Topi Niemelä

Topi Niemelä (born 25 March 2002) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Niemelä was drafted 64th overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, ranking within the top ten of European skaters.

Playing career
Following a break out year in the Liiga with Oulun Kärpät during 2021–22 season, Niemelä was signed to a future three-year, entry-level contract with draft club, the Toronto Maple Leafs, on 13 May 2022. Niemelä returned to Oulun Kärpät for the 2022–23 season and appeared in 58 games, scoring 8 goals and 18 points. At the end of the season, he joined the Maple Leafs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Niemelä attended the Maple Leafs' 2023 training camp, but was assigned to the Marlies to start the 2023–24 season.

International play
At the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Niemelä led all defensemen in points, accumulating two goals and six assists on the way to winning the bronze medal with Team Finland. After the end of the tournament, he was named Best Defenceman by the IIHF Directorate. He joined Team Finland again for the 2022 edition of the tournament. The team reached the gold medal game this time, playing against Team Canada, and Niemelä played a pivotal role in the game's most famous moment, when his potentially game-winning shot into a wide open Canadian net was knocked out of midair by Canadian captain Mason McTavish, preventing Finnish victory. The Finns won the silver medal.