Photo: Codie McLachlan/Getty
The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that prospect Rodion Amirov has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.
In a Wednesdaystatement, the Maple Leafs General Manager Kyle Dubas shared that the 20-year-old forward, who has been playing in the KHL, is undergoing treatment in Germany and will miss the rest of the league’s season.
Amirov’s agent Dan Milstein said the hockey player is “skating three times a week and working out every day” following his diagnosis.
“Rodion is in good spirits and is determined to return back to professional hockey,” Milstein said in a statement onTwitterWednesday.
According to the Maple Leafs, Rodion suffered an injury while playing for Salavat Ufa at the beginning of the 2021-22 KHL season. A short time later, the athlete “developed some new, unrelated symptoms,” which the Bashkortostan team looked into. After months of “extensive investigations,” the tumor was discovered.
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“Our medical staff has been involved throughout the process alongside Ufa’s,” the Maple Leafs said Wednesday, “and we are in direct contact with the facility on an ongoing basis to monitor his treatment and care.”
The team continued, “Rodion has the complete support of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and we will continue to ensure he receives the best care possible throughout this process.”
In an interview withSportsNet, through Milstein as a translator, Amirov said he’s trying to stay in good spirits during this challenging time. The hockey player said he thinks of players like Pittsburgh Penguins center Brain Boyle and Philadelphia Flyers forward Oskar Lindblom, who recently faced their own cancer diagnoses.
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Milstein thanked both the Maple Leafs and Ufa “for their incredible support,” and praised Amirov’s character.
The Maple Leafs selected Amirov as the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
source: people.com
