Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov dies at 21

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov has died, his agent Dan Milstein announced Monday. He was 21.

"We will always remember [Amirov's] courage, his desire, his will, his smile, all of the great things about him. We’d like to thank his doctors, who took great care of him. We’d like to thank the Toronto Maple Leafs and his KHL — Salavat Yulayev Ufa — team. Both did everything possible to help in any way, do whatever was necessary for Rodion and the Amirov family," Milstein posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"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."

Amirov — who was selected by Toronto 15th overall in the 2020 draft before signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Leafs in 2021 — was diagnosed with a brain tumour two years ago, Milstein revealed. In February 2022, the Maple Leafs publicized Amirov's diagnosis after the tumour was discovered while he was being treated for an unrelated injury.

Amirov, who was with the KHL's Salavat Yulaev, did not play for the remainder of that season. He was in Toronto to skate and train to begin the 2022-23 season before returning home last November.

The Maple Leafs organization had reportedly been helping Amirov cover the costs of his medical treatments in Germany and Russia throughout the duration of his illness.

"The entire Maple Leafs organization is devastated by this tragic loss," Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan wrote in a statement on Monday.

"Over the duration of his courageous battle, Rodion’s positivity inspired everyone around him, and he made lasting impressions with our team and fans in his brief visits to Toronto. It’s incredibly sad to see a young man with so much promise taken from us so soon. We offer our deepest condolences to Rodion’s family and friends as we mourn this loss together."