs. 13 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022 – via NHL.
- ^ a b Barden, Nick (17 August 2023). "Maple Leafs Prospect Rankings #2 - Roni Hirvonen". The Hockey News. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Alter, David (8 July 2023). "Maple Leafs Prospect Roni Hirvonen Suffers Concussion on Final Day of Development Camp". The Hockey News. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Hornby, Lance (13 September 2023). "A fine time for Finn Roni Hirvonen to get back at Maple Leafs rookie camp". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Koshan, Terry (9 October 2023). "Maple Leafs roster takes shape with season opener against Habs on horizon". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Barden, Nick (29 January 2024). "Inside Maple Leafs' Prospect Roni Hirvonen's Return to the Marlies' Lineup After Suffering Eye Injury in October". Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ O'Brien, Derek (11 August 2019). "Russians wrestle title from Canada". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ Sandor, Steven (20 August 2022). "Canada defeats Finland in OT thriller for gold at world juniors in Edmonton". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
 | This biographical article relating to a Finnish ice hockey centre is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |