Toronto Maple Leafs close to losing top prospect to European league
The Toronto Maple Leafs are at a crossroads with prospect Veeti Miettinen as he has completed his fourth season of NCAA hockey, but has yet to sign with the team.
Miettinen had an impressive career at St. Cloud State University. Over the course of his four seasons there, he found the back of the net 53 times and managed 118 total points. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that he did not get called for a single penalty in his entire career with the school.
Some key decisions ahead. He can return for a 5th NCAA year or turn pro in the coming days. More in the 🧵 below.
Totals (NCAA): 37 GP, 20 G, 35 PTS, 128 SOG
#LeafsForever
Miettinen is part of a unique group of NCAA athletes that maintain five years of eligibility in the league due to the Covid pandemic. As such, he very well could return to the school for another year.
However, the Maple Leafs will lose his rights if he chooses to do so as they must have him signed by August 15th in order to maintain his rights.
If he does return, it becomes a lot more unlikely that he has a future in the Maple Leafs organization.
On the one hand, Miettinen does not appear to be returning to St. Cloud University, which could be seen as a good sign for the Leafs. However, the 22-year-old has already signed a one-year contract with Kalpa of the Liiga in his home country of Finland. Assuming he fulfills this contract, the Leafs will lose their rights to him anyways. As far as we can tell, that is exactly what will happen with him this season. As such, the Leafs will have to find another prospect to fill his spot in their system.
Source: HouseofHockey
Toronto Maple Leafs officially have one month to sign top prospect
| POLL | ||
Do you think Veeti Miettinen will ever play in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 98 | 30.8 % |
| No | 220 | 69.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
