Finland: Koivisto now a top-liner

A review of some recent performances from both the SM-Liiga and the Finnish junior league, including 2004 first-round candidate Lauri Tukonen.

SM-Liiga

Ilkka Heikkinen, (2004), D, Lukko

Undrafted 1984-born defenseman played again with team captain Erik Hamalainen as a top-4 defenseman ... has good size (6-2, 195), but could still easily add another ten pounds ... used his size well in the defensive zone ... always involved in pushing and mixing it up after play was whistled down ... uses all possible ways to prevent opponents from scoring ... seemed to irritate opponents with his tough style ... did not accomplish much with the puck, but also rarely gave it to the other team ... a strong candidate for the Finnish WJC team, Heikkinen has a good shot at getting drafted next summer despite his age.

Toni Koivisto, (FLA), LW, Lukko

Koivisto proved that the good performance we reported a few weeks ago was no fluke ... promoted to the first line for Lukko's game against IFK Helsinki ... Lukko's coach Ismo Lehkonen was happy with his performance, noting “he played extremely well in the first line" ... used his great speed consistently to create scoring chances ... showed that he can control the puck well at high speed when there is open space, but was less effective in and around the net, even missing some chances where he should have scored.

Tomek Valtonen, (DET), LW, Jokerit

Detroit draftee Tomek Valtonen was playing on Jokerit's first line in the 2-1 win over Espoo Blues ... was quite fast on the ice, as always, but his skating isn't the smoothest otherwise ... has a hard slap and wrist shot, plus a very good release ... picked up the game-winner on the power play with a nice onetimer ...formerly known only as a hard hitter and part-time goon, Valtonen still plays the body well.

Sami Lepisto, (2004), D Jokerit

Jokerit's undrafted d-man Sami Lepisto was taking a regular shift in the game against the Blues ... skated quite well in this game and looks much smoother than he did last season in juniors ... did throw some good effective hits, despite not being the heaviest (170 pounds) player on the rink ... looks comfortable and mature at the SM-Liiga level ... Jokerit management was sure that Lepisto would get drafted last year, however, he might get picked up this time based on his improvements over the last year.

Jarko Immonen, (TOR), RW, JYP

Following up on his impressive performances during the Toronto Maple Leafs European tour, Immonen was again the best forward on the ice tonight in JYP’s SM-Liiga game against IFK Helsinki ... he scored the third and fourth goals in the third period of JYP's 4-1 win ... although he played right wing with the Leafs, he was playing at center this time ... looked surprisingly fast, especially on the goals he scored, both of which were breakaways.

Notes: Two of the most talented young players in SM-Liiga, Ilves center Jesse Niinimaki (Edm) and TPS goalie Teemu Lassila (Nsh) are both out with injuries. A knee injury will keep Lassila out for at least six weeks, while Niinimaki is expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken shoulder.

Finnish Juniors

Lots of scouts turned out to watch a high-scoring affair (6-5) between HIFK and Espoo Blues, a game that featured two of Finland's top eligible players for the 2004 Entry Draft, Lauri Tukonen and Pasi Salonen.

Lauri Tukonen, (2004), RW, Blues Jr

Tukonen was this time playing as first line center for the Blues ... played on the point on the powerplay ... got an assist on the powerplay when a goal was scored from his rebound ... did not really shoot the puck from the blueline, but rather tried to set up his teammates ... was most visible during the first period, but not as much in the second and third ... playing his fourth game in five days which probably showed ...used his good hands near the goal, often trying to get around the defenseman and drive to the net ... did not forecheck or hit opponents, partly because of his defensive duties as a center ... consequently was helping his defenseman more than usual.

(NOTE: Tukonen got promoted to the SM-Liiga and played his first game the following day)

Tomas Sinisalo, (2004), W, Blues Jr

Sinisalo was used sparingly on the Blues fourth line ... the line scored once, but Sinisalo didn't get any points ... is a fluid skater ... used his skating and good hands to bring the puck up in the offensive zone a couple of times ... is not too big or strong, so defenseman did not have too much trouble knocking him off the puck.

Pasi Salonen, (2004), LW, HIFK Jr

IFK winger Pasi Salonen was also playing his fourth game in five days ... has just returned from a minor leg injury ... scored an easy rebound goal on the power play and added an assist on another goal ... often tried to deke defenseman with sharp turns in the offensive zone, however, wasn’t too successful, often just falling on the ice ... used in an all-offense role again with no real responsibilities in the defensive zone ... didn’t do much in the third period when the team was down by a goal.

Teemu Laakso, (2005), D, HIFK Jr

Laakso is one of the youngest regulars in Finland’s highest junior league ... caused a couple of turnovers in the opposition’s end, and played a nearly flawless game in the defensive zone ... is a smart player … did not see much action on the power play this time, so he wasn't able to show off his quick, hard slapshot ... smallish size (6-0, 180) will be his biggest weakness ... clearly outplayed fellow D-man Timo Seppanen, who has appeared on the Finnish U-18 team as an underager.

Timo Seppanen, (2005), D, HIFK Jr

Another young IFK d-man, Timo Seppanen, was playing his second game in the top junior league ... played only in the first period, after which he was pretty much benched and replaced with another defenseman ... opponents had no trouble getting past him on fast rushes ... almost put the puck in his own net on a rebound situation, which allowed the opponent to score ... despite his troubles tonight, he did receive praise from his coach after his debut game and will no doubt get more chances to show his real talent later.