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Fantasy Summary

Hard-hitting winger who goes up and down his side of the ice willingly punishing opponents. His heavy shot punishes goalies, especially when his one-timer doesn’t give them time to get set.


Observations

September 2026 – Liukas remains in Finland, now with HIFK in Liiga, after spending previous seasons with  TPS and HPK. The 6-3, 203-pound winger has size and a physical edge, but the offensive production in  Liiga has plateaued rather than grown. He is 23, and the Islanders have not signed him to an entry-level  contract. With his draft rights expiring soon, this is approaching a now-or-never situation. The tools are there in theory (big body, decent hands, willingness to go to the net), but the pace and consistency have  not matched what NHL organizations need to see from a late-round pick at this stage. Fantasy managers  can pass. Unless Liukas signs an ELC and shows a dramatic offensive leap in North America, the NHL path  is effectively closed.  Andrew Epps

August 2025 – Liukas wrapped up his second full AHL campaign in 2024-25 with a modest uptick in production, posting 11 points in 52 games, which was an improvement over the seven he had the year prior in 52 games. His ice time increased only slightly, and his underlying metrics, including a sub-50% Corsi, suggest he’s still struggling to make a consistent impact. Entering the final year of his entry-level contract, Liukas will need to take a significant step forward to earn a new deal. Without marked improvement, a return to Finland could be on the horizon. Victor Nuño

December 2024 – Liukas has had another very slow start to the season in the AHL, producing no points through 17 games played. The 22-year-old has an uphill battle to prove himself the rest of the season; time to turn this season around is running out, so he will need to see a massive shift in his play. William Langstaff

June 2022 – Taken in the fifth round (157th overall) in last year’s amateur draft, the husky winger continues a recent late-round trend for the Isles, who have drafted five Finns in the past two years. Liukas is an enthusiastic participant in the physical side of hockey all over the ice. When he has the puck, he uses his heavy shot to be more of a finisher than a distributor. His production has been muted the past three seasons because he’s been a teen among the men of his country’s top pro hockey league. He has totaled nine scores and six helpers in 70 outings with the Liiga’s TPS squad. He battles hard along the boards and is responsible and even tenacious without the puck. His skating could be better, which isn’t unusual for a young power forward. If his feet develop, it’s not a stretch to imagine him in the Islanders’ bottom six in Cal Clutterbuck or Matt Martin mode. Mark Allan

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 3.5
NHL Certainty 3.0
Country FIN
Position LW
Roster Type AHL
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth September 25, 2002
Height 6‘2”
Weight 205 lbs
Drafted 2021 Round 5; Overall: 157
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Stats – Frozen Tools – Profile on FT

SeasonLeagueTeamGPGAPTSPIM+/-
2026-2027LiigaHIFK6404391
2025-2026AHLBridgeport Islanders244610124
2024-2025AHLBridgeport Islanders52651137-15
2023-2024AHLBridgeport Islanders4734734-14
2022-2023LiigaHPK5814923104-3
2022-2023EHTFinland31010-2
2021-2022WJC-20Finland U20602223
2021-2022U20 SM-sarjaTPS U2013101020145
2021-2022LiigaTPS488412240
2021-2022Champions HLTPS52022-1
2020-2021U20 SM-sarjaTPS U205224181
2020-2021LiigaTPS19123203
2019-2020U20 SM-liigaTPS U20471214264710
2019-2020LiigaTPS30000-2
2019-2020Hlinka Gretzky CupFinland U18300020
2018-2019U20 SM-liigaTPS U2020002-2
2018-2019U18 SM-sarjaTPS U1833122133830
2018-2019EYOFFinland U17321320
2017-2018U18 SM-sarjaTPS U18200000
2017-2018U16 SM-sarjaTPS U1618141327140
2016-2017U16 SM-sarjaTPS U16200000
2016-2017U16 MestisTPS U16 Akatemia210120
2015-2016WSI U14Finland Selects U149437200
2014-2015WSI U13Finland Selects U139571280

Highlights