TOURNAMENTS: U16 Four Nations

TOURNAMENT INDEX:

U16 Czech Republic | U16 Finland | U16 Sweden | U16 Russia

U16 Four Nations Tournament Reports (posted 4.1.06)

by Robert Neuhauser

Exclusive scouting reports from the U16 Four Nations Tournament in the Czech Republic, featuring teams from Russia, Czech Republic, Sweden and Finland.

Russia

Top Performers

Dmitri Kulikov, D (2009)

a solid skater .. uses a fluid stride which enables him to accelerate quickly .. solid backwards skating and lateral movement .. okay turns and agility .. decent top-end speed .. adequate lower-body strength and balance .. decent puckhandling skills .. distributes quick accurate passes, but should corral difficult passes more smoothly .. capable of one-timed passes .. displays a solid poise when jumping into the rush .. can hide his intentions adequately well .. decent offensive creativity .. can fasten the pace of the play with a quick deflection of a pass .. prone to occasional bad decisions when moving the puck because of not reading the play properly .. uses a solid variety of shots .. slap shot is accurate when firing it quickly with average hardness .. hard blasts lack accuracy and are too telegraphed and often blocked .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. prone to occasional positional mistakes when focusing on offense too much .. shows adequate aggressiveness in his own zone .. works hard in the corners to keep the opponents under control .. adequately aggressive at clearing the crease .. a late '90 born defenseman.

Pavel Lukin, D (2008)

an adequate skater for a player of his size .. registered a growth spurt and added two inches during the last three months which negatively influenced his skating .. adequate acceleration and first-step quickness .. stride of average quickness .. decent agility and lateral movement .. adequate lower-body strength and balance but adding more bulk to his lower-body is a need .. could use more explosiveness .. keeps his play simple and doesn't panic with the puck .. decent stickhandling skills .. chooses the obvious passing lane and distributes passes on a short distance .. needs to upgrade on passing accuracy .. doesn't make long outlet passes .. overwhelmed when leading the rush .. adequate vision and hockey sense .. his smart positional game in the neutral zone enables him to be on the receiving end of passes of the opponents .. unleashes a heavy slap shot, but needs to keep it lower on the ice .. can throw a hard hit but should use his size to his advantage more and be a more constant physical presence .. bulking up is essential for him .. works hard down low .. okay positional play .. spots his man quickly and stays with him.

Kirill Petrov, RW (2008)

a good skater .. reaches top speed in a few strides .. takes advantage of his quick and powerful stride .. possesses a solid agility .. shows an explosive first-step which enables him to outskate opposition .. uses multiple gears .. solid top-end speed .. looks for breakaway chances .. a solid puckhandler who likes to challenge opponents in one-on-one .. can play the puck in tight spaces smoothly but should cover it with his body better .. his sharp dekes enable him to gain free space .. makes passes from both sides of the stick .. is blessed with solid understanding of the developing plays .. emerges as a decent playmaker who doesn't panic with the puck .. a frequent passer .. aware of his linemates .. decent vision and hockey sense .. solid in-close finishing skills .. a regular threat in the offensive zone .. fires a quick wrist and snap shot .. slap shot with a fast release could be harder .. hesitant to use the slapper .. handles heavy traffic adequately well and doesn't back down from physical challenges .. uses his propulsion to forecheck aggressively .. returns back to the defensive zone and backchecks aggressively but is inconsistent in this asset .. a diligent player who digs for the pucks along the boards .. adequate at closing the opposing passing lanes.

Evgeni Grachev, C (2008)

a tall player .. registered a noticeable progress in his skating during the recent months .. a solid skater for a player of his size .. stride of okay effectiveness .. solid bursts of speed .. displays an okay agility .. decent balance on his skates .. above-average top-end speed for a big man .. okay stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. uses a long stick which doesn't enable him to make many nifty dekes in traffic .. can cover the puck in traffic well .. decent vision and hockey sense .. a crafty passer who can make accurate feeds but could slightly upgrade on timing .. should improve on the smoothness of his in-close finishing skills .. fires a hard slap shot .. fits the mold of a quality two-way forward .. blessed with a solid defensive awareness .. stays in position in his own end and is fast when marking his man .. should drive the net harder .. average in the faceoff circle .. would be a bigger force if he would take advantage of his size tools on every shift .. occasionally battles for the pucks and isn't afraid of the physical play, but doesn't play a gritty style on every shift .. hampered by inconsistency .. the recent progress is very appealing.

Anton Lazarev, C (2008)

a diminutive forward .. blessed with slick skating skills .. hunched when skating .. possesses strong footspeed .. okay acceleration .. above-average agility .. decent top-end speed .. solid explosiveness .. can outskate the defenders, but could use a better balance on his skates as he tends to get knocked off balance by bigger opponents .. good skill set .. nifty puckhandler with a solid hand-eye coordination .. handles difficult passes smoothly .. succeeds in one-on-one situations thanks to his elusive stick moves .. a good asset to powerplay units .. his east-west moves open up holes in the opposing box .. a determined forechecker .. an okay passer .. solid passing accuracy .. adequate patience with the puck .. willing to shoot the puck, using primarily his wrist or snap shot .. strong accuracy on his snap shot .. his accurate slap shot should be fired more harder .. isn't very effective in traffic thanks to his size deficiency but won't back down from battling bigger opponents .. doesn't play soft and visits the slot .. needs to improve on his defensive play .. returns back to start the offensive raids from the rear end, but marks his man slowly.

Andrei Loktionov, C (2008)

a solid skater with a fluid acceleration .. can dance around the opponents thanks to his agility .. okay first-step quickness .. uses an effective stride .. adequate top-end speed still could be improved a bit .. should add more bulk to his lower-body and keep his feet moving all the time .. crafty stickhandling skills but shows trouble with corraling difficult passes .. a good smart passer with accurate feeds .. can deke the opposing players but lacks strength to run them over in one-on-one .. prefers passing to shooting .. aware of his linemates, giving them saucer passes into scoring chances .. patient in puck-possession .. possesses a decent array of shots .. releases a fast wrist shot .. snap shot should be harder .. should use the slapper more often and drive the net harder .. doesn't play an aggressive style, but doesn't back down from occasionally mucking for the pucks .. should hit more often and throw harder hits .. returns back quickly but is no defensive specialist .. spots his man quickly but occasionally stops working in his own end when not inspired .. should pick up on his conditioning not to fade in the late stages of the games.

Other Players

Alexander Pechursky, G (2008)

plays more of a butterfly style .. possesses decent reflexes .. okay dexterity and quickness .. a decent skater, but should still improve on his lateral movement in the crease .. should focus on upgrading of his footspeed .. decent when moving side-to-side, but still leaves some holes for the shooter to aim at .. okay resilience .. adequate anticipation of developing plays .. doesn't let in soft goals on the initial shot .. should upgrade on his five-hole .. goes down sometimes too early, which leaves the upper shelf uncovered .. adequate rebound control but is vulnerable to allowing unnecessary rebounds .. adequate when handling traffic in front of him .. tends to flop around in the crease .. should develop better fundamentals and improve on his positional play in the crease .. solid glove hand .. decent in the upper half .. possesses a solid focus .. average stickhandling skills .. should move the puck more often.

Vyacheslav Voynov, D (2008)

a solid skater with decent bursts of speed and an okay agility .. could use more balance and lower-body strength .. his skating skills make up for his lack of size .. okay backwards speed .. doesn't slow down significantly when moving the puck .. a solid stickhandler who can make passes from both sides of the stick .. possesses an okay offensive vision .. shows an above-average offensive upside .. rushes the puck .. can make an accurate pass .. prone to the odd mistake when distributing the puck .. plays a solid game at the offensive blue line .. decent powerplay quarterback .. willing to shoot the puck .. a decent variety of shots but needs to keep his slap shot lower on the ice .. suffers from the occasional positional breakdowns .. spots his man adequately fast .. needs to stay with his man all the way .. an adequate factor in one-on-one situations where he focuses on playing the body .. isn't really soft, but should be more prepared for contact .. an average crease-clearer .. needs to get stronger as he shows trouble with handling big opponents .. prone to occasional off-shifts .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Anton Klementyev, D (2008)

a decent skater for a player of his size .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. solid turns and lateral movement .. okay backwards speed .. doesn't look slow when skating straightaway, but still needs to develop bigger bursts of speed .. adequate first-step quickness .. should upgrade on top-end speed .. decent puckhandling skills .. adept at bringing the puck to the offensive zone safely .. shows occasional problems when having to deal with difficult passes on the backhand side .. okay pinching .. is at his best when playing a simple game with the puck .. possesses only limited offensive vision and is prone to passes to players who are already blocked by an opponent .. dumps the pucks under pressure .. decent strength but still needs to bulk up .. needs to learn how to make his size to his advantage more often but is willing to throw the occasional good hit .. a decent force in his own zone with his reach .. quick waterbugs can give him a tough time as he reacts slowly against them and subsequently switches to clutch-and-grab .. prone to the odd positional mistake .. isn't very effective on powerplay units as he doesn't have the vision to quarterback them .. lacks the hockey sense needed to emerge as a two-way force but doesn't make mistakes when moving the puck .. unleashes a solid hard slap shot with average accuracy .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Andrei Grenkov, D (2008)

a stocky player .. an adequate skater but a player of his mediocre height should accelerate more smoothly .. could use a smoother stride and a better first-step quickness .. doesn't impress with his mobility .. should pick up on his lateral agility and turns .. adequate top-end speed .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. average puckhandling skills .. tends to dump the puck under pressure .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner .. decent presence in his own zone .. a diligent combatant along the boards and in front of the crease .. throws his body around but tends to loose position when going for a hit .. an adequate force on penalty killing units .. willing to sacrifice his body to block opposing shots .. doesn't make many glaring positional mistakes but could read the developing plays more faster .. limited offensive upside thanks to an unimpressive offensive vision .. average hockey sense .. sometimes hesitant to make a quick outlet pass .. a very limited factor on the powerplay units .. unleashes a heavy slap shot with average accuracy .. shoots right.

Valery Vasilyev, D (2008)

an okay skater .. possesses acceptable straightaway speed and agility .. okay acceleration and first-step quickness .. decent turns and lateral movement .. okay balance thanks to a thick lower-body .. could upgrade on his top-end speed .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner .. adequate passing skills .. hard and accurate passes on short distance but doesn't have the offensive vision for long outlet passes .. should recognize passing lanes more quickly .. doesn't panic with the puck but slower reaction time hurts his offensive effectiveness .. adequate stickhandling skills .. should corral difficult passes more smoothly .. more stiff when corraling the puck on the backhand side .. doesn't always play a smart game on the offensive blue line .. unleashes a decent slap shot with a good accuracy .. useful as a powerplay pointman .. plays in the defensive zone with okay reliability .. works hard down low .. reads the developing opponent plays adequately well .. decent toughness .. can throw a decent hit when the play gets physical .. should clear the crease with a bigger intensity.

Samuel Mnatsyan, D (2008)

a decent skater .. possesses an adequately smooth stride but should develop bigger bursts of speed .. occasionally gets beaten on turns and when asked to move laterally .. average balance .. should add more lower-body strength .. should avoid getting caught flat-footed by keeping his feet moving during his shifts .. adequate puckhandling skills .. needs to progress on his dealing with difficult passes on the backhand side .. plays a simple game with the puck .. lacks creativity .. isn't very effective on powerplay units as he doesn't have the vision to quarterback them .. lacks the hockey sense needed to emerge as a two-way force .. prone to wrong reading of the offensive plays .. a bigger force in the defensive zone .. can work hard along the boards .. decent crease-clearer .. possesses a decent reach .. could upgrade on positional play in the defensive zone but isn't a liability in this asset .. an adequately hard slap shot with decent accuracy .. plays a diligent game in his own end .. doesn't take off-shifts.

Nikita Filatov, LW (2008)

a smallish waterbug .. a solid skater with a smooth effective stride .. above-average agility and footspeed .. reaches top speed in a few strides .. likes to beat opposition wide .. solid turns .. looks for breakaway chances .. should upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. a decent playmaker with okay tape-on-tape passing skills .. smooth stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. flashy with the puck .. adequate portion of vision and hockey sense .. corrals passes smoothly .. prefers passing to shooting .. sneaky in heavy traffic, but doesn't have the physical tools to battle the bigger opponents physically .. needs more strength to succeed in one-on-one situations regularly .. decent in-close finishing skills .. an adequate array of shots but should fire the pucks more often .. should use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. returns to his own zone, but is very raw in this asset .. should block the passing lanes of the opposition more conscientiously .. prone to the occasional cheap shot .. lacks consistency .. prone to odd off-shifts .. a right-shooting forward.

Vladimir Litvinchuk, C/LW (2008)

a flashy skater with a short stride .. doesn't cover lots of ground with his stride but keeps his feet moving well and thus avoids falling back .. solid agility and top-end speed .. okay acceleration which can burn defenders .. crafty stickhandler with an above-average puck-control .. active with the stick on the penalty killing units .. capable of good puck-deflections .. patient in the scoring chances, waiting for the plays to develop and then make the decision, but is still prone to odd naive plays .. unleashes a quick accurate wrist shot with a sharp release, but has trouble with penetrating to the scoring chances .. should use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. isn't a significant force in heavy traffic thanks to his smallish frame .. gets pushed around by bigger opponents but tries to drive the net hard .. shows a tendency to use his stick instead of his body in traffic .. a tenacious forechecker .. doesn't tend to take odd shifts off .. his speed enables him to return to his own zone in time, but needs to play in position better .. prone to lapses in his defensive awareness despite backchecking aggressively .. a decent force on the penalty killing units with his spirited play .. shoots right.

Yaroslav Tulyakov, RW (2008)

a solid skater with a smooth effective stride .. solid agility and footspeed.. reaches top speed in a few strides .. likes to beat opposition wide just like sneaking between the defensemen when they skate too much apart from one another .. uses multiple gears .. needs to upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. skinny lower-body .. a decent playmaker with okay tape-on-tape passing skills .. very smooth stickhandling skills .. a threat in one-on-one situations .. looks for breakaway chances .. decent portion of vision and hockey sense .. a quick waterbug .. sneaky in heavy traffic, but doesn't have the physical tools to battle the bigger opponents physically .. needs more strength to crash the net more effectively .. solid in-close finishing skills .. a decent array of shots .. uses the opposing defensemen well as a screen .. capable of unleashing a quick wrist shot from both sides of the stick .. could use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. returns to his own zone, but is very raw in this asset .. should block the passing lanes of the opposition more conscientiously .. steps up his determination on special units .. willing to sacrifice his body to block the opposing shots .. should pick up on conditioning so that he won't fade in the late stages of the games.

Maxim Kitsyn, LW (2010)

possesses solid skating skills .. blessed with an okay footspeed .. good acceleration .. above-average agility and top-end speed .. capable of sharp turns .. can outskate opposition smoothly and bring the opposing defensemen out of position with his propulsion .. already possesses solid size but could use a better balance on his skates as he tends to get knocked off balance by stronger opponents .. a solid asset in one-on-one situations with his flashy moves .. good skill set .. crafty puckhandler with a solid hand-eye coordination .. corrals difficult passes smoothly .. likes to carry the puck into the offensive zone and then pass it to a linemate .. accurate passing skills on a short distance .. prone to precipitous passes as a result of a lower patience with the puck .. occasionally willing to shoot the puck, using primarily his wrist shot .. his slap shot needs to be fired more harder .. snap shot with average accuracy .. doesn't play soft and visits the slot, but shows trouble when dealing with bigger opponents .. needs to improve on his defensive play .. doesn't seem inspired in his own end .. should upgrade on his defensive positioning .. marks his man slowly .. shoots right .. a late '91 born forward.

Nikita Kokovin, LW (2008)

a decent skater with a short stride which could be more effective .. okay agility and footspeed .. adequate top-end speed should be upgraded .. knock against his skating is the fact that he needs to slow down when making his moves .. should be more explosive .. possesses a decent lower-body strength and balance .. an adequate puckhandler .. one-times passes precisely .. should upgrade on his dealing with difficult passes and cover the puck more efficiently .. a decent player in one-on-one situations .. more of a playmaker .. adequate awareness of the position of his linemates .. doesn't panic under pressure but average creativity limits his effectiveness .. tends to pass the puck instead of firing it .. adequate vision .. fires a decent hard slap shot but should use the slapper more often .. decent in-close finishing skills .. isn't a defensive specialist, but returns back to help out the defense .. works hard on the penalty killing units .. blocks the opposing shots with his body .. a sneaky player in traffic .. picks his spots adequately well .. doesn't play a physically intimidating style and relies more on finesse .. prone to the odd off-shift.

Dmitri Kugryshev, RW (2008)

a decent skater with okay bursts of speed .. okay top-end speed .. decent agility and turns .. could use more balance and needs to strengthen his lower body .. a solid puck-carrier .. soft hands are his strongest offensive asset .. capable of tricky stick moves which enable him to maintain puck-possession in traffic .. doesn't have the strength to run people over, but uses his quick moves to sneak through .. looks for breakaway chances .. okay vision and hockey sense .. a decent passer on the powerplay units .. dishes out quick accurate feeds from the corner .. utilizes on his solid variety of shots .. quick release on his wrist shot .. decent hard snap shot with a quick release .. slap shot should be more hard .. decent in-close finishing skills .. doesn't show up in the opposing slot very often .. isn't playing really soft but his average size doesn't make from him a physically intimidating factor .. digs for the pucks in the corners .. average in the defensive zone, but helps out on the backcheck with solid regularity .. a right-shooting forward.

Alexander Volzhankin, LW (2008)

a sturdy skater with an okay acceleration and agility .. tough to get knocked off his feet thanks to his solid balance and lower-body strength .. okay first-step quickness .. possesses a powerful stride and decent top-end speed, but could use improvement in his overall speed with the puck .. isn't really stiff but could upgrade his puckhandling skills .. doesn't make many nifty puck moves in traffic .. a solid tape-on-tape passer when passing on a short distance .. creativity doesn't stand out .. chooses mostly the obvious passing lane and can't find the long passing lanes .. a diligent forward .. plays a belligerent style with intensity and determination but is inconsistent in this asset .. is willing to muck in the corners and play where it hurts .. should make his size to his advantage more often and hit with a bigger authority .. drives the net hard .. looks for the loose rebounds in the slot .. shows a solid commitment to the defensive duties .. blocks the opposing passing lanes well .. possesses a decent variety of shots .. fast release on his wrist shot .. a heavy slap shot with adequate accuracy .. prone to moments where he doesn't seem to be ready to handle the responsibility of the moment .. conditioning is an issue as he runs out of steam late on his shifts .. shoots right.

Pavel Chernov, C (2008)

a decent skater .. capable of moving his feet fast, but lacks the needed stride effectiveness to emerge as a good skater .. okay first-step quickness and acceleration .. acceptable agility on his skates .. could use more balance as he tends to get knocked off the puck easily .. okay stickhandling skills .. solid at controlling the puck .. dangles his way out of the corners .. decent dealing with passes but could corral difficult passes on the backhand side more smoothly .. capable of a quick pass right off a turn .. prefers passing to shooting but is prone to brain cramps when distributing the pucks .. should play a more reliable style when making a pass in the neutral zone .. average hockey sense .. needs to develop a bigger variety of shots .. uses primarily his quick wrist or snap shot .. average slap shot with a slow release .. should be more patient once on a scoring chance .. not a significant force in traffic because of his lack of size but doesn't play afraid .. can get outmuscled by bigger opponents .. shows a commitment to the defensive play but is hampered by occasional downs in this asset .. can read the developing plays in his own end adequately well, but is raw in defensive positioning .. a right-shooting forward.

Czech Republic

Top Performers

Filip Landsman, G (2008)

a diminutive goaltender .. plays a butterfly style .. an above-average skater .. quick side-to-side movement .. moves fast in the crease .. okay lateral movement .. quick to recover after dropping to a butterfly .. doesn't cover lots of the net with his size .. solid leg quickness .. above-average dexterity .. relies on his quickness and athleticism .. an acrobatic goaltender who can make unorthodox saves .. possesses solid reflexes .. goes down early .. could learn how to stay up for an extra moment to cover the upper shelf more effectively .. challenges the shooter .. tough to beat on the initial shot .. plays the angles well .. doesn't allow unnecessary rebounds as he turns the shots into the corners .. okay handling of rebounds .. should further work on his fundamentals .. okay anticipation of the developing plays .. solid fast glove hand .. decent on the blocker side .. should further upgrade on his stickhandling and move the puck more often.

Radko Gudas, D (2008)

a smallish stocky defenseman .. a decent skater with a short stride .. okay agility and lateral movement .. decent acceleration but his first-step quickness could use further upgrading .. could improve on his top-end speed .. adequate turns .. above-average balance and lower-body strength .. a decent offensive flair .. likes to join the rush and support the offense, but doesn't have an elite vision .. tends to misread on a number of offensive plays which leads to costly mistakes .. a solid factor when he keeps things simple and doesn't try to do too much with the puck .. can play a feisty game in the opposing slot .. a decent stickhandler but corraling of difficult passes is an issue .. still could improve on passing accuracy when making a long pass .. an accurate snap shot with a fast release .. slap shot should be more hard .. isn't a rock in his defensive zone coverage and is prone to falling back behind plays when not reading them properly .. should improve on his positional play and take less penalties from trying to make up for a positional gaffe .. a solid physical presence despite the missing inches .. hits hard along the boards and is a decent crease-clearer .. tends to loose position when hitting .. can win a game for his team just like lose it .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Jan Kana, LW (2008)

a smallish wrecking pinball .. a solid skater with okay acceleration and top-end speed .. looks flashy and quick .. solid change of pace and explosiveness .. sharp turns .. possesses above-average lower-body strength and balance .. tough to get knocked off the puck .. good stickhandling skills .. an adequate playmaker with a decent vision and awareness of his linemates .. shoots and passes equally well .. a solid passer on the powerplay units, executing from the corner .. still prone to some boneheaded plays when trying to be over-creative with the puck .. very confident in his finishing skills .. possesses an okay variety of shots .. likes to let his hard slap shot go .. could use more hockey sense in his play, but particularly makes up for his drawback with his competitiveness and a fearless approach .. plays way bigger than his size and often hammers opponents along the boards .. can get under the skin of the opposing players with his play .. willing to fight .. digs for the loose pucks in the corners .. shows a commitment to the defensive play but hampered by occasional downs .. blocks the passing lanes of the opposition fairly well .. fast at marking his man .. an active force on the penalty killing units .. a belligerent player but prone to inconsistent shifts .. sacrifices his body to block the opposing shots .. shoots right.

Dominik Pacovsky, RW (2008)

an above-average skater with a fast change of pace and deceptive quickness .. shows a solid agility on his skates .. blessed with okay acceleration and flashiness .. okay top-end speed .. should add more bulk to his lower-body and upgrade on balance .. can split the defense well with his bursts of speed .. emerges as a swift puckhandler .. maintains possession in tight spaces thanks to an above-average hand-eye coordination .. blessed with decent offensive instincts .. capable of okay tape-on-tape passes but is more of a finisher than playmaker .. unleashes an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. snap shot can surprise goaltenders with release and hardness .. often uses his fast-released slap shot .. solid sniper instincts .. anticipates the deflections of the puck in the offensive zone well to sneak into scoring positions .. used as a defenseman when playing on the powerplay units .. decent in-close finishing skills .. willing to return to his own end to help out the defense, but needs to pick up on his defensive awareness .. average quickness of marking his man .. should improve on defensive positioning .. isn't a significant physical force but not a soft player .. less effective in heavy traffic .. doesn't dish out hits and relies more on his finesse skills.

Ondrej Pekarik, C/LW (2008)

an adequate skater for a big man, but adding more speed would make him more effective .. sub-par first-step quickness hurts his play .. adequate acceleration .. average agility .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. doesn't get knocked off his skates too often .. could use a bigger top-end speed .. an okay puckhandler .. can occasionally maneuver with the puck in tight space without loosing possession but doesn't use this asset very often .. decent corraling of difficult passes .. a decent player in one-on-one situations .. a playmaking forward .. once in the offensive zone, he looks for an open teammate more than shooting the puck .. an effective force when executing from the corner on the powerplay units .. solid passing skills and creativity .. aware of his linemates .. patient on a scoring chance .. could use a faster release on his wrist and slap shot .. blessed with a big body .. often battles in the opposing slot .. throws solid hits along the boards .. returns to help out the defense regularly .. starts the offensive raids from deep .. adept at shutting down the passing lanes of the opposition but should upgrade on his defensive positioning .. capable of playing both center and left wing .. average in the faceoff circle.

Other Players

Jakub Sedlacek, G (2008)

a smallish netminder .. plays a butterfly style .. doesn't cover a big space of the net, but makes up for this drawback with quick reflexes and above-average athleticism .. an okay skater with a decent lateral movement in the crease .. moves fast side-to-side and is quick to recover from a butterfly .. challenges the shooter and relies on his skating ability to bail him out .. solid footspeed .. decent on the blocker side .. exhibits a solid fast glove hand .. handles most of the rebounds well thanks to a strong dexterity and flexibility .. adequate anticipation of the developing plays but this asset still could be upgraded .. okay dealing with hard initial shots .. often leaves the crease and aggressively challenges the shooter .. a patient player, waiting for the shooter to make the first move .. communicates well with his defense .. displays okay puckhandling ability .. confident in his stickhandling .. often passes the puck to his defensemen.

Dominik Bohac, D (2008)

a decent skater for a player with above-average size .. okay turns and agility .. needs to develop a better first-step quickness .. decent acceleration and straightaway speed .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. lack of elite first step makes him a bit vulnerable on transitions .. an offensive-minded defenseman .. willing to join the rush often and move the puck .. decent vision and hockey sense .. okay puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. can make space for him with a quick move .. uses both sides of the stick blade .. smooth and composed .. capable of long hard accurate outlet passes, but could make them on a regular basis .. prone to occasional mistakes when moving the puck .. fires quick shots from the point but needs to keep it lower .. capable of playing both powerplay quarterback and pointman .. works adequately hard down low and isn't afraid of physical contact .. a decent force along the boards, but could take a bigger advantage of his reach when playing in the defensive zone .. adequate positional play but tends to be over-offensive at times.

Jakub Kania, D (2009)

a smallish defenseman .. a solid skater for a player of his size .. okay agility and lateral movement .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. okay first step and backwards speed .. doesn't fall behind the plays .. a reliable player in his own zone when keeping the things simple .. stays with his man and reads the defensive plays fast .. decent offensive upside but is prone to brain cramps when trying to emerge as a regular two-way threat .. when aware of his role he doesn't make glaring positional mistakes .. okay stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. corrals the pucks adequately well .. dishes out short hard passes with a good accuracy but doesn't have the offensive vision for regular long outlet passes .. willing to let his slap shot go often, but accuracy is an issue .. okay defensive stickhandling .. plays with a decent edge along the boards .. added bulk to his body which positively influenced his physical awareness .. tends to occasionally loose position when going for a hit .. can be effective along the boards .. regular inconsistency hurts his showings .. a late '90 born defenseman.

Petr Kadorek, D (2008)

a lanky blueliner .. a solid skater for a player of his size .. okay agility and lateral movement .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. okay smoothness of stride and explosiveness .. decent backwards speed .. doesn't fall behind the plays .. decent offensive upside but is inconsistent in his offensive support .. okay stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. corrals the pucks adequately well using both sides of the stick .. tries to support the offense with quick passes .. doesn't make long outlet passes very often and prefers to pass the puck to the nearby teammate but recognizes passing lanes quickly .. battles in the slot and looks for rebounds when playing on the on powerplay units .. an adequately reliable player in his own zone .. stays with his man and spots him quickly .. doesn't make glaring positional mistakes but is prone to odd little gaffes .. willing to let his accurate slap shot go often, but hardness is an issue .. a solid player on the special units .. plays with a decent edge .. can be effective along the boards and when clearing the crease .. possesses okay leadership skills .. hampered by inconsistent showings .. a non-factor when off his game .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Michal Jordan, D (2008)

a smallish defenseman who is likely to add more inches to his frame due to his genetics .. a decent skater .. possesses okay acceleration but still could develop a smoother stride and bigger top-end speed .. adequate hustle and acceleration .. doesn't beaten on turns and when asked to move laterally .. average balance and lower-body strength .. gets knocked off his feet by bigger opponents .. decent puckhandling skills but shows a tough time when having to deal with difficult passes on the backhand side .. is at his best when playing a simple game with the puck .. fires a quick accurate snap shot .. slap shot needs to be harder .. a solid force in his own zone with his defensive prowess .. above-average positional play in the defensive zone .. isn't very effective on powerplay units as he doesn't have the vision to quarterback them but is good on the penalty killing units .. isn't very willing to throw the occasional hit and his physical play shows considerable reserves .. average crease-clearer .. okay defensive instincts and hockey sense .. plays with his head up .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. plays a team-orientated game .. sacrifices his body to block the opposing shots .. is likely to blossom once adding more inches and bulk.

Matej Stritesky, D (2009)

a solid skater with above-average straightaway speed and a smooth stride .. okay agility and lateral movement .. doesn't get beaten by speed .. average balance .. still should upgrade on lower-body strength .. should keep his feet moving to make proper use of his skating ability .. solid offensive flair .. looks for loose rebounds in the opposing slot .. shows decent smart when moving the puck .. above-average vision and hockey sense .. solid puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. a deft passer who knows how to find the open man .. capable of accurate outlet passes even on a long distance .. a smart player on powerplay units .. shows enough confidence to make risky plays, but can't avoid the odd glaring mistake .. prone to odd careless plays with the puck .. decent hard shot from the point should be more accurate and needs to keep it lower on the ice .. should upgrade on the play in his own zone .. can be caught off position, but makes up for those lapses with his quickness .. doesn't play afraid but possesses still the body of a child .. will be more effective when he will further develop physically .. a late '90 born defenseman .. shoots right.

Tomas Voracek, D (2008)

a big sized defenseman .. an adequate skater for a big man .. should further upgrade on the effectiveness of his stride to be quicker .. a bit heavy-footed .. possesses adequate acceleration .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. agility needs further upgrading as he needs to make sharper turns .. isn't at his best when the opponents make him moving .. should further improve on his top-end speed .. more of a defensive-minded rearguard .. above-average strength and aggressiveness .. doesn't take prisoners along the boards, looking for opponents to hammer .. an okay crease-clearer .. adequately responsible in his own end, but still suffers from an odd glaring positional gaffe, especially when hitting .. effective at clearing the puck from the defensive zone .. adequate puckhandling skills .. can't corral difficult passes effectively .. unleashes a rocket from the point, but needs to make it less telegraphed and develop a better accuracy .. lacks vision and hockey sense so that he can't support the offense effectively .. should be more patient with the puck .. prone to fuzzy plays with the puck when pressed by an opponent.

Tomas Knotek, C (2008)

a decent skater .. uses a short quick stride .. okay agility and first-step quickness .. could use upgrading on top-end speed .. average balance on his skates .. doesn't keep his feet moving which seriously hurts his effectiveness in fast-paced games .. bigger and physical opponents cause him problems .. a solid stickhandler with an above-average hand-eye coordination .. uses both sides of the stick blade precisely when making a pass or corraling a pass .. could make smoother puck moves when pressed in heavy traffic .. very patient with the puck, waiting for the plays to present themselves and then making a decision .. times his passes well and can use his linemates smartly .. decent in-close finishing skills .. fires a quick wrist shot .. slap shot of adequate accuracy should be upgraded in terms of hardness .. willing to return to defense .. adequately smart when blocking the opposing passing lanes .. isn't a player who would thrive under the physical style and wanders on the perimeter when the play gets physical .. doesn't lay many hits on the opponents and should get stronger .. traffic play is an issue .. doesn't crash the net and avoids mucking in the corners .. consistency is an issue .. adequate in the faceoff circle.

Jaroslav Hafenrichter, LW (2008)

an okay skater with solid bursts of speed and agility .. capable of sharp turns .. possesses good footspeed and first-step quickness, but needs to upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. could upgrade on top-end speed .. can maneuver with the puck relatively well thanks to his good stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination but looses possession in traffic .. hesitant to head with the puck into tight spaces .. utilizes on his propulsion .. doesn't crash the net hard .. unleashes a fast accurate wrist shot, but his slap shot needs to be more hard .. capable of nifty deflections .. a decent force on the powerplay units .. shows decent passing skills and is adept at finding his linemates with a fast accurate pass when the obvious play is present .. adequate vision and hockey sense .. isn't a physical force and gets outmuscled in the corner battles .. can't outpower the bigger opponents and gets pushed around regularly .. needs to upgrade on his defensive awareness .. is willing to return back to his own end, but should mark his man more quickly and stay with him .. prone to occasional dumb fouls when not reading the defensive plays properly .. limited by inconsistent performances .. a non-factor when off his game.

Radek Lemfeld, C (2008)

an above-average skater with decent explosiveness .. possesses a solid agility and acceleration .. possesses decent lower-body strength .. okay top-end speed .. prone to stopping moving his feet when performing in the defensive end .. shows solid puckhandling skills .. likes to have the puck on his stick and create, but overhandles it on occasions .. can go end-to-end with the puck .. can score and pass equally well .. capable of accurate tape-on-tape passes but doesn't have elite playmaking vision and misses the odd passing lane .. blessed with solid finishing skills .. uses primarily the wrist or snap shot .. could use a better accuracy of his slap shots .. decent patience on the scoring chances .. doesn't tend to take the odd shift off and battles in traffic regularly despite mediocre size tools .. is willing to use his body and is an okay hitter .. digs for the pucks in the corners .. should further develop on his average defensive awareness as his intensity in his own zone drops off .. should spot his man more quickly .. more effective on powerplay units than on penalty killing units .. should step up with his play more when his team needs it.

Jan Dalecky, RW (2008)

an okay skater with an above-average acceleration .. possesses decent footspeed .. okay first-step quickness .. decent explosiveness and top-end speed .. could upgrade on balance and lower-body strength .. impresses with the odd quick burst of speed but should use his quickness more effectively .. an okay puckhandler .. can move the puck out of tight spaces .. shows trouble when heading with the puck in traffic but doesn't back down from doing so .. an adequate force in one-on-one situations .. unleashes a fast accurate wrist shot .. doesn't use the slapper very often .. shows decent passing skills .. adept at finding his linemates but creativity and hockey sense don't stand out .. should be more patient with the puck .. willing to battle in traffic but isn't much of a physical force and can get outmuscled in the corner battles .. occasionally battles in the slot .. needs to upgrade on his defensive awareness .. is willing to return back to his own end and show up, but should mark his man more quickly and stay with him all the way .. prone to occasional off-shifts.

Tomas Vincour, C (2009)

an adequate skater for a player of his size .. decent agility .. stride of average crispness .. needs to develop more explosiveness and upgrade on his footspeed and separation gear .. blessed with above-average leg strength for a kid of his age .. should keep his feet moving to be more effective .. should play a more active game off the puck in the neutral zone to set himself free for a pass .. absorbs open-ice hits well thanks to his strong balance .. a big and aggressive player .. often initiates physical contact and thrives in heavy traffic .. shows a solid defensive awareness and shuts down the passing lanes of the opposition with a strong prowess for a player of his age .. strongest assets are his soft hands and an ability to think the games faster than the opposition .. sets up smart scoring chances for his wingers from both sides of the stick .. a powerplay threat .. dangerous when maneuvering close to the opposing net as he boasts strong in-close finishing skills especially a quick forehand deke .. fires hard blasts .. should further upgrade on the accuracy of the slap shot .. an above-average factor in the faceoff circle .. solid at taking the draws and is able to win important faceoffs in key game situations .. a late '90 born forward .. a right-shooting forward.

Jakub Vokal, RW (2008)

an okay skater with a fluid stride .. decent acceleration and top-end speed .. above-average agility .. capable of sharp turns .. okay footspeed .. adequate balance could still be improved .. won't jump at you with the smoothness of his puckhandling skills, but does his moves effectively .. adequate in one-on-one situations .. decent passing skills, but overlooks the odd passing lane .. likes to have the puck on his stick .. prone to holding on the puck too long and thus missing on the passing lanes .. adequate vision and hockey sense .. more of a passer than scorer .. solid variety of shots .. slap shot with an adequately fast release should be more harder .. his snap shot could be released more quickly .. needs to pick up on his defensive awareness .. returns occasionally to his own end to help out the defense but is raw in this ability .. too slow at marking his man .. needs to develop a more regular mean streak .. should initiate physical contact more often .. relies more on his finesse than on toughness .. average in traffic .. more effective on open ice where he doesn't need to use his body .. a right-shooting forward.

Lukas Pilar, LW (2008)

a decent skater with an okay acceleration .. possesses only adequate balance and lower-body strength .. stride with decent effectiveness, but could use improvement in his top-end speed and first-step quickness .. possesses an okay agility .. decent puckhandling skills .. doesn't have the softest hands but doesn't loose possession of the puck when making a quick deke .. decent corraling of difficult passes .. adequate variety of shots .. unleashes primarily a quick accurate wrist shot .. fires a snap shot with a fast release .. slap shot should be more accurate .. a diligent forward .. willing to dig for the pucks in the corners .. is willing to show up in traffic despite average size tools .. can crash the net .. a decent hitter who can play bigger than his size but is inconsistent in his willingness to hit .. filling out for him left to do .. shows a decent commitment to the defensive duties and fits the mold of a two-way forward .. sees the ice adequately well and is a solid passer .. a decent force on the powerplay units .. a right-shooting forward.

Filip Stoklasa, RW (2009)

a decent skater .. could pick up on his stride effectiveness .. displays an okay acceleration and footspeed .. decent top-end speed .. above-average agility .. decent lower-body strength and balance .. possesses solid puckhandling skills .. likes to make many nifty dekes with the puck .. more of a playmaker .. capable of long accurate passes .. should make quicker decisions in the offensive zone .. adequately aware of his linemates .. possesses a decent portion of vision and hockey sense .. could further upgrade on his variety of shots .. uses mostly his wrist or snap shot .. accurate slap shot needs to be harder .. finds positions to shoot quickly .. average defensive play .. is willing to return back, but needs to read the plays in his own zone better .. should mark his man faster and upgrade on defensive positioning .. doesn't have the strength yet to be physically effective .. doesn't drive the net hard .. shows trouble with handling heavy traffic .. a decent factor on the powerplay units .. a late '90 born forward.

Sweden

Top Performers

Victor Hedman, D (2009)

blessed with above-average size tools .. an okay skater for a player of his size .. possesses a solid balance and a powerful stride .. could use a better lateral movement and first-step quickness .. decent top-end speed .. adequate backwards speed .. works hard down low with above-average effectiveness .. a strong force when he keeps things simple .. above-average strength and tenacity .. takes his man out of the play and is willing to finish his checks .. solid toughness .. possesses an underappreciated offensive upside .. okay hockey sense .. a decent stickhandler but should improve on his corraling of difficult passes .. often disturbs opponents who make a pass with loud hitting of the ice with his stick .. okay puck-distributor who regularly makes hard accurate passes .. doesn't panic under pressure .. plays a safe style on the offensive blue line .. solid positional play .. doesn't show trouble with keeping the play in front of him .. unleashes a booming shot from the point with a decent accuracy .. useful as a powerplay pointman .. possesses a strong reach .. a late '90 born defenseman.

Mattias Tedenby, RW (2008)

an excellent skater .. blessed with a very good acceleration .. impresses with his sharp first-step quickness and above-average agility .. very good top-end speed .. uses multiple gears .. decent lower-body strength and balance .. keeps his feet moving .. plays a flashy style .. a solid puckhandler with soft hands .. solid hand-eye coordination .. can dangle the puck in traffic .. a tenacious forechecker .. strong at gaining the offensive zone for his team .. okay vision and hockey sense .. a decent passer .. plays bigger than his size and can intimidate the opponents with a tenacious play .. solid in traffic .. a spirited player who battles for the pucks and plays an energy style .. willing to drop the gloves when needed .. drives the net hard despite the missing inches decent in the corners .. a threat in the offensive zone of the opponent .. fires a quick wrist shot with a fast release .. solid snap shot .. decent hard slap shot could be more accurate .. should further develop on his defensive awareness .. less intense when performing in the defensive zone .. should mark his man faster and stay with him all the way.

Henrik Eriksson, C (2008)

a solid skater .. okay first-step quickness .. possesses a solid acceleration .. okay agility on his skates .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. doesn't get knocked off his skates too often .. okay top-end speed .. a decent puckhandler .. can maneuver with the puck in tight space without losing possession but doesn't use this asset very often .. plays with maturity beyond his age .. once in the offensive zone, he looks for an open teammate more than shooting the puck .. aware of his linemates solid passing skills and creativity .. can make a surprising pass .. returns back to his own zone for the pucks and starts the offensive raids .. a decent player in one-on-one situations .. could use a faster release on his wrist and slap shot .. drives the net hard .. a tenacious warrior .. a strong asset in the opposing slot with his belligerence .. looks for the loose rebounds .. blessed with a strong body .. a solid hitter along the boards .. shows a regular mean streak .. a two-way forward .. returns to help out the defense regularly .. adept at shutting down the passing lanes of the opposition .. spots his man quickly .. a good asset to the penalty killing units.

Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi, LW, (2009)

an above-average skater .. uses a fluid stride .. possesses solid acceleration .. a solid agility .. uses a quick first-step which enables him to outskate opposition .. solid top-end speed .. a solid puckhandler who can execute from both sides of the stick .. covers the puck adequately well with his body .. can play the puck in traffic smoothly .. blessed with solid understanding of the developing plays .. a quality offensive player .. a solid playmaker .. waits for the plays to develop .. doesn't panic with the puck and plays with his head up .. okay vision and hockey sense .. impresses with his cool head and a nerveless play .. decent in-close finishing skills .. fires a quick wrist and snap shot .. solid hard accurate slap shot .. handles heavy traffic without significant trouble .. doesn't back down from physical challenges .. occasionally returns back to the defensive zone but is raw in his defensive awareness .. raw at closing the opposing passing lanes .. should spot his man more quickly .. a '91 born forward.

Other Players

Tim Sandberg, G (2008)

a quick goalie with solid athleticism and dexterity .. plays a butterfly style .. smallish size limits his pro potential at this point .. possesses okay leg quickness .. is tough to beat on the initial shot .. should leave less holes in his stance when moving side-to-side .. okay lateral movement .. solid down low, but gets the odd soft goal through his five-hole .. quick to recover when he drops to a butterfly but should learn how to stand for the extra second in order to be less vulnerable in the upper shelf .. uses a decent glove hand .. should stay square to the shooter in a better way .. decent on the blocker side .. doesn't show significant trouble with handling pressure .. decent anticipation of the plays .. displays slight problems when having to orientate in heavy traffic in front of him .. shows adequate focus and mental toughness .. needs to upgrade on his puckhandling skills, but is frequently willing to go behind the net to play the puck.

Patrik Andersson, D (2008)

a decent skater .. adequately effective stride .. should pick up on his first-step quickness .. displays an adequate acceleration .. okay footspeed helps him not to fall back .. solid balance on his skates .. decent agility and lateral movement .. adequately fast when turning .. adequate top-end speed .. plays more of a conservative defensive style, but is willing to occasionally join the rush .. needs to learn when to jump into plays to avoid possible turnovers .. average stickhandling skills .. doesn't make many dekes when moving the puck out of his own end .. should corral the difficult passes more smoothly .. decent passing skills, but tends to pass the puck to the nearby teammate to make the safe play .. could use a better timing of his passes .. holds the offensive blue line in an adequately aggressive way .. fires a quick slap shot .. okay defensive positioning .. solid reliability in his own end .. spots his man quickly and stays with him .. doesn't play afraid and throws decent hits .. a decent mean streak .. an okay hitter along the boards .. adequate crease-clearer.

Andre Schultz, D (2008)

an adequate skater .. could use a better acceleration .. an adequately smooth stride will enable him to pick up on his skating with more lower-body strength .. adequate first-step quickness .. shows trouble with players who can make him moving .. doesn't get knocked off his skates very often thanks to a decent balance .. should further improve on his top-end speed .. a player who is at his best when playing a defensive style of play .. is reliable in his own end and doesn't make many positional mistakes but lack of speed hurts him .. works hard down low .. possesses okay strength but still should bulk up .. decent crease-clearer .. plays an aggressive game in his own end and hits the opponents .. doesn't possess offensive vision to contribute on the attack effectively .. average stickhandling ability .. keeps the plays simple .. needs to take extra time to read the plays when distributing the puck which limits his effectiveness .. adequate hockey sense .. gets physically involved with regularity .. fires a solid hard shot from the point, but needs to learn how to get it through and upgrade on accuracy .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Anton Myllari, D (2009)

a smallish stocky defenseman .. a decent skater with a short stride .. okay agility and lateral movement .. decent acceleration but his first-step quickness could use further upgrading .. could improve on his top-end speed .. decent turns .. above-average balance and lower-body strength .. a limited offensive flair .. willing to support the offense, but doesn't have an elite vision .. tends to misread on a number of offensive plays which leads to wrong-timed passes .. an okay factor when he keeps things simple and doesn't try to do too much with the puck .. a decent stickhandler but corraling of difficult passes is an issue .. still could improve on passing accuracy when making a long pass .. an accurate snap shot with a fast release .. hard slap shot should be more accurate .. battles in the opposing slot where he looks for rebounds .. a solid factor in the defensive zone .. not prone to falling back behind plays .. okay positional play .. a solid physical presence despite the missing inches .. hits hard along the boards and is a decent crease-clearer .. tends to loose position when hitting .. possesses impressive strength for a player of his age .. a '91 born defenseman.

Tobias Ternelius, D (2008)

possesses average skating skills .. could use a better acceleration and first-step quickness .. average top-end speed .. doesn't impress with his agility .. okay lateral movement .. above-average balance and lower-body strength .. tries to jump into the plays to support the offense but should have a better offensive vision to avoid occasional opposing turnovers .. adequate stickhandling skills .. handles the puck adequately well but should cover the puck better against the opposing players .. shows difficulties when handling backhand passes .. overlooks odd long passing lanes, but is an okay passer when distributing the pucks on a short distance .. doesn't fire booming slap shots and should learn how to get them through more often .. can be a decent force in the corner battles and in front of the crease when physically involved .. lacks a regular mean streak .. positional play is an issue as he tends to occasionally play fuzzy in his own end.

Alexander Urbom, D (2009)

an adequate skater for a big man .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. still needs to develop a smoother stride but his acceleration is acceptable thanks to a powerful stride .. adequate first-step quickness .. decent turns .. could upgrade on his lateral movement .. adequate puckhandling skills .. shows some problems when having to deal with difficult passes .. is at his best when playing a simple game with the puck .. unleashes a solid hard slap shot but should make it less telegraphed .. makes his size to his advantage and is willing to throw good hits but is inconsistent in his physical assertiveness .. tends to loose position when hitting .. decent crease-clearer .. an okay force in his own zone with decent positional play .. isn't very effective on powerplay units as he doesn't have the vision to quarterback them .. lacks the offensive vision needed to emerge as a two-way force and sticks to a defensive style .. passing accuracy should be further improved .. a late '90 born defenseman.

Jakob Brostrom, LW (2009)

a smallish forward .. blessed with slick skating skills .. possesses strong footspeed .. okay acceleration .. above-average agility .. decent top-end speed .. can outskate the defenders, but could use a better balance on his skates as he tends to get knocked off balance by bigger opponents .. okay skill set .. crafty puckhandler with a solid hand-eye coordination .. succeeds in one-on-one situations thanks to his elusive stick moves .. corrals difficult passes smoothly .. an okay forechecker .. an adequate passer .. could use more patience with the puck and read the situations quicker .. willing to shoot the puck .. fires mostly his wrist or snap shot .. slap shot should be fired more harder .. isn't very effective in traffic thanks to his size deficiency .. doesn't play soft and occasionally performs in traffic .. visits the slot .. isn't a force against bigger opponents .. needs to improve on his defensive play .. should mark his man more quickly .. average defensive positioning .. a late '90 born forward.

Anton Gustafsson, C (2008)

a decent skater but should further develop on his acceleration and top-end speed .. decent agility .. okay balance and lower-body strength .. decent first-step quickness .. stride could use more polishing in order to make it more effortless .. decent turns .. average stickhandling skills .. too stiff when asked to corral a difficult pass .. doesn't make many nifty dekes with the puck .. covers the puck adequately well .. can make a decent accurate feed but his creativity doesn't stand out .. decent variety of shots .. fires a hard snap and slap shot but should improve on accuracy .. average smoothness of his in-close finishing skills .. works hard in the offensive zone either to make a pass or shoot the puck .. a valuable asset to his team with his fearless play .. plays a feisty game along the boards .. an okay factor in traffic on a regular basis .. decent defensive awareness .. returns back quickly but should mark his man faster .. willing to throw hits.

Robert Johansson, LW (2008)

a decent skater .. adequate agility .. decent footspeed .. adequate top-end speed, but could use upgrading on his first-step quickness and acceleration .. average balance on his skates .. an average stickhandler .. can't deal with difficult passes well .. stiff on the backhand side .. should cover the puck more effectively .. could make better puck moves when pressed in heavy traffic and be a better force in one-on-one situations .. an adequately patient player in puck-possession but doesn't stand out with his smarts .. should make more accurate passes .. fires an accurate wrist shot .. adequate snap shot .. slap shot of adequate accuracy could be upgraded in terms of hardness .. willing to return to the defensive zone, but is still raw in his defensive awareness .. should spot his man more quickly .. average defensive positioning .. doesn't shy away from traffic, but isn't a player who would thrive under the physical style .. doesn't lay many hits on the opponents .. should bulk up so that he can't be pushed out of scoring lanes so easily.

Anton Lander, C (2009)

an okay skater .. possesses decent acceleration and first-step quickness .. uses an adequately fluid stride .. adequate balance and lower-body strength .. okay agility .. decent top-end speed .. possesses most of his bulk in the upper-body .. effective at both ends of the ice when on his game .. a decent vision and hockey sense .. inconsistent in his creativity .. strong at gaining offensive zone for his team .. solid puckhandling skills .. can make passes from both sides of the stick .. corrals difficult passes adequately well .. tends to looking for a passing lane instead of firing the puck .. okay wrist shot .. should use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. should improve on his in-close finishing skills .. an above-average defensive awareness .. conscientious in returning back .. a solid asset to the penalty killing units .. stays with his man .. often mucks for the loose pucks in the corners .. battles traffic effectively despite average size .. drives the net adequately hard .. a decent factor in the faceoff circle .. a '91 born forward.

Johan Linnander, C (2008)

a decent skater with a short stride .. solid agility and footspeed .. could use a bigger top-end speed .. average balance .. needs to add more bulk to his thin lower-body .. decent stickhandling skills but should corral the difficult better more effortlessly .. doesn't make many nifty dekes in tight space and should cover the puck with a bigger effectiveness .. an accurate passer .. should recognize the passing lanes more quickly and shorten his decision-making time .. should be more persistent around the goal area .. solid wrist shot with a quick release .. needs to use his slap shot more frequently and upgrade on accuracy .. decent defensive awareness .. returns back to his own end quickly .. spots his man quickly but should play better in position .. adequate tenaciousness despite modest frame .. doesn't throw many hard hits when playing along the boards .. prone to occasional off-shifts where he just floats on the perimeter .. an average player in the faceoff circle.

William Wallen, LW (2009)

a solid skater with a smooth fluid stride .. possesses an above-average agility .. decent acceleration .. able to reach top speed quickly .. okay turns .. should upgrade on lower-body strength and balance .. an above-average stickhandler .. smooth at corraling a difficult pass .. boasts a very good vision and hockey sense .. utilizes on his strong playmaking skills .. patient with the puck .. distributes accurate passes on both short and long distance .. aware of the positioning of his linemates .. a solid factor on the powerplay units .. a good asset to a scorer .. takes advantage of his smarts and vision .. decent in-close finishing skills .. fires an accurate wrist shot .. adequately hard snap shot .. should use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. returns back quickly but still should upgrade on his defensive awareness .. not overly aggressive .. doesn't play afraid but relies on smarts more than on toughness .. should improve on his ability to drive the net hard .. shoots right .. a '91 born forward.

Andre Petersson, RW (2008)

a solid skater with an okay acceleration .. solid first-step quickness .. okay footspeed .. okay top-end speed .. decent agility .. should improve on his balance and lower-body strength .. okay stickhandling skills .. corrals difficult passes adequately well .. could use more creativity with the puck .. an accurate passer on a short distance but doesn't think the plays a few steps ahead .. average vision and hockey sense .. a character player who doesn't tend to take odd shifts off .. drives the net hard .. adequate aggressiveness despite average size .. a decent hitter along the boards who doesn't back down from battling bigger opponents .. adequate in-close finishing skills .. decent variety of shots .. uses primarily his wrist or snap shot .. can be persistent around the goal area .. should return back to help out the defense more often .. marks his man too slowly .. a solid asset to the powerplay units but is a lesser factor on the penalty killing units .. a right-shooting forward.

Finland

Top Performers

Riku Dufva, D (2008)

a decent skater .. stride could be more polished in order to be more effective .. decent agility and lateral movement .. good balance and lower-body strength .. adequate turns .. his first steps lack crispness but his acceleration is okay .. limited offensive upside .. tries to support the offense with hard passes but doesn't have the offensive vision to recognize long passing lanes quickly .. average powerplay quarterback .. doesn't make the opposing players move when quarterbacking the powerplay .. adequate hockey sense .. willing to let his hard slap shot go, but should improve on accuracy .. a solid factor in his own zone .. very communicative with his defensive partner and the forwards .. well aware of his limits and doesn't try to do too much which could lead to costly mistakes .. spots his man quickly and takes him out of the play .. decent defensive stickhandling .. okay in one-on-one situations .. plays with a good edge .. strong aggressiveness .. a feisty physical presence who likes to play the body .. a solid hitter who is effective along the boards as he wins the most of his battles .. likes to punish players with their head down .. tends to loose position when making a hit .. solid crease-clearer .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Tony Vidgren, D (2008)

an above-average skater with an okay stride .. decent bursts of speed .. solid agility and lateral movement .. possesses okay first-step quickness .. adequate lower-body strength and balance .. difficult to outskate .. is effective with his smarts and a fearless approach .. decent stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. can maintain possession of the puck in traffic .. handles difficult passes adequately well and makes passes from both sides of the stick .. shows solid offensive flair .. possesses a decent portion of offensive vision and awareness of his linemates .. capable of delivering crisp passes .. solid powerplay quarterback .. can make the opponents moving and then dish out an accurate pass across the zone .. decent creativity .. okay hard slap shot but accuracy is an issue .. decent snap shot .. not afraid to play physical along the boards .. battles for the loose pucks and subsequently starts the counterattack with a quick pass .. uses his body well against the opposing players to get them out of balance .. adequate pinching .. should stay with his man all the way .. should upgrade on consistency to be a better factor.

Martin Tuominen, RW (2008)

a diminutive waterbug .. an above-average skater with solid footspeed and acceleration .. possesses a fluid stride .. sharp agility and turns .. a decent balance and lower-body strength for a diminutive player .. shows a consistent hustle .. solid stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. can dangle the puck in traffic .. able to succeed in one-on-one situations thanks to his quick moves .. a decent passer who can find the open man .. hides his intentions well .. shows solid hockey sense .. displays okay in-close finishing skills .. possesses a solid variety of shots including an accurate snap shot .. solid quick wrist shot .. slap shot should be more accurate .. sticks his nose into traffic regularly and plays bigger than his size .. willing to hit the bigger opponents .. plays a smart game in the corner to get control of the puck .. a tenacious forechecker .. can carry the puck without having to slow down significantly .. backchecks diligently but still needs to pick up his defensive game .. should stay with his player all the way .. still raw in closing the passing lanes of the opponent .. impresses with his determination .. doesn't give up battling on his shifts.

Pekka Jormakka, RW (2008)

a sturdy skater with an above-average balance and lower-body strength .. tough to get knocked off his feet .. possesses a powerful stride, but could use improvement in his overall speed with the puck .. makes use of his solid first-step quickness .. okay agility .. decent top-end speed .. a combative forward .. plays a belligerent style with intensity and determination .. a solid hitter who can make his size to his advantage when battling in the trenches .. drives the net hard .. is willing to often muck in the corners and play where it hurts .. an okay stickhandler .. covers the puck well with his body .. can succeed in one-on-one situations with his quick moves .. decent handling with difficult passes .. a solid tape-on-tape passer but his creativity doesn't stand out .. decent hockey sense .. possesses a decent variety of shots .. fast release on his wrist shot .. a heavy slap shot with adequate accuracy .. shows a regular commitment to the defensive duties .. reads the plays well .. spots his man quickly and blocks the opposing passing lanes well .. useful on both powerplay and penalty killing units .. a right-shooting forward.

Ilmari Pitkanen, LW (2008)

an okay skater .. blessed with above-average first-step quickness and agility .. solid acceleration .. decent top-end speed .. okay lower-body strength and balance .. acceptable puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. isn't beautiful with the stick but corrals the passes adequately well .. should upgrade on his play in one-on-one situations .. adept at finding an open linemate with a quick pass .. okay creativity and vision .. an adequate array of shots .. fires a quick wrist shot, but could use more pep when firing a backhand shot .. should use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. a competitive player .. willing to perform in traffic despite average size .. plays bigger than his size and pays the physical price to make plays .. drives the net adequately hard .. digs for the loose pucks in the corners .. blocks the opposing shots with his body .. returns back to his own zone quickly .. shows okay defensive awareness but could spot his man more quickly .. decent defensive positioning .. plays his shifts with a high intensity and determination .. okay leadership skills .. should improve on conditioning to be more effective in the late stages of the games.

Other Players

Joonas Kuusela, G (2008)

a smallish goaltender .. plays a butterfly style and relies on his quickness and athleticism to make up for his lack of size .. a quick goalie with okay reflexes .. an okay skater who moves fast in the crease .. decent lateral movement .. is quick when moving side-to-side .. fast to recover after dropping to a butterfly .. possesses okay footspeed .. doesn't let in many goals down low .. solid resilience and athleticism .. tends to flop around and play a wild game at times .. should further upgrade on his fundamentals and be more patient against the shooters .. decent on the blocker side .. an okay glove hand .. tough to beat on the initial shot .. okay orientation in the crease but should upgrade on his dealing with rebounds .. confident when going behind the net to play the puck .. decent stickhandling skills .. can be risky when moving the puck .. needs to learn how to handle the puck safer .. above-average mental toughness .. doesn't let pressure bother him too much.

Teemu Eronen, D (2009)

a smallish defenseman .. an okay skater .. uses a decent smooth stride .. shows a solid balance thanks to a stocky lower-body .. okay lateral movement and agility .. still could use further improvement on his backwards speed and first-step quickness .. works hard down low despite modest size tools .. shows solid reliability .. goes unnoticed on a number of shifts but doesn't do glaring mistakes .. tough to beat in one-on-one situations .. shows solid effectiveness when he keeps things simple .. doesn't join the rush too often but shows a regular offensive flair .. okay puck-distributor who prefers the safe plays .. decent patience and a low panic point with the puck but doesn't have the top-notch offensive vision to be a creative defenseman .. distributes hard passes which can find their way through traffic .. okay defensive awareness .. takes his man out of the play but should bulk up to be more effective .. decent intensity and determination .. doesn't make glaring positional mistakes .. unleashes an adequately hard shot from the point but could improve on accuracy .. possesses decent defensive stickhandling .. a late '90 born defenseman.

Santeri Tapani, D (2008)

adequate skating skills for a player of his size .. could use a better acceleration and first-step quickness .. adequate top-speed .. doesn't impress with his agility .. adequate lateral movement .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. average stickhandling skills .. should cover the puck better against the opposing players .. shows difficulties when handling backhand passes .. a defensive defenseman who is at his best when playing a stay-at-home style .. should have a better offensive vision to avoid opposing turnovers when moving the puck .. average vision .. overlooks odd long passing lanes, but is an okay passer when passing the puck to the nearby teammate .. fires a hard shot from the point with acceptable accuracy .. is prone to some penalties when he refuses to keep his feet moving and falls back behind the opponent .. can be a decent force in the corner battles and in front of the crease .. lacks a regular mean streak but plays a diligent game and doesn't take odd off-shifts .. decent positional play .. spots his man quickly and stays with him.

Jesse Turkulainen, D (2008)

a decent skater .. slower first-step quickness negatively affects his acceleration .. decent agility .. a bigger footspeed would make him more effective .. adequate balance but still could work on lower-body strength .. a solid stickhandler who can make quick puck moves .. can dangle his way out of the corner .. makes plays from both sides of the stick .. a decent accurate shooter from the point but should get his attempts through more often .. could use a harder snap shot .. a decent player on the powerplay units as both quarterback and pointman .. a two-way defenseman .. works diligently on the offensive blue line and can battle in the opposing slot when playing on the powerplay .. occasionally tends to do too much with the puck .. is prone to the odd mistake when rushing the puck .. should upgrade on his play in one-on-one situations .. can lay a solid hit on the opponents, but still needs to use his frame to a bigger extent .. prone to odd positional mistakes when going for the hit .. plays a feisty game but can be too much of a hot head which hurts his team with penalties.

Teemu Hartikainen, C (2008)

an okay skater .. possesses a decent change of pace .. shows a solid agility on his skates .. blessed with okay acceleration .. okay top-end speed .. should add more bulk to his lower-body .. emerges as a swift puckhandler with soft hands .. likes to penetrate into the offensive zone with the puck on his stick and subsequently create plays .. solid at gaining offensive zone possession for his team .. doesn't loose puck-possession when deking his way out of the corners .. can play a sneaky game in traffic .. blessed with decent smarts and offensive instincts .. capable of tape-on-tape passes but doesn't have the top-notch hockey sense to be a dangerous playmaker .. unleashes an accurate wrist shot with a fast release .. accurate snap shot could be harder .. doesn't use his slap shot very often .. is willing to return to his own end to help out the defense, but needs to upgrade his defensive awareness .. average quickness of marking his man .. should improve on defensive positioning .. doesn't play afraid but isn't a significant physical force .. doesn't dish out many hard hits and relies more on his finesse skills .. prone to occasional off-shifts where he floats on the perimeter.

Juuso Honka, LW (2008)

an adequate skater .. bent over when skating .. should further develop on his acceleration and top-end speed .. decent agility .. possesses an okay footspeed and a fluid stride which will enable him to pick up on skating with more bulk in lower-body .. adequate balance .. okay stickhandling skills .. doesn't make many nifty dekes, but can play an effective game with the puck without losing possession .. covers the puck adequately well .. works hard in the offensive zone either to make a pass or shoot the puck .. can make a quality accurate feed .. regularly plays as a defenseman on the powerplay units .. decent variety of shots .. fires a hard slap shot with a decent accuracy .. okay defensive awareness .. returns back quickly but should mark his man faster .. a adequate physical presence .. will be more effective when he will be stronger .. willing to show up in traffic on a regular basis .. looks for rebounds in front of the opposing net .. a versatile player who can play all three forward position depending on the need .. needs to add more bulk to his lanky frame.

Santeri Alatalo, RW (2008)

a smallish player .. an okay skater with a fluid stride .. decent acceleration and top-end speed .. okay turns .. adequate balance could still be improved .. takes advantage of his quickness and mobility .. solid variety of shots .. an above-average puckhandler .. doesn't loose puck-possession in tight space .. moves the puck out of the corners .. corrals difficult passes adequately well .. decent passing skills .. accurate when passing the puck on a short distance .. overlooks the odd passing lane .. fires a quick wrist shot with a decent accuracy .. an okay hard slap shot with a fast release could be more accurate .. his snap shot could be released more quickly .. average defensive awareness .. returns to his own end to help out the defense but is still raw in this ability .. should spot his man more quickly .. useful on the penalty killing units with his active play .. willing to wreak havoc among the opponents with his forechecking .. approaches the opposing players very fast thanks to his propulsion .. doesn't have significant problems in traffic despite modest size tools .. doesn't play afraid and can throw a decent hit when the play gets physical even on the bigger opponents.

Joonas Komulainen, LW (2008)

an okay skater .. blessed with solid acceleration and agility .. can outskate the opposition when switching to the extra gear but should keep his feet moving to be effective during the whole shift .. explosive first-step quickness .. possesses above-average stickhandling skills .. can deke the opposing players with his quick moves .. likes to dangle the puck .. solid at gaining offensive zone possession for his team .. could use a better array of shots and fire the pucks more often .. the fast-released and accurate wrist shot is the most dangerous from his variety of shots .. slap shot is too telegraphed .. decent passer who can find the open man .. shows an abundance of confidence on the ice .. goes straight to the net and often splits the defense .. doesn't play an aggressive style regularly, but isn't afraid of executing in traffic .. at this point more of an one-dimensional player with the focus on offense .. not a significant factor in his own end .. slow at marking his man .. should limit the options of the opposition more effectively .. a decent asset to the powerplay units .. tends to take odd shifts off where he floats and isn't fully involved in the game.

Jussi Pusa, LW (2008)

a decent skater with an okay agility .. should develop bigger bursts of speed and upgrade on explosiveness .. would be more effective if he would keep his feet moving .. decent top-end speed .. is light on his feet and needs to upgrade on balance .. a diminutive player who can be outpowered by bigger opponents .. a decent puck-carrier .. blessed with okay puckhandling skills .. capable of quick stick dekes .. shows some trouble with his positioning as he tries to be "everywhere" on the ice on occasions .. a decent passer with a decent awareness of his linemates .. fires a quick wrist shot .. adequate snap shot should be harder .. his slap shot needs to be improved in terms of accuracy .. is willing to battle for the pucks along the boards, but gets outmuscled in the trenches regularly .. an one-dimensional forward .. needs to upgrade on his average defensive play .. marks his man slowly and is prone to mistakes in the defensive zone which come from his passive play .. his intensity off the puck drops off .. prone to off-shifts especially in his defensive awareness.

Tommy Mannermaa, C (2008)

a decent skater who uses a short stride .. decent first-step quickness .. should further upgrade on his acceleration .. possesses adequate agility .. top-end speed still could be upgraded .. average balance .. should upgrade on the smoothness of his stickhandling skills .. fires wrist shots from both sides of the stick but his backhand shot is a weakness .. unimpressive with the puck in heavy traffic .. more of a playmaker than scorer .. wrist shot with a quick release .. should use his slap shot to a bigger extent .. displays trouble with penetrating to the scoring chances .. isn't a noticeable force in heavy traffic thanks to his smallish frame .. a decent forechecker .. willing to return back but should upgrade on his defensive awareness and mark his man faster .. needs to work on his defensive positioning .. decent on the powerplay units .. an average asset to the penalty killing units .. bulking up is essential .. a right-shooting forward.