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Antti Tuomisto, a 2019 second-round choice of Yzerman, will look to make the jump from overseas into North American hockey for the University of Denver.

The University of Denver will be heading into a National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) bubble beginning on December 1st. Heading with them will be Detroit Red Wings draft pick Antti Tuomisto, who was Yzerman’s second pick as the General Manager in his first season.

Tuomisto is a Finnish-product who grew up playing for Ässät across various levels during his time there. He has since moved on to one of, if not the best, college hockey conferences around. He is a 6-foot-4, 194-pound right-handed shot, which is embarking on his freshman year at Denver.

He is only a freshman and one of nine defensemen on the Denver roster, so playing time might be scarce. However, he is an NHL-draft pick and a second-rounder. He has the chance to learn from experienced NCHC players who can help him adjust to the ways of NCAA hockey.

Denver also has nine players on the roster who have been selected in the NHL draft. Tuomisto can learn alongside some of these players and hope to settle in and become a force for the Denver blueline.

It will be exciting to watch how his game translates from overseas to the NCHC talent level. Last year for Ässät U20, Tuomisto played in 48 games where he managed 15 goals and 39 assists for 44 total points. He will look to find similar success here in North America.

Tuomisto is very offensive and geared to be an offensive defenseman. The question is, can he keep this up while playing over in North America for Denver. It will take some time to see what happens, but it will be exciting to see how he transitions.