College Hockey News’s Greg Cameron wrote an article which discusses 8 “Fresh Faces” to watch as the NCAA Division I Hockey season approaches, and Cameron included Red Wings prospect and incoming University of Denver freshman Antti Tuomisto on his list:
Antti Tuomisto, D, Denver — Tuomisto was not selected to Finland’s World Junior Championship team last year, a group which failed to medal at the tournament. But he did crack this year’s Team Finland camp, meaning many North Americans will get an extra large first dose of him between his time in Denver and potentially in Edmonton at holiday time.
Coming in at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, Tuomisto is going to be a tough customer in his own zone. But the big man has some major offensive skills, too. He led all defensemen in Finland’s top junior league with 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) in 48 games last season, and picked up three top league honors: Best Defenseman, First-Team All-Star, and Best Player, the latter of which no blueliner had won since 2013-14. Denver returns five defensemen from last year’s squad, but the Ian Mitchell-sized hole at the back will require a collective effort to fill, and Tuomisto will be up for the task. The Detroit Red Wings made him a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Continued; Taro Hirose’s brother Akito, who will be playing for Minnesota State, received an “honorable mention” from Cameron.
