Flyers nab speedy Finnish RW in second round; Belarus goalie among their draft picks

The Flyers took Samu Tuomaala, a promising right winger from Finland, with their second-round selection Saturday. They did not have a first-round pick Friday.

Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher (left) and assistant GM/draft guru Brent Flahr had a busy day Saturday.Read moreZack Hill/Flyers

by Sam Carchidi

Published July 24, 2021, 4:28 p.m. ET

The Flyers took a smooth-skating Finnish right winger with a powerful shot in the second round of the NHL draft Saturday.

They selected speedy 5-foot-10, 174-pound Samu Tuomaala from Finland. He was chosen 46th overall.

TSN’s Craig Button had him ranked at No. 19 overall -- which would have placed him in the middle portion of the first round -- while McKeen’s Hockey had him at No. 36.

“He’s a real talented winger with great speed, real dynamic speed,” assistant general manager Brent Flahr said, adding he expected Tuomaala to be selected in the latter portion of the the first round.

Tuomaala, 18, has a wicked slap shot and good hands, scouts say, and he is regarded as an excellent skater. He played for three Finland teams last year and had 20 goals in 42 games.

Flahr said he needs to get stronger, but his scouts love his upside.

Centers Aatu Raty (Islanders; 52nd overall) and Logan Stankover (Dallas; 47th overall) were among the highly regarded players the Flyers bypassed when they took Tuomaala.

In recent years, the Flyers’ best second-round picks were goalie Carter Hart (48th overall) and right winger Wade Allison (52nd overall), both selected in the 2016 draft.

Nic Aube-Kubel, expected to be the Flyers’ fourth-line winger in 2021-22, was a second-round selection (48th overall) in 2014, a draft in which Oskar Lindblom was chosen in the fifth round at No. 138 overall.

The Flyers dealt their first-round pick (13th overall) in this year’s draft Friday to Buffalo in the trade to acquire Rasmus Ristolainen. Buffalo took elusive 5-11, 161-pound right winger Isak Rosen with that selection Friday night.

Here is a look at the Flyers’ draft selections:

Second round (46th overall)

Samu Tuomaala (5-10, 174), RW: He displayed speed, a big shot, and good hands and was chosen for Finland’s under-18 World Junior All-Star team after collecting 11 points in eight games. The winger excelled on Karpat’s under-20 team with 15 goals in 30 games.

Third round (78th overall)

Aleksei Kolosov (6-1, 185), G: He was impressive in Russia’s KHL (2.69 GAA, .911 save percentage) and in Belarus (2.23, .910). The athletic Kolosov, a Belarus native, has great lateral movement, and was ranked as the No. 2 European goalie by Central Scouting.

Fourth round (110th overall)

Brian Zanetti (6-2, 181), D: Based on Central Scouting’s rankings (149th among European skaters), this pick was somewhat surprising. Playing for Lugano’s under-20 team in Switzerland, he had nine goals and 29 points in in 41 games. He will play in the OHL next season.

Fifth round (158th overall)

Ty Murchinson (6-2, 192), D: Committed to play at Arizona State, the USNDP defenseman is known for his skating and physical play. The Californian (7 goals, 15 points in 48 games) was ranked No. 78 by Central Skating among North American skaters.

Sixth round (174th overall)

Ethan Samson (6-1, 194) D: He’s just 17, and he will play his third season in the WHL. Samson, who had 12 points in 22 games last season, has a good hockey IQ and passing ability -- and plays with an edge.

Seventh round (206th overall)

Owen McLaughlin (6-0, 165), F: The Chester County native was ranked 119th overall by Central Scouting among North American skaters. He played seven games with the USNDP team, and his next stop is the USHL and then Penn State.