Few players ended the season as well as Samu Tuomaala, Finland's clutch shooter from the U-18 World Championship. “He has elite tools, his skating is elite, and his shooting is elite."
BORN Jan. 8, 2003, Oulu, Fin.
2020-21 Karpat Jr. POS RW
HT 5-10 WT 176 SHOOTS R
INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING SERVICES No. 17
Fans in Sudbury were hoping to see Tuomaala in the OHL this season, but that didn’t happen.
Instead he stayed home in the junior ranks and made his Liiga debut with Karpat, a club that has developed a ton of talent in recent years, including a certain Edmonton Oilers high draft pick. “He has elite tools, his skating is elite, and his shooting is elite,” said one scout. “His game instincts and hockey IQ are not so good. Someone will draft him, and he’ll go fairly high, but I’m cautious. Is he a smaller Jesse Puljujarvi? Tuomaala was outstanding in junior and played up in the Liiga, but when you move up the ladder, things get exposed.”
Players who are able to adapt to new situations, the scout continued, tend to thrive. Those who don’t may take longer to develop, and Tuomaala may fit into that category. But the right winger got off to a great start
at the world under-18s, and there appears to be something there. “He’s an explosive skater and highly skilled,” said another scout. “Sometimes you wonder about the work ethic, but towards the end of the year he was better there. He has the speed for his size.”
BEST CASE | Jesse Puljujarvi
This excerpt is from The Hockey News' Draft Preview issue. Purchase a digital copy of the issue here or subscribe to The Hockey News here.