Former NHL draft bust returns to North America to join the Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames announced today that they have hired former LA Kings forward Lauri Tukonen as an amateur scout to cover Finland.
The team made the announcement on their social platforms this afternoon, including X. Additionally, they also announced that Mike Coflin has been hired as an amateur scout covering the Western Hockey League.
Tukonen is notable as he is one of the more prominent NHL draft busts to ever come from Finland. The Kings drafted him 11th overall in 2004, and there was much hype around him at the time. Unfortunately though, things never worked out for him in North America.
- Riku Helenius #15, 2006
- Lauri Tukonen #11, 2004
- Petteri Nokelainen #16, 2004
- Jesse Niinimäki, #15 2002
- Jani Rita, #13 1999
- Ari Ahonen, #29 1999
- Mika Noronen, #21 1997
- Teemu Riihijärvi, #12 1995
- Miika Elomo, #23 1995
The Finnish forward got into just 5 NHL games with the Kings, and never recorded a point. After three years in North America, spent primarily with Manchester Monarchs of the AHL, Tukonen returned to Finland where he had a solid, but unspectacular career. He last played in the 2019-20 season, appearing in 5 games for TPS.
While Tukonen was never able to make it in the NHL, he's been given a second chance for success in the league as a scout. Look for the Flames to draft more Finnish players in the coming years as they look to retool for the future.
Source: EliteProspects
Lauri Tukonen Career Statistics
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 31 | 142 ANSWERS Former NHL draft bust returns to North America to join the Calgary Flames Do you remember when Lauri Tukonen was drafted by the LA Kings? | ||
| Yes | 15 | 10.6 % |
| No | 127 | 89.4 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
