2022 Flames Second Round Targets: Tomas Hamara
By Ryan Pike
1 year agoFriends, the Calgary Flames don’t have a heck of a lot of blueliners in their prospect pipeline right now. When they select in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft, they very well may select a defenceman based on this organizational need.
If he’s available, Czech blueliner Tomas Hamara could be a really nice fit for their needs.
Scouting report
A product of Prague, Czechia, Hamara is a left shot defender listed at 6’0″ and 185 pounds. He came up through the Sparta Praha organization, then moved from Czech junior to Finnish junior in 2018 (at the age of 14). Finnish junior is a little more highly-regarded, so the move made sense in terms of challenging him and giving him a platform to progress in hockey.
Working his way up through the Tappara organization, Hamara made the jump to the Finnish under-20 league (SM-sarja) as a 16-year-old in 2020-21. He increased his point production in 2021-22, and made his debut in pro hockey – first with Tappara in the Finnish Liiga, then with KeuPa HT in the secondary Mestis league. He also represented Czechia at the Under-18 Worlds, ending up named to the tournament All-Star team after accumulating eight points in six games.
Hamara is a solid two-way defenseman who moves well and displays composure in all three zones. He is proficient on the breakout, retrieving pucks and eluding pressure before making a clean first pass. Hamara reads the play well defensively and sticks to his checks in transition, utilizing his stick to clog up lanes and disrupt opposing rush attempts. He isn’t an offensive game-breaker but he distributes the puck well and has a decent shot from the point. His well-rounded game and ability to process the game give him a relatively safe floor as a third-pairing defender in the NHL.
In his scouting report from the Under-18 Worlds, FC Hockey’s Miroslav Simurka provided a brief evaluation:
He is a two-way defenseman who is very reliable in the defensive zone and at the defensive transition game, but he also supports the offense and flashes skills in the offensive zone.
In short: Hamara seems to be precisely what the Flames need from a blueliner in their system. He’s a good puck-moving blueliner with a well-rounded games and no apparent gaping holes in his skill-set.
The numbers
Hamara had 25 points in 32 games in the SM-sarja in 2021-22, 14th among all defencemen and third among all under-18 blueliners, trailing only Kasper Kulonummi and 2024 prospect Aron Kiviharju.
In the Liiga, he had two points in 24 games while playing a secondary role on one of the top pro teams in Finland. He played the fourth-most games of any under-18 player, and was second among under-18 defenders in points behind only Elmeri Laakso, who’s considered a much less exciting prospect apparently.
He had two points in two games in Mestis, and was one of five under-18 players to register a point in that league.
He was tied for second in points by a defender at the Under-18 Worlds and was named to the tournament All-Star Team.
All things considered, Hamara had a very productive draft year. He bounced around a bit, but performed well wherever he landed.
Availability and fit
Hamara seems like a really Flamesy player, in that he plays a two-way game and has been praised for his puck-moving abilities. If he was available at 59th overall, he really seems to fit the team’s usual preferences and patterns for defenders.
Could he be available at 59th? Well, he’s a likely second-rounder, but there’s no guarantee he’s around at 59th. Here’s where he stacks up on the various rankings.
Daily Faceoff: 55th
Elite Propsects: 65th
FC Hockey: 56th
TSN (Bob McKenzie): 56th
TSN (Craig Button): 44th
The Athletic (Scott Wheeler): 59th
The Athletic (Corey Pronman): 54th
McKeen’s Hockey: 76th
Recruit Scouting: 72nd
Dobber Prospects: 56th
Draft Prospects Hockey: 73rd
Central Scouting (International skaters): 21st
Hamara probably falls to the general area of Calgary’s pick, but there’s no guarantees that he’s available at 59th overall. (But if he is, he’d be a really nice fit for their needs and preferences.)
THIS ARTICLE BROUGHT TO YOU BY DAILYFACEOFF
Looking to up your fantasy hockey game? DailyFaceoff has the tools you need for both daily and season-long fantasy leagues, including a lineup optimizer, daily projections, and a whole lot more. Sign up for the DailyFaceoff tools here.
More from FlamesNation
Recent articles from Ryan Pike
