Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov died at the age of 21 from a brain tumor, his agent, Dan Milstein, confirmed in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Monday (August 14).
"It is we great sadness that we announce the passing of Rodion Amirov. Two years ago, Rodion was diagnosed with a brain tumour. 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. We will always remember his 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. 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," Milstein wrote.
Amirov was selected by the Maple Leafs at No. 15 overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and signed an entry-level contract with the organization in April 2021. The prospect joined the Leafs' taxi squad following the conclusion of his campaign with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League in his native Russia. The forward recorded 13 points, including nine goals, in 39 appearances before returning to Russia for another KHL campaign, which was initially limited by an injury before it was discovered that he had a brain tumor during his recovery process.
"The entire Maple Leafs organization is devastated by this tragic loss," said Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan via NHL.com. "Over the duration of his courageous battle, Rodion's positivity inspired everyone around him, and he made lasting impressions with our team and our fans in his brief visits to Toronto."
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