Marlies defenseman Topi Niemela has had quite a good rookie season in the AHL this year. However, the team healthy scratched him today for seemingly no reason. The 21-year-old has cooled off offensively as of late, but he's still had a solid two-way presence in his games.
Niemela was drafted in the 3rd round by the Leafs back in 2020. Since then he has developed quite well, adding a lot of offense to his game. Furthermore, he already has over 200 games of professional experience, split between the Finnish Liiga and the AHL.
The 6'0" blueliner has also been responsible in his own end, breaking up plays and saving goals on a regular basis, proving that he is not just an offense-first player.
Perhaps more importantly, he is right handed. The Leafs are in desperate need for right-handed blueliners with offense in their game. This healthy scratch could be an indication that the team is interested in calling him up. That being said, the team does have a bit of a logjam on defense right now with Simon Benoit being a regular scratch in favor of Connor Timmins. We will just have to see what the team does next, but Niemela has done his part to earn his first career NHL callup.
