Topias Leinonen

Topias Leinonen
Leinonen at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
Born (2004-01-25) 25 January 2004 (age 20)
Jyväskylä, Finland
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 234 lb (106 kg; 16 st 10 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
Liiga team JYP Jyväskylä
NHL draft 41st overall, 2022
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2021–present

Topias Leinonen (born 25 January 2004) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays with JYP Jyväskylä of the Finnish Liiga.[1] Leinonen was selected 41st overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2nd round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.[2][3]

Playing career

After playing for Ilves in his youth, Leinonen moved to JYP's Under-16 program.[4] He played for the JYP Under-16 team in 2018-19, and the Under-18 team in 2019-20. After playing 15 for the Under-20 team in 2020-21, Leinonen played 21 games for the Under-20 team in the 2021-22 season and played 4 games in Liiga for the senior team.[5]

In 2021-22 he spent time on loan with KeuPa HT of Mestis.[6]

Going into the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Leinonen was regarded as the top goaltending prospect[6] and was ranked as the top European goalie by NHL Central Scouting.[7] He was drafted 41st overall by the Buffalo Sabres, as the first goaltender selected in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.[3] He attended Buffalo Sabres Development Camp in 2022, 2023, and 2024.[8][9]

Leinonen (left) at Buffalo Sabres Development Camp on July 1 2024

International play

Leinonen represented Finland at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics,[10] where he played 10 games with a .877 save percentage.[11]

Leinonen represented Finland at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships,[12] where he recorded a 2.61 goals against average and a .897 save percentage in 5 games played.[5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2019–20 JYP U20 22 — — — — 68 — — .910 — — — — — — — —
2020–21 JYP U20 15 — — — — 41 — 2.59 .895 3 — — — 8 — 2.67 .860
2021–22 JYP U20 21 9 10 0 1264 48 2 2.28 .916 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 JYP Liiga 4 0 1 2 215 5 0 5.02 .825 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 KeuPa HT Mestis 2 1 1 0 95 5 0 3.15 .861 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 JYP U20 23 12 10 0 1 2.72 .885 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 JYP Liiga 8 1 5 1 390 20 1 3.08 .858 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 KeuPa HT Mestis 2 1 1 0 116 7 0 3.61 .868 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 JYP U20 4 1 3 0 0 3.28 .871 7 3 4 — — 1 2.78 .892
2023–24 JYP Liiga 6 0 4 1 333 23 0 4.14 .844 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 KeuPa HT Mestis 2 0 2 0 119 9 0 4.53 .850 — — — — — — — —
Liiga totals 18 1 10 4 938 48 1 3.90 .844 — — — — — — — —

International

Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2022 Finland U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 3 2 0 299 13 0 2.61 .897
Junior totals 5 3 2 0 299 13 0 2.61 .897

References

  1. ^ "Stats - Leinonen Topias". liiga.fi. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. ^ Ryndak, Chris. "2022 NHL Draft Tracker: Sabres pick 8 players on Day 2". NHL.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b Lenzi, Rachel (8 July 2022). "Five things to know about Sabres second-round pick Topias Leinonen". Buffalo News. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  4. ^ Dancziger, Arlen (19 May 2022). "Topias Leinonen – 2022 NHL Draft Prospect Profile". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b "Topias Leinonen at eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  6. ^ a b Kerr, Ben (28 June 2022). "2022 NHL Draft: Topias Leinonen Scouting Report". Last Word On Hockey. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  7. ^ "2022 Draft Prospect Rankings". www.nhl.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  8. ^ Strozyk, Jacob D. (14 July 2022). "Buffalo Sabres Development Camp Standouts". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  9. ^ Ryndak, Chris. "Sabres announce 2023 development camp roster". NHL.com. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  10. ^ "Rosters". www.hockeycanada.ca. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Finland U16 at eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  12. ^ "IIHF - Finland". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 19 August 2022.