2025 Leafs Prospect Ranking, No. 9: Topi Niemelä

The Leafs 2020 third-round pick returns overseas and faces a make or break season in 2025-26 after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign with the Toronto Marlies.

Toronto Maple Leafs v Detroit Red Wings | Gregory Shamus/GettyImagesRanked at No. 9 on the Editor in Leaf Top 10 Leafs prospects in Finish defenceman Topi Niemelä. Niemelä, 23, was a third-round pick by the Maple Leafs in 2020 and quickly became one of the organizations most promising prospects with a strong season as a teenager in the SM-Liiga in Finland with Karpat.

Niemela became a top-ranking name in the Leafs system at the 2021 World Juniors when he was named top defenceman at the tournament with eight points in seven games as…