4N Cup: Lehtonen Loose

Mikko Lehtonen left a lasting impression on scouts in the bronze medal game, helping Finland to defeat Switzerland 6-3 with a three point (1G-2A) effort at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.

Mikko Lehtonen (2005) RW, Finland

Size/skill combination is impossible to ignore .. excellent speed for a big kid .. exhibits separation gear, beating guys to the outside .. quick takeoff and acceleration .. very agile .. makes big cuts and full speed .. smooth with the puck, nifty and uses his size to keep defenders off .. excellent passing ability at top speed; hit teammate in the nick of time to avoid an offside .. exceptional patience holding on to the puck until options open up .. has a tendency to rush to the outside when bringing the puck up the ice; we would like to see him use his size more and head into traffic .. quick release on wrister; gets it off in full flight .. more than capable along the boards; big body difficult for opponents to move .. showed excellent overall strength on a partial breakaway heading to the net with a guy hanging on his back, ultimately scoring a goal on what was an exhibition of his much improved physical strength. (4GP-1G-3A-4PTS).

Perttu Lindgren (2005) C, Finland

A very fluent all-around skater, but speed is rather average .. very well balanced .. exhibits good patience with the puck and buys time for a teammate to set up in open space .. scored a goal on an accurate wrister off a one-timer .. soft hands .. quick acceleration into top speed .. impressed with good work ethic, working hard in the corners and coming up with the puck .. strong defensive consciousness; comes back and mucks in his own end .. a good, instinctive passer needles through open holes in coverage to hit the open man .. willing to mix it up physically .. uses his size well when battling in position. (4GP-1G-3A-4PTS).

Tommi Leinonen (2005) D, Finland

Excellent size combined with a long skating stride .. soft hands and good puck control .. speed is average, as are his first steps .. likes to take the puck up the ice .. very calm and collected when in possession .. good vision and shows impressive anticipation when making plays to advance the puck .. passes can be a little slow at times .. got off a shot at full speed, but shot power is somewhat questionable .. exhibited good poise getting a pass off with an opponent making a full charge at him .. showed a nifty pokecheck and good overall control of his body. (4GP-2G-2A-4PTS).

Jani Nieminen (2005) G, Finland

Goes down prematurely .. stance is very low and crouched which leaves a lot of space open upstairs .. quick glove hand; steals sure goals with the glove hand .. very quick reflexes .. needs to stand more upright and compensate for the lack of size .. good recovery; gets back up quickly when hitting the ice .. quick in all of his movements .. excellent lateral movement. (1-0-0, 3.00, .909).

Reto Berra (2005) G, Switzerland

Big kid who takes up a big portion of the net .. plays the puck well and likes to challenge the shooter, playing at the edge of the crease .. when going down he keeps his pads flat and back straight up, covering up a wide portion of the net .. very polished positionally .. not especially quick in the majority of his movements. (1-2-0, 4.00, .844).

Max Warn (2006) W, Finland

Overall speed is average .. good agility, strong balance and able to skating into traffic and stand up to tight checks .. handles the puck fluidly .. often skates with his head down into centre ice, which often results in hard hits against him. (4GP-1G-1A-2PTS).

Alessandro Chiesa (2005) D, Switzerland

Excellent size and showed willingness to mix it up physically .. speed is well below average, but his first few steps and acceleration are very good .. good balance and lower body strength .. cleared the front of the net effectively and threw solid hits in the corners. (4GP-0G-0A-0PTS).

Jussi Peltomaa (2005) LW, Finland

Deceptively quick; a smooth skating stride .. very agile with good balance .. physical and aggressive .. a good passer .. excellent shot release and able to get it off at full speed. (4GP-2G-1A-3PTS).