Antti Tuomisto

August 2024 – Now five years out from being drafted, Tuomisto does not have a lot of runway left to prove that he has an NHL future. He is a big (6-5, 205 lbs), puck-moving defender who has shown flashes of offence in the past as an overager but is more the stay-at-home variety. He handles the puck with poise, skates well for a larger player, and likes to rip shots from the point or the top of the circles. Assuming Edvinsson graduates to the Wings in 2024-25, Tuomisto will jostle with several other mid-level blueline prospects to be the top dog in Grand Rapids. The most important aspect for him is to continue cultivating pro-level, two-way habits. Given who is already in the picture on Detroit’s back end, his future with this organization will likely be in the bottom four. Ben Gehrels

December 2020 – After being selected by the Red Wings in the second round of the 2019 draft, Tuomisto had a monster season for Assat in Finland’s U20 SM-sarja. He scored 15 goals and added 34 assists to finish with 49 points in 48 games. Tuomisto made the jump to North America for the 2020-2021 season and has begun his NCAA career with the University of Denver. Nick Richard

September 2019 – A big right-handed defenseman who possesses a heavy and accurate shot, Tuomisto was third amongst defensemen in scoring (nine goals, 26 assists in 45 games) playing for Assat in the Finnish junior league last year. Tuomisto likes to play physical, has good hockey sense, and makes good passes out of his own end. Like most young blueliners he needs to work on his defensive game and getting faster and stronger. Tuomisto, who will return to Finland this year, plans on continuing his development playing college hockey after that, so he’s looking like a long-term project. Mark Hillier

June 2019 – Tuomisto has been drafted 35^th overall by the Red Wings.  Pat Quinn

June 2019 – Tuomisto was officially measured at 6-foot-4.5 and 193 pounds at the NHL Draft Combine.  Jokke Nevalainen

February 2019 – Tuomisto has had a tremendous season in the top junior league in Finland. He has been good enough to earn promotion to the Liiga level but he has decided to decline that opportunity because he wants to preserve his NCAA eligibility. Because of that, Tuomisto hasn’t received the kind of hype he deserves. He has also been a great player for Finland at the U18 level in various tournaments, and he’s expected to play a major role for them at the U18 Worlds. Tuomisto is an offense-minded defenseman with good puck-skills and a great shot. His skating is good for someone his size, and it’s been getting better all season long. Tuomisto’s defensive game needs some improvements but because he has great size and good hockey sense, it’s reasonable to expect that part of his game to grow. He hits players to separate them from the puck but doesn’t go looking for big hits. He’s very lanky at the moment and will need at least a couple of years to add more muscle to his frame. Tuomisto has top-four upside, and he’s likely to get drafted in the second round this summer.  Jokke Nevalainen