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Topias Leinonen

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Topias Leinonen
Leinonen at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
Born (2004-01-25) 25 January 2004 (age 21)
Jyväskylä, Finland
Height 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)
Weight 234 lb (106 kg; 16 st 10 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams		 Buffalo Sabres
Rochester Americans (AHL)
JYP Jyväskylä
Mora IK
NHL draft 41st overall, 2022
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2021–present

Topias Leinonen (born 25 January 2004) is a Finnish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League while under contract to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] Leinonen was selected 41st overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2nd round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.[2][3]

Playing career

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After playing for Ilves in his youth, Leinonen moved to JYP Jyväskylä'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][6]

In 2021-22 he spent time on loan with KeuPa HT of Mestis.[7]

Going into the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Leinonen was regarded as the top goaltending prospect[7] and was ranked as the top European goalie by NHL Central Scouting.[8] 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.[9][10]

Leinonen joined Mora IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan in the 2024-25 season.[11] He played 25 games for Mora where he recorded a 2.31 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.[5] On March 28, 2025, the Buffalo Sabres signed Leinonen to a 3-year, entry-level contract to begin in the 2025-26 season.[12] He reported to the Rochester Americans on a professional tryout agreement for the remainder of the 2024-25 season before being released from the PTO in May.[13][1]

Leinonen at Buffalo Sabres Development Camp in 2024

International play

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Leinonen represented Finland at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics,[14] where he played 10 games with a .877 save percentage.[15]

Leinonen represented Finland at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championships,[16] where he recorded a 2.61 goals against average and a .897 save percentage in 5 games played.[5]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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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 — — — — — — — —
2024–25 Mora IK Allsv 25 13 10 0 1454 56 4 2.31 .910 6 2 4 358 13 0 2.18 .929
Liiga totals 18 1 10 4 938 48 1 3.90 .844 — — — — — — — —

International

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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

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  1. ^ a b read, Mathieu Sheridan·1 min (12 May 2025). "Rochester Americans Release Topias Leinonen From PTO". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 19 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  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 c "Topias Leinonen at eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Stats - Leinonen Topias". liiga.fi. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  7. ^ a b Kerr, Ben (28 June 2022). "2022 NHL Draft: Topias Leinonen Scouting Report". Last Word On Hockey. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  8. ^ "2022 Draft Prospect Rankings". www.nhl.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  9. ^ Strozyk, Jacob D. (14 July 2022). "Buffalo Sabres Development Camp Standouts". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  10. ^ Ryndak, Chris. "Sabres announce 2023 development camp roster". NHL.com. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Leinonen, Sabres prospect, embracing new opportunity following injuries | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  12. ^ "Sabres sign Leinonen to 3-year, entry-level contract | Buffalo Sabres". www.nhl.com. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Sabres Sign Topias Leinonen To Entry-Level Contract". Pro Hockey Rumors. 28 March 2025. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  14. ^ "Rosters". www.hockeycanada.ca. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Finland U16 at eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  16. ^ "IIHF - Finland". IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
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