Rodion Amirov
Russian forward drafted by Maple Leafs, died of brain tumor.
Rodion Ruslanovich Amirov, born 2 October 2001 and died 14 August 2023, was a Russian forward in professional ice hockey. He played for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL. The Toronto Maple Leafs chose him 15th overall in the first round of the 2020 NHL draft.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 2 October 2001
- Birthplace
- Salavat, Russia
- Died
- 14 August 2023
- Place of death
- Munich, Germany
- Position
- Left wing
- Shoots
- Left
- League
- NHL
- Played for
- Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Facts from the source article.
Playing career
Amirov came up through the youth system of his hometown club, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, and also played for its Junior Hockey League affiliate Tolpar Ufa and Supreme Hockey League affiliate Toros Neftekamsk. He debuted with Salavat Yulaev in the KHL during the 2019–20 season. In October 2020, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected him 15th overall in the pandemic-delayed 2020 NHL entry draft. During the 2020–21 season, his second in the KHL, Amirov played a career-high 39 games for Salavat Yulaev, scoring nine goals and 13 points, which ranked third among under-20 skaters in the league; he went pointless in nine playoff games. On 15 April 2021, he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Leafs and spent the spring in Toronto working with the team's development staff, but did not play for the Leafs or their minor league affiliates. He lived in Toronto with fellow Russian Leafs prospect Semyon Der-Arguchintsev. Amirov returned to Russia for the 2021–22 season. A shoulder injury kept him out of KHL games from 29 September to 6 December 2021. In his return to the Ufa lineup he recorded an assist despite playing barely more than one minute, then did not play in the next two games. That season he totaled one goal and three points in 10 KHL games.
Illness and death
In February 2022, Rodion Amirov's agent Dan Milstein shared on Twitter that the player had a brain tumor and was getting treatment in Germany, where he could still skate and work out. Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas confirmed this the next day. That fall, Amirov had chemotherapy in Toronto and was at the Leafs' season opener against the Washington Capitals, where he was named an honorary roster member. He then went back to his family home in Ufa to keep up with treatment. By then, he could no longer train, and his father Ruslan said doctors had called the cancer inoperable, giving Rodion three to six months to live. For his final eight months, the cancer spread to his optic nerve and left him blind. Even so, he signed a one-year contract extension with Salavat Yulaev on 10 May 2023. Amirov died on 14 August 2023 in Munich, Germany, where he was receiving treatment; Milstein announced his death that day on X. After the Toronto Marlies won the 2026 Calder Cup, general manager Ryan Hardy surprised the team by wearing a Marlies jersey with Amirov's name and number. Former teammate Artur Akhtyamov held that jersey while posing for the team photo with the cup.
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