TOPI NIEMELA
International Skater - Karpat, FINLAND
Final Rank:8Midterm Rank:10
Position:DefensemanShoots:Right
Height:6' 0"Weight:170
Born:March 25, 2002
Born in:Oulu, FIN
Drafted: 2020: TOR (3rd Round / 64th Overall) 

• Spent the majority of the 2019-20 season with Karpat of the Finnish Elite League where he recorded 1-6—7 in 43 GP

• Helped Karpat’s junior team win a league championship in 2018-19 registering 1-7—8 in 39 regular-season games and adding 1-3—4 in 11 postseason contests

• Earned a silver medal with Team Finland at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge

• His father, Tapio Niemela, was a forward who also played junior and professional hockey in the Karpat organization


Scouting Report: Skilled, quick defenseman who likes to join the rush. Reliable but not flashy. High Hockey IQ. Finesse-type defenseman with strong puck-handling skills.


Current Player Comparable: Sami Vatanen

STATISTICS

SEASONTEAMLEAGUEGPGAPPIM
2023-2024TORONTOAHL597273436
2022-2023KARPATFINLAND588101812
2022-2023FINLAND (2022 IIHF World Junior Championship - August)NATOUR70662
2022-2023TORONTOAHL61120
2022-2023FIN (2022 Swiss Ice Hockey Games)ITLTOUR20000
2021-2022KARPATFINLAND4810223220
2021-2022FINLAND (2021 WORLD JUNIOR SUMMER SHOWCASE)NATOUR62464
2021-2022FIN U20 (2021 4 Nations Tournament in Angelholm)ITLTOUR20002
2020-2021KARPATFINLAND150442
2020-2021FINLAND (2021 WJC Championships)ITLTOUR72686
2020-2021KARPAT JR.FINLAND-JR.61340
2019-2020KARPATFINLAND431678
2019-2020FIN U18 (2019 Ivan Hlinka Memorial)ITLTOUR50330
2019-2020FIN U18 (2020 5 Nations Tournament in Chomutov)ITLTOUR40112
2019-2020FIN U20 (2019 4 Nations Tournament in Helsinki)ITLTOUR20000
2019-2020KARPAT JR.FINLAND-JR.10110
2018-2019KARPAT JR.FINLAND-JR.3917816
2018-2019KARPAT U18FIN-JR. U18615618
2018-2019FINLAND (2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge)NATOUR60112
2018-2019FIN (2019 IIHF U18 World Championship)ITLTOUR51010
2018-2019FIN U18 (5 Nations tournament in Zuchwil 2018)ITLTOUR41124
2018-2019FIN U18 (5 Nations Tournament in Sochi 2019)ITLTOUR40222
2018-2019FIN U17 (Three Games vs. SWE in Pitea 2018)ITLTOUR30110
2018-2019FIN U17 (Three Games vs. RUS in Vierumaki 2018)ITLTOUR20002
2017-2018KARPAT U18FIN-JR. U183627936