Maple Leafs to lose prospect Veeti Miettinen after he refuses to sign

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Mackenzie Stern-Kolesnikow
April 6, 2024 (5:27 PM)

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Kyle Dubas, the former Leafs general manager developed a reputation for his drafting skills, unfortunately, many of the players Dubas drafted did not find any success with the Leafs. It appears that the Leafs have lost another prospect, Veeti Miettinen, who will not be continuing his pro hockey career with the Leafs.

Kyle Dubas drafted Veeti Miettinen in the 6th round of the 2020 NHL draft. Miettinen was the perfect prospect for Dubas, he was a very skilled player, but stood rather short at 5'8 and only weighed 160 lbs. It seemed that Dubas found an amazing prospect for the Leafs.

After getting drafted, Miettinen continued his career at St. Cloud State, he was quite a valuable asset to the team, scoring 53 goals, with 65 assists throughout 4 seasons. An interesting aspect of his college career is that he somehow managed to go 4 seasons without putting up a single penalty minute, which is quite an impressive feat. It is quite difficult, even for a clean player, to completely avoid spending any time in the penalty box.

Miettinen shared an Instagram post thanking the team and fans, while clarifying his future intentions for his hockey career:

"St. Cloud, thank you for the best 4 years of my life. Forever grateful for everyone who has been part of this ride, for the opportunity to wear the St. Cloud State jersey and play in front of the Husky fans. Memories and friendships will last forever"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Veeti Miettinen (@veetimiettinen)

Since Miettinen was drafted while he was in college, he is now eligible to sign with the Leafs, however, it appears that he will not be signing with the Leafs. Kyle Dubas, who was the general manager when Miettinen was drafted, has been replaced by Brad Treliving, who does not have the same beliefs when it comes to picking prospects.

"Leafs' prospect Veeti Miettinen is turning Pro.

However, the current indication is it won't be with the Leafs. He would be a UFA on August 15th."

More info will come on August 15, when Miettinen will have the opportunity to sign with whoever he chooses. It seems that the Leafs have learned their lesson about drafting undersized forwards.

Source - Bladeofsteel: Maple Leafs prospect Veeti Miettinen to turn pro, but not with Toronto