F Tuukka Tieksola (4th round, 121st overall)
Here was an awesome value pick at 121st overall. Tuukka Tieksola; another Finn in the Canes organization; has a skill-set far better than where he was selected, after he unfortunately slipped down draft boards because of his size (5’10, 160lbs).
As a player, Tieksola checks a lot of the boxes you’d look for in a player. He has very good burst and agility, overall he’s a fantastic skater. His puck skills are quite good, and his hockey sense is among the highest of all players that were in the draft.
A lot of scouts raved about Tieksola prior to the draft and commended Carolina for selecting him that late, and went as far as calling him the potential steal of the draft.
Jokke Nevalainen, a Finland-based scout, said about Tieksola:
"“I’m a big fan of Tieksola. [He] could end up being the biggest steal of the draft. [Tieksola] can drive the offense, and has legitimate top-6 upside. [His NHL arrival will be a bit of a] wait because he needs to mature physically” – Nevalainen said when CAR drafted Tieksola."
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic said if Tieksola gains some muscle mass, he could be a solid middle-six and powerplay forward at the NHL level.
"“He can create separation from a standstill, gain a top speed off the rush that backs defenders off, crossover to control the puck off of the cycle or cut to the net, score with a quick release or throw a hard pass through traffic to the backdoor. I’m a huge fan.” – Scott Wheeler"
Tieksola, who’s playing in the Finnish junior league, has absolutely dominated that league this year. He’s got 50 points (24 goals, 26 assists) in just 37 games, and his 1.35 points-per-game clip ranks him 2nd best in that league.
He’s gotten into a handful of games for Karpat of Liiga (Sebastian Aho’s old team) but at just 18-years old and physically raw it’s a tough league for Tieksola to crack at this point. He could definitely fit in skill-wise, but he’s fine to finish the year off in junior and continue physically maturing before hopefully making the full time jump next year.
Tieksola could be loaned to the Mestis league (Finnish equivalent of the AHL) where he had 1 goal in 2 appearances earlier in the year. However, Nevalainen speculated that Tieksola doesn’t want to play there, and is hoping to be loaned out to another Liiga team.
As a player, Tieksola routinely makes defenders look foolish, with his impressive lateral ability and his dynamic presence as a creator.
Corey Pronman summed up his game perfectly:
"“He uses edges to create separation well and makes plays while moving. His combination of speed and edge work make him very difficult to check. He’s got high-end vision, with the ability to hit seam passes routinely and run a power play due to his vision, skill and decision-making.”"
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As it stands, the only real thing separating Tieksola from being a quality NHLer player in the future is size. If he can add some muscle and overall strength, his raw abilities definitely give him a chance to be a real player who can theoretically slot in anywhere up or down the Canes’ lineup.
Obviously he’s a bit of a ways out, but he’s in good hands overseas with a spectacular Karpat program that already spawned Sebastian Aho into a Hurricane. Tieksola would likely love to follow Aho’s trail, and with some patience and proper development, it looks like the Canes might have something there.
Estimated NHL arrival: 3+ years