Red Wings prospect Antti Tuomisto “bet on himself” by exiting the University of Denver for a professional campaign played in Finland this past season, and the Red Wings were impressed enough by the 6’5,” 205-pound defenseman that they signed the 22-year-old to a 2-year entry-level contract this past spring.
This afternoon, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses Tuomisto’s calculus in heading from NCAA Hockey to TPS Turku, one of Europe’s best organizations:
He was drafted 35th overall in 2019. But perhaps he has a special distinction because the Red Wings are looking forward to having a better read on Tuomisto’s potential. The 6-foot-5 Finn seemed like an ordinary prospect when he was playing college hockey at Denver in 2021-22. But the Red Wings were impressed with Tuomisto’s progress playing last season in Finland’s top pro league. Now, Tuomisto is a true curiosity.
His sole purpose of returning to Finland was to improve his NHL potential.
“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Tuomisto said. “Get a bigger role maybe than I had in Denver and also play with older guys, a little bigger guys in Finland.”
As a college player, Tuomisto looked like he was becoming a defense-first prospect. But he demonstrated more offensive potential for TPS Turku, totaling five goals and 20 points. The Red Wings like his first-pass ability.
He received power play time in Finland.
“I got more ice time,” Tuomisto said. “That really helped me getting those reps. I want to use my shot. That’s something I worked on a lot with Sammy Salo, our D coach in Finland and Niklas Kronwall, we worked a lot on that. I think I got a lot better in that last season.”
Continued; the Red Wings are replete with defensive prospects at present, but they don’t have many big, physical righties on the blueline, and Tuomisto “fills a need.”
