Topias Leinonen has what might just be the perfect frame for a goalie. It’s hard to imagine a better build for a puck stopper, and while his list of high-end traits start and end with his size, he still comes with some other decent, albeit unspectacular skills. Unfortunately, he comes with a number of concerns, too. He can take away the bottom of the net with ease thanks to his lengthy limbs. His pads seal the ice well and quite frankly, any player trying to stickhandle around him and slip the puck just inside the post had better think twice. His legs are fairly quick and can extend back and take away the slightest of opportunities. He may have an unsettled stance with active feet, but he’s also reasonably patient and while he does tend to favor staying in a butterfly position when the puck is low in the zone. Unlike some other netminders of his stature, he prefers to face the rush on his feet and time his descent to coincide with the attack. His crease mobility is a bit clunky at times, although he does move post-to-post and challenge to the top of the blue paint – but not much beyond the edge of the crease unless diving for a loose puck and flopping further away from his net. The bigger concerns revolve around rebound control, which always seems to be an adventure, and the fact that shots from the top of the circles to the low slot seem to just go through him. These are both issues that can be worked on as part of a training strategy and any team drafting him is aware of his limitations and are selecting him more so for the size he’s got as a starting point. If development targets can be reached, he could have an enormous upside, but without improvements the road ahead could be a short one.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide