NHL.com’s Dave Hogg penned a profile of Red Wings prospect and 2019 2nd round draft pick Antti Tuomisto, a “big and heavy” Finnish defenseman who may provide superb depth for the Wings in a couple of seasons:
“He’s a big guy who can certainly fill out and he’s a very good skater who plays with a natural bite,” Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson said. “He’s physical and he has a real good shot.”
After attending rookie and training camps in the fall, Tuomisto will head back to Finland for what he expects to be one more season with Assat. In 2020-21, though, he plans to be playing college hockey in the United States.
“It’s good hockey,” he said. “It is North American hockey and there’s an education on the side, which is a bonus for me. It is a good route, and that’s the right fit for me.”
A year in college will also give Tuomisto time to acclimate to the smaller rinks in North America, something he hadn’t seen until development camp.
“I just need to learn,” he said. “I have to keep educating myself.”
