Red Wings to Sign Finnish Defenseman Oliwer Kaski
By Adam Godfrey
The 2019 IIHF Men's World Championship has mainly been focused on the two top projected picks in the upcoming NHL Draft; Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko.
Kakko, the projected No. 2 pick, has had a spectacular start to the tournament for Finland, but he isn't the only player on the team heading to the NHL next year.
Finnish defenseman Oliwer Kaski is expected to signed with the Detroit Red Wings after the World Championships conclude.
#RedWings will sign Finnish D-man Oliwer Kaski to a one-year deal after the Worlds: https://t.co/cz9msoHHpa
— Ansar Khan (@AnsarKhanMLive) May 13, 2019
Kaski has played all three games for Finland in the tournament, and has registered 1 assist. Outside of playing for the Finnish National Team, Kaski plays for the Lahti Pelicans in the Finnish Liiga where he strung together a solid season.
The right-handed defenseman played in 59 games last season for the Pelicans, and registered 51 points. He nearly reached the 20-goal threshold, scoring 19 and adding 32 assists on the season. Kaski's club team made the playoffs in the Liiga, and he scored 2 goals and added 2 assists in 6 games.
Oliwer Kaski’s agent, Todd Diamond, confirms the right shot Dman intends on signing with the Detroit Red Wings after the World Championship.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 13, 2019
Kaski played his college hockey for Western Michigan University in 2015-16, before returning to Finland to play for a variety of teams across three different leagues in two years.
The Red Wings could use as much help on the blue line as possible, with an aging group and a few defensive prospects, the 23-year-old Kaski could strengthen the core moving forward.