This is really good stuff from SB Nation College Hockey’s Chris Dilks, who examines video related to the NCAA debut of University of Denver defenseman and Red Wings prospect Antti Tuomisto:
It was less heralded, as all picks outside the first round are, but Yzerman’s second pick with the Red Wings was a similar gamble [to Moritz Seider]. At 35th overall, the Red Wings selected Finnish defenseman Antti Tuomisto, a big defender that most scouting services had ranked as a mid-third to early-fourth round pick.
After playing a second year of U20 hockey in Finland, Tuomisto moved over to North America, and is now a freshman playing for the University of Denver. It was a fairly unconventional move for a top European prospect, but Tuomisto’s father Petri played college hockey for Alaska-Anchorage in the early ‘90s, so there was a familiarity with the NCAA system. And for a prospect that was considered fairly raw when he was drafted, the longer development time afforded by the NCAA system could be beneficial.
Tuomisto’s freshman season has begun inside the NCHC Pod in Omaha. I took a closer look at Tuomisto in Denver’s first handful of games this season, to get a better sense of his style of play and how he is progressing as an NHL prospect.
Continued (with video)
