Top pick Amirov has a big heart
GM calls winger’s skating top of his class, but he’ll face long climb to NHL
Former NHL coach Bob Hartley described the Maple Leafs’ first-round pick, Rodion Amirov, as a highly skilled offensive player who also needs to “get stronger physically.”
The 19-year-old will have time to get stronger — he has another year left on his contract in the KHL — but it appears his heart is in the right place. He has already endeared himself to his new hockey home with an apparent soft spot for a stray cat.
Shortly after the Leafs made Amirov the 15th overall pick in Tuesday’s NHL draft, word spread that the teenage Russian forward was canvassing fans of his Salavat Yulaev Ufa team in search of a new home for “Yulaeka,” a stray kitten he found outside his apartment.
“I’m always away on trips, playing a lot … I’m not able to care for it by myself,” Amirov said during his video chat Wednesday. “That’s why I decided to organize a competition (for fans) to give (the kitten) to good people who will be able to care for it.”
The Leafs believe off-ice things like character and community awareness contribute to the overall vision of a prospect’s development. And while concern for a stray kitten may seem like a trivial detail, Amirov came across as a focused and intelligent 19-year-old in his brief introduction to the Toronto media.
Leafs GM Kyle Dubas felt Amirov’s skating is at the top of his class but, at 167 pounds, he could be facing a two- or threeyear climb to the NHL. That wasn’t exactly soothing news for a fan base looking for immediate impact. Dubas, though, went with the small and speedy theme in most of his picks.
If there was a pick that was considered a steal, it was fourth-rounder William Villeneuve, who led all Quebec league defenceman in assists (49) and points (58) and who was coached by former Leafs star goalie Felix Potvin with the Magog Cantonniers at the AAA midget level.
Another potential sleeper: Finnish defenceman Veeti Miettinen, of the U-20 KiekkoEspoo club, who was rated as high as the second round but was taken in the sixth round, 168th overall, by the Leafs.
Second-rounder Roni Hirvonen became the first player drafted while he was playing in a game.
“I was nervous but I think I played well,” said Hirvonen, who was on the ice with HPK of the Finnish Liiga when the Leafs called his name. “In the third period, they showed on the (scoreboard) that it was Toronto, and it was an unreal feeling … it’s hard to describe the feeling.”
Ten of the Leafs’ 11 picks were under 175 pounds, including sixth-rounder Joe Miller, of the Chicago Steel, who is listed at 147 pounds.
In the eyes of critics and fans, that didn’t exactly address the team’s stated priority to be “harder to play against.”
Amirov has been fighting for ice time the past two years against men in three different leagues. He’ll be with Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the KHL until the end of next season, so his ascent to the NHL will rely on strong character.
The Leafs even delayed announcing his name, and actually made the call a few seconds past the deadline for the pick as they weighed offers for the pick.