Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov, 20, diagnosed with brain tumor

A 20-year-old prospect in the Toronto Maple Leafs system has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.

The Maple Leafs made a statement Wednesday morning.

Kyle Dubas said in a statement that Rodion had been diagnosed with a brain tumour. During his recovery from the injury, he developed some new, unrelated symptoms that required extensive investigations over the last few months.

Rodriguez is currently undergoing treatment at a medical facility in Germany and will not return to play for the rest of the season. Our medical staff has been involved throughout the process and we are in constant contact with the facility to monitor his treatment and care. Rodion has the full support of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and we will make sure he gets the best care possible through this process.

The 15th overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft was selected by Toronto. In his first season in the KHL, the 19-year-old had nine goals and 13 points in 39 games and averaged 13:54 of ice time.

The Russian was signed to a three-year contract by Toronto. After his KHL campaign ended, he joined the taxi squad of the Leafs and worked with the development staff on his overall game before returning to Russia for another year.

When he spent all of the preseason on the top line, he looked like he was ready to compete. He missed the first eight games of the season because of an injury. By Sept. 23, he was back in the lineup, but went to the sideline with another injury.

Tomi Lamsa was not specific about the ailment that forced him to not play in another game for nearly two months. In November, he was assigned to UFA's minor league team for three games before returning to the KHL.

The ice was barely seeing the light. He was a healthy scratch in the following game after only two shifts in the first one. After a positive COVID-19 test derailed his progress, he was able to play close to 10 minutes per game again. He last played in December.