Rodion Amirov was first introduced as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs by Mitch Marner.

The talented forward announced Amirov’s selection by the club during the 2020 NHL Draft from the team’s dressing room at Scotiabank Arena. It was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the draft was held entirely via remote.

So when the Maple Leafs aired a tribute to Amirov in front of the player’s family during the first television timeout in Toronto’s 6-5 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, it hit players like Marner hard.

“It was very emotional for me on the bench. I got to know him quite well. He was an awesome, awesome kid and obviously had a very very bright future in this organization and in the hockey world,” Marner said.

In early 2022, former Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas announced that Amirov was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The club assisted in helping the player receive treatment in Russia and Germany. In the fall of 2022, the Leafs flew Amirov to Toronto and he was introduced as an honorary member of the roster during the club’s home opener of 2022-23 season.

“He’s really nice guy,” fellow Russian Ilya Samsonov said of Amirov. “I know his problem, everybody knows his problem, this guy makes some smile every day. It doesn’t matter what’s going on.

Samsonov was impressed with how optimistic Amirov was just one month before his passing in August of 2023.

“We just call him and he said, ‘Man, everything is good. I feel better, better.’ You know, like, OK, I’m so excited. This probably mostly positive guy I’ve seen in my life.”

Amirov was just 21. His family attended a Leafs game for the first time and the crowd saluted them.

it was quite the moment, you know. Rodion’s time here, you know, I think made an impact on our group, and the story is extremely sad,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “And just to have the family in here, you know, they should be coming here to watch their son play in the NHL and here in Toronto, and clearly an emotional time. So I really felt that for that, you know, in that moment for the family. But it is at the same time terrific to have them here. So I’m glad that they had that moment and the fans recognized it.

Amirov spent parts of three seasons with Kontinental Hockey League club Ufa Salavat Yulayev where he scored 10 goals and eight assists in 70 games. He presented Russia at the 2021 World Juniors where he scored twice and added four assists in seven games. He was 21.