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With the 46th pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers selected Samu Tuomaala, a right winger playing for Kärpät in the Finnish Liiga.
With the 46th pick in the 2021 #NHLDraft, we have selected forward Samu Tuomaala! pic.twitter.com/EbkNiAmRmt
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) July 24, 2021
Due to the acquisition of Rasmus Ristolainen — no matter how you feel about it — the Flyers took the night off on Friday and are making their first pick in the second round. In Tuomaala they got a fairly flashy player that was ranked anywhere from the top-20 to the middle of the second round by several scouting services.
He spent most of the season in the U20 junior league but got a total of five games playing in the top Finnish division, among men — so at least he has that experience and will most likely stay up there for longer next season.
As we inch closer to the 2021 NHL Draft, I would just like to bless everybody's timeline with a video of Samu Tuomaala chuckin cross-ice sauce at the u18 Worlds pic.twitter.com/EBoLTyeQQt
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) July 16, 2021
For their first pick, it’s certainly a high-ceiling of a pick that could potentially pan out as a solid middle-six winger that can contribute on the powerplay. Given the fact that the Flyers have really tried to nail down those offensive players, selecting either Bobby Brink or Tyson Foerster with their top picks in recent years, in Tuomaala they got a similar projection of a player.
He skates fast and shoots the puck a lot. That’s the simple notion of his game.