Regina, Sask. – The Regina Pats announced today that the hockey club has signed defenceman Ossi Tukio to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement.
Tukio, 18, was selected by the Pats in the first round (18th overall) of the 2026 CHL Import Draft.
The 6-foot-2, 187-pound left-shot defenceman from Tampere, Finland, spent the 2025-26 season captaining Ilves’ U20 team in Finland’s U20 SM-sarja. Tukio recorded 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 34 regular-season games, helping lead Ilves to a second-place finish while ranking second among all draft-eligible defencemen in league scoring.
Hockey has been a part of Tukio’s life from the very beginning. He grew up around professional dressing rooms as the son of former Finnish defenceman Arto Tukio, who enjoyed a lengthy professional career spanning nearly two decades. Arto appeared in approximately 500 games across Finland’s Liiga while also spending time with Jokerit and Ilves before playing two seasons with Frölunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), where he captured a Swedish championship in 2005. A fourth-round selection (101st overall) of the New York Islanders in the 2000 NHL Draft, Arto remained in Europe throughout his professional career.
“We’re very excited to sign Ossi to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement,” said Pats General Manager Dale Derkatch. “He is a defenceman with strong offensive instincts who likes to join the rush and create scoring opportunities for both himself and his teammates. Ossi has the ability to contribute on the power play, and his skill set brings another dynamic element to our blue line. We believe he has tremendous upside, and we’re excited to welcome him to Regina and support his development both on and off the ice.”
Tukio becomes the third and final member of the Pats 2026 Import Class to sign, joining Samuel Karsay and Tomas Cermak.
Tukio, 18, was selected by the Pats in the first round (18th overall) of the 2026 CHL Import Draft.
The 6-foot-2, 187-pound left-shot defenceman from Tampere, Finland, spent the 2025-26 season captaining Ilves’ U20 team in Finland’s U20 SM-sarja. Tukio recorded 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 34 regular-season games, helping lead Ilves to a second-place finish while ranking second among all draft-eligible defencemen in league scoring.
Hockey has been a part of Tukio’s life from the very beginning. He grew up around professional dressing rooms as the son of former Finnish defenceman Arto Tukio, who enjoyed a lengthy professional career spanning nearly two decades. Arto appeared in approximately 500 games across Finland’s Liiga while also spending time with Jokerit and Ilves before playing two seasons with Frölunda HC in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), where he captured a Swedish championship in 2005. A fourth-round selection (101st overall) of the New York Islanders in the 2000 NHL Draft, Arto remained in Europe throughout his professional career.
“We’re very excited to sign Ossi to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement,” said Pats General Manager Dale Derkatch. “He is a defenceman with strong offensive instincts who likes to join the rush and create scoring opportunities for both himself and his teammates. Ossi has the ability to contribute on the power play, and his skill set brings another dynamic element to our blue line. We believe he has tremendous upside, and we’re excited to welcome him to Regina and support his development both on and off the ice.”
Tukio becomes the third and final member of the Pats 2026 Import Class to sign, joining Samuel Karsay and Tomas Cermak.
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Läs mer https://chl.ca/whl/article/finnish-defenceman-ossi-tukio-signs-with-pats