(WGR 550) - The Toronto Maple Leafs and the rest of the hockey world are mourning the loss of Rodion Amirov, who died on Monday at the age of 21.
Amirov's agent, Dan Milstein, announced the death of his client on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday after the Russian winger was diagnosed with a brain tumor back in February of 2022.
Since his diagnosis, the native of Salavat, Russia was often receiving treatment for his brain tumor in Munich, Germany. It was there where he reportedly died on Monday.
Amirov was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft with the 15th overall selection.
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During his draft year while playing in the Salavat Yulaev Ufa program, the winger managed to produce 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points in 17 games played with their junior program. At the KHL level, Amirov was able to dress in 21 games as a 17/18-year-old, producing two assists along the way.
After a 2020-21 season that saw Amirov score nine goals and 13 points in 39 games with Salavat Yuleav Ufa, the Maple Leafs signed him to his entry-level contract, where he then joined Toronto's taxi squad that spring.
Amirov never played a game in North America with the Maple Leafs organization, as he returned to Russia for his 2021-22 season, where he played just 10 games in the KHL before dealing with a couple of different injuries.
At the time the Maple Leafs announced Amirov's brain tumor diagnosis, the team said he was undergoing treatment for another injury when the winger developed unrelated symptoms that required "ongoing extensive investigations," according to, then, general manager Kyle Dubas.
Amirov was also a prominent junior player with Russia at the 2019 IIHF U-18 World Championship, scoring six goals and adding three assists for nine points in seven games. He also played for the Russians at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he notched six points (2+4) in seven games.
A number of teams across the NHL shared their condolences for the Amirov family, as well as the Maple Leafs following the news of his passing:
