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FN Draft Profiles: Oliver Suvanto is a young, big and talented centre
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Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Pike
May 3, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: May 3, 2026, 02:03 EDT
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The Calgary Flames haven’t drafted a ton of Finnish players in recent years, usually trending towards drafting players from Russia or Sweden. But in this year’s draft class, there are a few really impressive Finns that could tempt a lot of teams.
Among them is centre Oliver Suvanto, who’s appeared in three major tournaments and played a full season of pro hockey in Finland’s top division… and he’s still several months away from turning 18.

Scouting report

Suvanto is a left shot centre listed at 6’3″ and 209 pounds, hailing from Turku, Finland. He was born on Sept. 3, just 12 days before the eligibility cut-off for this year’s draft, so he’s probably the youngest prominent prospect in this year’s class. His dad, Harri, played pro hockey throughout Europe in the 1980s and 1990s.
Suvanto came up through the TPS Turku system, but moved to the Tappara Tampere organization to start the 2024-25 season. He spent 2024-25 with Tappara’s under-18 team in the U18 SM-sarja, then spent most of 2025-26 with their Liiga team – aside from a handful of games and the playoffs with their U20 SM-sarja team. He also suited up for Finland at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the World Juniors and the Under-18 Worlds.
Over at Sportsnet, Pro Hockey Group scout Jason Bukala broke down Suvanto’s season:
Suvanto is an imposing power forward who’s very hard to move off the play along the boards and out front of the net. He creates space for his linemates and has evolving goal-scoring potential. Suvanto isn’t a burner in open ice. He’s an average-plus skater on straight lines with room to add more power as he matures. Suvanto’s value is felt most when games get harder and heavier overall in scenarios like the playoffs.
Over at Daily Faceoff, our pal Steven Ellis had this rundown of Suvanto’s game in April’s rankings:
Suvanto spent most of the season playing against men in Tappara, where he has shown he can play a reliable two-way game. Recently, we’ve seen him play heavy minutes with the U-20 squad, and while offense has been tough to come by, he still found ways to impact the game away from the offensive zone. I really like his play away from the puck, and I thought he looked solid at the World Juniors in a variety of roles. I think we’re talking about a big, middle-six guy here, but I want him to find another gear, offensively.

The numbers

In the regular season, Suvanto had three goals in three U20 SM-sarja games and 11 points in 48 Liiga games. In the playoffs, he had five points in 14 U20 SM-sarja games and zero points in one Liiga game. He was one of just three under-18 players who were regulars in the Liiga – the other two were Tappara blueliner Juho Piiparinen and HIFK forward Anttoni Uronen, both eligible for this year’s draft. With 11 points, Suvanto led Liiga’s under-18 players in points, though Uronen had an edge in per-game scoring.
Internationally, he had four points in five games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, two points in seven games at the World Juniors, and three points in five games at the Under-18 Worlds. He was named a top three player for Finland for the World Juniors and the Under-18 Worlds.

Availability and fit

The Flames have drafted a bunch of centres in recent years. That said, it seems like a good idea to keep drafting centres if they’re the best player available at your draft slot until you start filling your NHL roster with the centres in your system. And considering he’s got size, smarts and he’s been able to play as a regular in a good pro league – well before his 18th birthday – he’s a pretty impressive player.
The big question is availability. He regularly appears on public draft rankings in the late teens or early 20s – he was 17th on our aggregated rankings. The Flames look to be selecting around fourth overall with their own pick and somewhere in the mid-to-late 20s with Vegas’; one is too early to take Suvanto, the other may be too late. He’s a really good player, but it feels like the Flames would need to trade up to select him.

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