Next up in our 2026 NHL draft profile is Finnish centre Oliver Suvanto. Ranked 14th in our consolidated rankings, could the big centre be a fit for the Flames with Vegas’ first-round pick?
Who is Oliver Suvanto?
| Player | Position | Shoots | Height | Weight | Born | Nationality | 2026 Draft Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oliver Suvanto | Centre | Left | 6’3″/ 190 cm | 209 lbs/ 95 kg | September 03, 2008 | Finland | TWC rank: #14 CS rank: #3 Intl |
Suvanto has spent his entire junior hockey career in his home country of Finland, moving up the ranks over the years. Standing at 6’3″ and over 200 pounds already, he’s one of the biggest centre’s available at the top of the draft. As a September 2008 birthday, he’s also one of the draft’s youngest players and was just two weeks from being in the 2027 draft instead.
Suvanto’s on-ice production
| Year | Draft Rel. | League | Team | GP | G | A | P | P/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | D-2 | U18 SM-Sarja | TPS U18 | 28 | 1 | 4 | 5 | [X.XX] |
| 2024-25 | D-1 | U18 SM-Sarja | Tappara U18 | 42 | 11 | 31 | 42 | [X.XX] |
| 2025-26 | D+0 | Liiga | Tappara | 48 | 2 | 9 | 11 | [X.XX] |
| Tournament | Year | Team | GP | G | A | P | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHC-17 | 2024 | Finland | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5th place |
| WJC-20 | 2026 | Finland | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4th place |
As mentioned, Suvanto has played all of his hockey in Finland thus far, moving from the U18 league straight to Finland’s top professional league this past season. While his numbers in his D-2 year don’t jump off the page, it’s worth mentioning that he was playing U18 hockey at just 15 years old that season. The following year, in 2024-25, his production skyrocketed, jumping to an impressive 42 points in 42 games in the U18 league despite being just 16 years old.
This past season, Suvanto made the jump to Finland’s top professional league at just 17 years old. While his production wasn’t spectacular, 11 points in 48 games is nothing to scoff at for a 17-year-old centre playing in one of the world’s best leagues. In fact, his 11 points were the most among any U18 player in Liiga in 2025-26.
Suvanto has also suited up for Finland at multiple junior tournaments, most notably the 2026 World Juniors, where he posted two goals in seven games and was named one of Finland’s top three players.
Suvanto’s strengths
Two-way play
One of Suvanto’s biggest strengths is his well-rounded game. As a centre, he’s a great on-puck defender and uses his size and strength to generate takeaways and break up incoming plays. You won’t find many 17-year-olds as responsible as Suvanto. There’s a reason he was trusted with top-six minutes as a 17-year-old in Liiga this past season. He’s very much a classic meat-and-potatoes type of player, offering decent offensive skills along with dependable defence at the other end.
He isn’t afraid to muck it up in the corners or post up in the crease and go to work. As he continues to get stronger and round out his overall game, he could be a match-up nightmare for other teams’ top offensive players given his size, reach and defensive prowess.
At 6’3″ and 209 pounds already, Suvanto is bound to get even bigger as he ages, making him an imposing force down the middle of the ice at the NHL level one day. Even if he isn’t bringing value offensively some nights, he’s the type of player who can still contribute in other ways, and coaches don’t have to worry about it.
Pro habits
Another factor in Suvanto’s game that will have NHL coaches and general managers loving him is his pro habits. Despite being just 17 years old, Suvanto already displays the habits of a 15-year pro. As mentioned above, it’s not often you can find a 17-year-old centre trusted to play top-six minutes in one of the world’s top pro leagues, but that’s the role Suvanto took on this past season. The main reason he was able to hold onto that type of role at such a young age is how dependable and responsible he is at both ends.
We all know how much NHL coaches value a player who can be trusted in all situations, and Suvanto is a coach’s dream. Liiga isn’t a league that is shy to sit younger players if the details of their game aren’t good enough, and yet Suvanto suited up in 48 Liiga games this past season.
Some players come out of the draft needing to fine-tune the details of their game after playing junior hockey; Suvanto is not one of those players. He should have no problem jumping right into an AHL or NHL lineup sooner or later because of the responsibility he already has at 17 years old.
Suvanto’s areas of improvement
Offensive upside
One of the biggest downsides to Suvanto’s game is his lack of offensive upside. While he isn’t a black hole offensively, he isn’t elite in any regard on the offensive side of the puck. He doesn’t have the offensive ceiling that you typically like to see from forwards projected to go in the first half of round one. From his shot to his skating and puck-handling, Suvanto is good but not great, pretty much across the board.
He’s not the type of player who will wow you, often taking a back seat to more offensively talented players on most nights. While that’s not a deal breaker, given his strong two-way play, it may cause some teams to question his NHL upside as a first-round pick.
Suvanto’s comparables
| Scenario | NHL Comparable | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Best case | Anton Lundell | Dependable two-way, second-line centre |
| Likely outcome | Adam Lowry | Defensive bottom-six centre |
Suvanto’s most obvious comparable to me is fellow countryman Anton Lundell. The 12th overall pick in 2020 has developed into a dependable two-way second-line pivot for the Panthers, and a player who can play in any situation if needed. Like Suvanto, his offensive upside is capped at more of a secondary producer than a go-to option. With that said, Lundell is still a consistent 40-50 point player. Any team picking Suvanto this year should be more than happy to get a player like Lundell.
On the other side, Suvanto may cap out as more of a defensive-minded bottom-six centre, not unlike Adam Lowry. While Lowry isn’t devoid of offence and can still chip in around 30 points, he isn’t going to be a top-six offensive option. If Suvanto can’t evolve his offensive game, he may become a player like Lowry at the next level and never be a top-six centre on a contender.
Fit with the Flames
| Organizational need addressed | Middle-six centre |
| Realistic pick range | 10-20 |
| NHL timeline | 2-3 years |
| Flames fit verdict | Possible fit |
As a centre, Oliver Suvanto is automatically a fit within the Flames organization, given it’s still their pipeline’s biggest need. With that said, what the team really needs down the middle is an offensive gamebreaker and top-line centre. Suvanto isn’t either of those things.
His limited offensive upside makes me question whether or not he makes sense for the Flames. The organization already has plenty of similar middle-six centres in its pipeline, like Jonathan Castagna, Max Curran, Sam Honzek, and Theo Stockselius. Adding another in Suvanto, even if his upside is higher than the aforementioned names, doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.
Summary
Suvanto is one of those players who already looks like a future NHLer, but doesn’t offer a ton of upside. He screams high-floor, low-ceiling pick in the first round. Not too dissimilar to Sam Honzek a couple of years ago. Perhaps if he slips down the draft and is still available in the 20’s with Vegas’ pick, it makes sense to grab him, but the Flames should be targeting higher-upside options given their lack of talent at forward.
Risk: 1/5
Reward: 3.5/5
Projection: Middle-six two-way centre
