OLIVER SUVANTO NHL Draft Prospect

In this episode of The Draft Board Hockey Show, Linc and I talk about one of the best two-way prospects of the 2026 NHL draft, Oliver Suvanto, who plays for Tappara in the Liiga, to top men's pro hockey league in Finland, as we break down his game and some of his positive and negatives attributes. He also played for team Finland at the World Juniors and is one of the youngest players in this draft.

Hosts: Mark (NHL Draft Pros) and Linc (New Wave Hockey)

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the draftboard hockey show. My name is Mark. And as always, I'm joined by the one and the only Linkovich Chamousky, aka Incinero Man. What's going on, my friend?

SPEAKER_00 0:12

There you go. I I that's a that's a that's a movie I haven't seen in a minute. I actually might watch that tonight. That's a good one. Such a good movie. Um, doing great. Uh, I'm so excited to talk about today's prospect. It's a guy that I have become more and more of a fan of, much to Mark's chagrin, because he's not a he's not his type of center. But today we're talking about Oliver Suvanto, a guy that I I met at the World Juniors, and a guy that I was scared to ask certain questions to. I think I wrote seven questions down, and I didn't want to ask the ones that were critique uh that I thought were a little critical of his game because I thought he was gonna eat me. Um he's a big dude. Um, but yeah, no, I I've been good. It's been it's been great. We're winding down college, you know. Syracuse. I actually have my cap and gown in my room right now, which we might do. We might do a graduation special.

SPEAKER_01 1:02

Close indeed. Close indeed. Congratulations. Once that happens, we'll congratulate you. But it's coming up, sure. Yes, so uh yeah, I think uh, you know what? Lots of playoff hockey right now. We got uh a couple of teams moving on, a couple of teams that I I want to see. So obviously, Brantford moved on, they're playing against North Bay. I'm gonna try to make that game, and then the Sioux, they moved on as well. Uh, actually, I was talking to uh someone about Ethan Belchez is skating, and uh they said that potentially if Windsor makes it to the next round, there's potential chance that we see Belchez playing some hockey playoff hockey, which would be unbelievable. Really?

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Yes, really, but I thought when you broke your clavicle, like you're out for three months. Is that what you say?

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Isn't that what is that reinforcing that right now?

SPEAKER_00 1:56

So, geez, I was about to say I don't know, it's all hearsay.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Listen, I I'm just going by by some of the uh local Windsorites telling me this stuff. So we're we're gonna we're gonna see, but uh yeah, rumor has it that he's escaping. I I'll have to I'll have to contact someone to confirm that, but uh that would be interesting. All right, so uh yeah, today's show though, Oliver Suvanto this year played in the liga 11 points in 48 games. He is a six foot three, 204 pounds. Actually, this is old. I think they got him listed at two of eight now, centerman, and yeah, you had the privilege of talking to him at the world juniors for playing for team Finland, obviously. And uh, so what's your take on big bad Oliver Suvanto?

SPEAKER_00 2:41

Well, first I'll I'll get into the encounter that I had with him. Um, I think they had just lost to Sweden when I asked to when I asked to interview him and Juho Pipparainen, and it was two different experiences altogether. I knew what Yuho Pipparainen looked like. I did not know what Oliver Suvanto looked like. I youho Pipparainen looked like a kid, he looks like 17. He was he's an August birthday. Then I was like, Suvanto, he's a September birthday. He should look even younger than Juho Pipparainen. Uh-uh. This guy comes out, and I swear to God, he looks like a young man. He like, if you would have told me that's a three-year NHL, like three to four-year NHL veteran, uh, like in the vein of like a Mason McTavish looking guy, they look pretty similar. He scared the crap out of me when I saw him pull up. Um, I literally, again, I think I told this to Don immediately right after I was like, Anthony, I think he's gonna eat me. Like it's like literally, no, but he's a scary looking dude and he plays big. And I think it's one of the biggest parts about his game. This is a guy who is going to play some heavy, power forward two-way minutes for a team right down the middle, and he plays a very true center game. This is a guy that is going to be valued very high by draft teams. And Mark, I know you and I both have differing opinions of where we rank him, but I think he's gonna go higher than where you or I think he's gonna go. I think he's gonna shock you if he goes like seven or like eight.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

Oh my god, that would that would yeah, that would blow my mind.

SPEAKER_00 4:12

Uh uh, I'm telling you right now the NHL always needs centers, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:16

I mean, yes, the NHL needs centers. There are other centermen in it in and around this range, uh, his range, I guess you could say we'll say from 10 to 20, we'll say, okay, 10 to 20. You say maybe earlier, whatever the case may be. Um, however, you see, the thing is with him is like I'm just concerned about that ceiling. That that offensive, I don't see that offensive, you know what's his potential offensively. Now, don't get me wrong, he's a really good 200-foot player, responsible defensively, away from the puck, is very responsible, especially he is uh, I think he's September 3rd, 2008 is his birthday. He is two weeks away from joining the 2027 draft class, so very, very young, and played for Team Finland at the World Juniors, probably obviously the youngest player on the team. And so, yeah, this is a uh this is a there's a lot of credit to his his overall game and played a full season in the liga.

SPEAKER_00 5:10

So yeah, he played only three games at the beginning of the year with Top Ross U-20 squad. He scored three goals in those three games. He's proven uh, and then he went up and played, I will say, bottom uh to middle six minutes in the liga every single night. But the player that that experience molded him into is honestly really impressive. I I do consider Oliver Savanto a top 10 player in this draft, and I'll get into the reasons why I believe so. Number one, obviously the size is a huge factor, but what he does with his size on both ends of the ice is really, really spectacular. At the world juniors, I noticed that he was a guy that no matter who he was facing, no one could knock him off the puck. No one on Canada, no one on Sweden, no one on Czechia, nobody could knock him off the puck. This guy was so good at keeping the puck through the neutral zone, being a good transition forward, being a guy who can connect, being a guy who could keep plays and offensive possessions alive in the offensive zone. That was what he was been he has always been really good at. And even even in the liga where it's slow, heavy, physical, he was doing the exact same thing. And he played a very uh specific and important role for Topra, who is they're probably going to win the Liga championship this year. They are a wagon, right? This is a really, really well put together team. Benjamin Rauti Einan uh being the leader of that team. He was a what fourth rounder for for Tampa last year? Doesn't matter. On the other end of the ice as well, he's very physical, but I would say he's an efficient level of physical where he is not he does knock guys on their butts, but he does it, he does it in a sort of way where like he's not going to leave a play to go knock a guy on his ass. He is a guy who just who keeps it very in tight, very like with the play, very mature player, a really good defensive forward. He's a guy that uh if he gets a consistent NHL role under him and he's like a second to second or third line center, he'll get some selkie votes tossed his way throughout his NHL career. I definitely can see him being that sort of guy. The second reason why I think he's going to be a very successful player, I think we're not even seeing the full potential that uh could be his offense. I think he's not going to be an incredible offensive scorer. Like, I'm not saying he ever gets to like 75, 70 points, but I think 60 is is a is an avenue or like a peak that is very attainable. Um, his skating has been getting so much better throughout this year to the point where he has been making incredibly creative plays down the stretch. His last two games of the Liga regular season, there were a couple of highlights where he was able to turn on the turn on a dime and find some of his teammates streaking down in the offensive zone. He is a very intelligent passer, and I think with the scoring, it will come. He does have to improve that part of his game. I don't think he's a very great scorer yet, but he's a really good distributor, a very good solid center position player who will play a power forward role or a two-way role for you if you need. Um, I I I really I've really been so impressed with his game so far outside of that scoring potential range. I don't think he's gonna be scoring a ton of goals. If he is, it's gonna be right in front of that net. You better believe it will be. No one has a chance to move 210 pounds of Oliver Suvanto out of the way and growing, because he's gonna be 17 until Matthew Schaefer is 19 or whatever, whatever the age is there. Uh, but yeah, those are for those reasons I've been so enamored with a guy like Oliver Suvanto. And when I compare him to the rest of the centers in this draft, I think he's closer to a guy like Vigo Bjork than he is to guys like Tynan Lawrence, uh Ilya Murazov, and other centers in the middle in the middle of the the 20 to 10 range. I think he is rivaling Vigo Bjork in some sort of aspects. Teams may even take him above Vigo Bjork. That's not something I would do in long years.

SPEAKER_01 9:06

I know, I know, I know, like I know, I won't only way he goes above Vigo Vigo Bjork is because Vigo Bjork is 5'10. That's the only reason. Don't even compare him in terms of talent.

SPEAKER_00 9:18

We're I look look looking at the couple of things.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

I'm gonna stop you right there, Link.

SPEAKER_00 9:21

We we we we have seen, we have seen that's what NHL team, that's what NHL teams, NHL front offices, that's what they that's what they prefer. Am I gonna blame them for doing that? I mean, it's Vigob York. How do you not take Vigob York? See, this is what I'm talking about here. This play right here. His ability to his ability to weave through the zone and kind of just be a better better on his edges, especially also with his stick handling as well, and then find a lane right there, a passing lane. Yes, it's a 6-1 game, but the skating the skating's gotten better.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

The skating's gotten better. So much better.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Yeah, and I I I really do think I really do think that he has made a case for a top 10 role. In my eyes, he's solidified it for me. Um, I I I just kind of want to know what your thoughts and opinions are.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

Okay, so so now comparison.

SPEAKER_00 10:11

I I like um I like a Charlie Coyle light. You you said Charlie Coyle, yes. Charlie Coyle light. I I think that this guy is very fiscal, he's very offensively minded for a power forward uh in general. I think you're gonna get a really solid center prospect right here. This guy's going to play center in the NHL for a good while. I think he really does compare to a guy like Charlie Coyle or maybe some other bigger Finnish prospects. I I think when we go to the draft, Mark, and we ask this guy who his player comp is, how much do you want to bet he's gonna say Alexander Barkov? Because I I guess that's the national hero there in Finland. But you do see some of the two-way game that Alexander Barkov exhibits. It's not to the same level, but you can see that this guy's a very responsible, mature forward for his age as at only 17. Could he get bigger? Could he get stronger? Absolutely. I can almost guarantee that he's going to get stronger and he's going to get bigger and he's going to get faster. Oliver Suvanto actually can play a center position too. So that's another thing I'll say.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Look, yeah, I just I don't, I don't, I don't know if that that that offensive flair is there in Savanto. I've I've I've watched his tape and I don't know if he has that. I mean, it's not to say that he can't fix the shooting and become a better goal scorer. Uh the playmaking is decent, it's not bad, it's not it's not high end. So that's the only that's the only concern I have with him is that you know he what's his what's his offensive ceiling, what's his offensive upside? Like, is he able to, you know, and and that's when you're talking about a top 10 pick, you you want to make sure that even though they're responsible defensively, now not to say he is going to be an NHL player, and I think that he's gonna do well just because of the way he he tackles all three zones. However, I said that offensive upside for me, if you're gonna be a top 10 player, you better show me something that you know it has a little bit of you know offense is is gotta be part of the requirement, I guess you could say.

SPEAKER_00 12:09

No, I I I totally mean I totally get what you mean. And I will fully come out and say that like part of the reason why I've become more of a believer in guys like uh Oliver Suvanto is seeing what happened with Dean Latorno. These bigger guys, they make a few adjustments and they take time to adjust to their size, but as they grow more accustomed to it, you see the pace start to increase. We've seen that with Roger McQueen this year at Providence. That was a huge thing there. You see, you we've seen it this year with Dean Latorno. I think that in all of Oliver Suvantos' case, we could totally see it sooner rather than later. Um, I'm willing to bet on a guy like him uh over other people. So that's just kind of where I'm landing here. I I originally had other guys like Novotny and Hemming ahead of him, guys who I've already expressed my love for, um, but a little bit. But uh now I've put Suvanto over both of them just because again, he plays a solid center position. I do see the offensive upside. And yeah, I look, this is gonna be one of those things, Mark, where I'm gonna, I'm gonna we're gonna do a mock draft and I'm gonna be like, yeah, I like Suvanto here.

SPEAKER_01 13:13

And you're just gonna be like, oh yeah, we we usually have some we have a couple of those every season. No, you know what? Bring up the rankings. Let's see what uh what the uh public rankings are. Let's uh bring up a list, see where people kind of got upslaugh in. All right, so we go over to Elite Prospects and uh so uh NHL Central Scouting has him at as the number three skater for European for international skaters. So that's pretty impressive. That's a that's a high ranking.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

Uh yeah, you're darn you're you're darn right they do.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

Look at that. Boom. Yeah, TSN Craig Button has him at nine. Um elite prospects at 16. Cam's consensus at nine. Yeah, he's fall, he's kind of floating around that nine to 20 range, just like we said. He slotted in uh just like we said. So I mean, there is a potential for a top 10 pick. The the the um NHL Central Scouting is gonna come out with their final ranking soon, and we'll see where he um he falls in that ranking. But right now, he's third on the international list.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

That's that's a decent decent he is ahead of Bjork. I I would not be surprised if he's ahead of Bjork again, just knowing how Central Scouting does their thing, but he will be third or fourth on that list. I think you can book that and guarantee it. Um, that's kind of where I'm at right now. I think that this guy is going to kind of emerge on more lists as a guy who's going to go top 10. Um, but we'll see. I I I I like I like this kind of eight to 14 range with him. I know you don't. It's all right, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

I never I never said that. I just I think uh inside the top 10, I'm still not sold. I'm gonna have to go back to the tape, see some more viewings, go uh see where I what I uh where I peg him right now. But yeah, for me right now, he's still outside of the top 10. But that could change. That could change like anything else. We still got two months left uh for draft time. So we got a lot of we got a lot of discussing and a lot of uh yeah, viewings to do, I guess you could say.

SPEAKER_00 15:13

Yeah. Speaking of viewings, uh you only get two or you only get one or two more of Keaton Verhoff this year, as he will be taking on uh I think it's first it'll be Wisconsin and then it will be the winner of Michigan and Denver should uh should they win against Wisconsin in the frozen four this weekend. Yes. I'm no longer going. I was supposed to be going, but I I was I uh kind of pulled back my my media availability. I was like, you know what? I don't I I want to stay in Syracuse, so nah. So it's totally fine. But um, yeah, is it are we expecting big thing big things from Verhoff or maybe even Adam Valentini this weekend?

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Yeah, you know what? I I mean I'm I'm hoping uh like I said, Vierhoff, he's he's oh, he's an enigma. He I there's sometimes I watch him and I'm like, wow, he's good. And then sometimes I'm like, oh man, I don't know. Yeah, yeah, you know, I I'll be I'll be I'll tell you right now I got Chase Reed ahead of him now in the in the rankings, my my personal rankings that I've been working on, and I know that you're working on your newest ones too. So and I've been going back and forth with Chase Reed and Birhoff for for the whole season, basically.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

So I I can be transparent, I can tell you that I do have um I have three forwards ahead of him now. I'm not gonna say which defenseman ahead of them. I'm gonna leave that as a spoiler, but there has been a third forward that has climbed ahead of I know who that is.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Come on, I think we I think you know who it is.

SPEAKER_00 16:40

I think we know who it is. We we we glazed him, all right. He is our Michael, he's like our Michael Misa right now. Or no, McKenna's our Michael Misa.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

I'll tell you right now, there's uh yeah, there's there's there's some talk to for that that third forward to make the jump as well.

SPEAKER_00 16:54

And and I'm I'm I've I've I've debating that I've and like this sounds like straight out of crazy town. I've heard some rumblings that he may even go number one. Nah, I can't see that dare we dare we even say that Camilla Malhotra is even in that discussion.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Let's not talk nonsense now, okay? Let's not talk. No, I'm not ruling it out. I'm not ruling it out. That's all I gotta say. Well, I'm I'm ruling it out. I'm saying that's not happening, okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:20

We'll see what happens. So hey, it's hey, I'm just I'm just promoting discussion. We're gonna see what happens.

SPEAKER_01 17:25

You know what, in we'll see what uh people have to say about that. All right, for sure. Yeah, I think that does it for this uh episode. Uh Oliver Suvanto was the prospect that we discussed today, and uh next week we will have some more to discuss, as always. And Link, enjoy your uh weekend there in Syracuse. Have fun, my friend.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

I will see you, my friend. See ya. Okay, cheers.