Detroit Red Wings: Antti Tuomisto is on the long road to Hockeytown

The Detroit Red Wings signed Antti Tuomisto to an entry-level contract in March. The 6-foot-6, 205-pound Finnish defender has taken his time, but his development path was simply different than others.

The 22-year-old was a second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings from the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, being selected with the 35th pick overall. The Finnish defender played two seasons with the University of Denver before heading back overseas to play in the Finnish Liiga for TPS.

Tumoisto has taken some time to make it to a Red Wings affiliate but is looking to be a force with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2022-23. After a solid career in the Pioneers’ defense core at the NCAA level, he was exposed to high-level college hockey as part of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), which can be referred to as the SEC of college hockey.

Tuomisto was a rugged defensive defender who provided a good boost in the defensive zone as part of a Pioneers team that seemed to always compete during his time there. The youngster is still a ways away from putting on a Red Wings sweater, but he will continue on his path toward the NHL.

Detroit Red Wings Antti Tuomisto is taking his time, and that’s okay.

Just because he did not sign right after being drafted or even jump into the organization after his time with Denver, Tumomisto is still on the path to the NHL and is a valuable part of the Red Wings’ pool of prospects that Steve Yzerman has replenished quite well.

It’s also allowed Tumoisto to focus on his game without the pressure of jumping into an organization and being a big game-changer right off the bat. He has taken his time, and after a season in the Finnish Liiga, where he scored five goals and added 15 assists for 20 points over 60 games, the Red Wings feel he’s ready to keep moving on up the organization.

The Red Wings will have a bountiful crop of young defensemen in Grand Rapids Griffins’ uniforms in 2023-24, but that’s okay. Once again, Tuomisto has taken the long road toward an NHL debut, but that’s okay.

After signing his entry-level deal, the Red Wings felt his development was at a point where he could make the jump to the AHL level and continue trying to polish his game and develop to a point where he’s able to play in the NHL.

In a recent piece from MLive, Ansar Khan noted that Griffins General Manager (GM) Shawn Horcoff is still a big fan of Tuomisto but felt he was underdeveloped. It speaks to his long path to get an entry-level deal and move to an affiliate of the Red Wings, but again, he’s still got a lot of excitement around him.

There are plenty of other defenders in the organization that are getting attention. Still, the Red Wings should not sleep on Tuomisto as a future benefit on the defensive side of things in the bottom part of the defense core role.