The 2019 NHL Entry Draft was one of the most intriguing ones of the last decade as far as Finland was concerned. Kaapo Kakko battled Jack Hughes for the No. 1 overall pick right to the end, and a total of 22 Finnish players heard their name called in Vancouver, the second-best mark of the decade behind only the 2017 draft.

Somewhere in that mix was Tuukka Tieksola, an intriguing name for me as a talent evaluator. Playing in the Finnish U18 circuit during his draft-minus-one season, Tieksola didn't place himself on many scout's radar going into his draft-year. It took a prolific season with Kärpät's U20 program, in which Tieksola scored 60 points in 51 games, to turn heads and earn him a top-six spot on Finland's U18 roster.

It was easy to go to bat for Tieksola after such a season. Ultimatel