黑马磁力 Rivermen have signed their second European player, 2006 Finland-born forward Tuukka Heiskanen.
鈥淲e are excited to add another young player to our roster with the signing of Tuukka,鈥� Rivermen director of hockey operations Curtis Fraser said.
鈥淲e are happy he is here to join our team for this season and the future.鈥� Fraser added.
Heiskanen is the second Finnish player to join the Rivermen this season along with 2003-born Oskar Komarov, under a new BCHL rule allows two European-born players to join each team for the first time in the league鈥檚 history. It was introduced after the league exited Hockey Canada.
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Tuukka was born in Tampere, two hours outside of the country鈥檚 capital Helsinki. After playing his minor hockey near his hometown, he has spent the last three seasons at age levels U16 & U18 with Tappara.
In the 2021-22 season with the Tappara U16 team, Tuukka scored 22 goals and had 18 assists in 29 games played, finishing fourth in his team鈥檚 scoring that year. He also participated in two games in 2021-22 with the U18, playing in two games and collecting an assist.
He made the jump full time to the U18 team in the 2022-23 season, collecting 14 points (three goals) in 34 games played.
To start this season, he has plied his trade with the same Tappara U18 team in an advanced role, grabbing 12 goals and 26 assists in 22 games played, impressive numbers after an adjustment year the season prior.
He has also played games internationally for his country at the U16 and U17 levels.
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