Former Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick Rodion Amirov has died, his agent Dan Milstein tweeted Monday. He was 21.
In February 2022, the Maple Leafs announced Amirov was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He did not play for the remainder of the season in the KHL with Salavat Yulaev.
“From the moment he received the news, he refused to speak in the negative, determined to enjoy every day, facing it with the same positive attitude he showed during his hockey career,” Milstein wrote. “We will always remember his courage, his desire, his will, his smile, all of the great things about him.”
Amirov was in Toronto to train at the start of the 2022-23 season before returning home last November.
Toronto selected the forward 15th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft. He signed a three-year entry level contract with the club in 2021, the same year he played for Russia at the world junior championship.
“We’d like to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs and his KHL – Salavat Yulayev Ufa team,” Milstein said. “Both did everything possible to help in any way, do whatever was necessary for Rodion and the Amirov family. And we’d like to thank hockey fans all over the world who sent notes of encouragement and best wishes over the past two years. They meant so much to the Amirov family.”
