u18 WJC: Finland

Highly-touted goalie Tuukka Rask garnered a lot of attention heading into the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championship, but did he deliver? Our wide-ranging look at the tournament includes reviews and notes on Rask, Teemu Laakso and others like Tommi Leinonen. Leinonen was tough, but he didn't play as smart of a tournament as he probably would have liked.

TOP PERFORMERS

Tuukka Rask, G (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: kept the Finnish squad in play during the opening two contests against Switzerland and the USA, anticipating the plays well, making difficult saves look easy and impressing with his calmness .. was tested by many quality chances in the game against the U.S. and left a good impression in the early stages of the tournament .. couldn't withstand the offensive raids of the Czech team in the third game and allowed six goals partially because of the fact that he rarely got any support from his defensemen .. regained his confidence and carried his squad through the final match against Slovakia and the relegation group .. finished sixth among tournament goaltenders in save percentage (.9097) .. ranked eighth among tournament goaltenders in GAA (3.02).

Scouting: a big goaltender who covers enough of the net .. moves in the crease with poise and calmness .. a solid skater with decent lateral movement .. fast when moving side-to-side .. possesses solid foot speed despite his frame .. quick to recover once dropping to a butterfly .. his solid flexibility and dexterity enables him to handle rebounds well .. displays above-average patience and waits for the shooter to make the first move .. calm demeanor rubs off on his defensemen .. a somewhat fast glove hand .. solid anticipation of the developing plays .. possesses decent fundamentals and stays square to the shooter .. plays the angles well .. isn't afraid of playing the puck and has adequate stickhandling skills, but still can improve on this asset.

Juho Mielonen, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: the lone really bright spot on the Finnish defense .. registered progress in his skating as he was more fluid and laterally mobile and supported the offense more precisely with crisp, long outlet passes .. played very well in the Finnish tournament opener against Switzerland .. looked decent in the following contest against Team USA, but couldn't distribute the puck effectively .. went through his ups and downs in the tournament as he couldn't avoid ill-timed plays and the occasional lack of aggressiveness, but in general was the only Finnish blueliner to get a solid rating from this tournament.

Scouting: a solid skater for a player with above-average size .. okay speed both straightaway and backwards .. solid on his turns .. decent balance, but could slightly upgrade on lateral movement .. works hard down low and can initiate physical contact .. an okay force along the boards .. adequate positional play, doesn't tend to make glaring mistakes in his own end .. willing to join the rush and move the puck .. decent vision and hockey sense .. adequate puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. solid offensive flair and passing skills .. capable of accurate outlet passes that are both long and hard, but isn't consistent there .. fires hard shots from the point, but his attempts miss the net on most occasions .. capable of playing as both powerplay quarterback and pointman .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Jesse Joensuu, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: the Finnish captain went through a slower start to the tournament to become the dominating offensive power for the Finns in the matches against the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where he was named the deserving Finnish 'Player of the game' .. looked awkward and wasn't catching up to the pace of the game in the early stages of the tournament, but after finding his confidence in the third match he showed a belligerent style and quality awareness in the offensive zone .. still delighted the scouting community during the two games of the relegation group, but didn't show the same level of intensity all game long .. was once again able to prove his considerable pro potential in this tournament .. tied with Timo Seppanen for third place on Team Finland scoring (3 points) .. tied with Perttu Lindgren, Timo Seppanen and Mikko Lehtonen for the top Finnish goal scorer (2 goals) .. ranked second on Team Finland in shooting percentage (.1538)

Scouting: an adequate skater for a big man .. still should work on his foot speed and acceleration .. very difficult to get knocked off his feet thanks to a good balance and lower-body strength .. decent agility .. good puckhandling skills despite using a long stick .. can sneak with the puck through traffic and covers the puck effectively .. solid vision and hockey sense .. capable of solid passes with okay timing .. good array of shots, but tends to use his sharp wrist shot more than the slap shot .. a quick release on his shots .. a solid forechecker .. still raw at marking his man, but returns back quickly when a defenseman rushes forward .. solid tenacity and toughness, can out-power his opponents on the way to a scoring chance .. needs to play all games at full intensity and determination and crash the net on a regular basis .. a late '87 born forward.

Perttu Lindgren, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: served as a valuable hardworking asset to the Finnish lineup .. was able to show up at the first drop of the puck and had valuable contributions on both ends of the ice .. didn't take odd shifts off and though not blessed with a top-notch array of skills, he was worth taking notice of as he snuck into scoring chances and generated opportunities for his linemates .. went through some off-moments in the games against the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but still skated as a welcomed team player and made a solid effort in both Finnish games of the relegation group .. tied with Timo Seppanen, Jesse Joensuu and Mikko Lehtonen for the top Finnish goal scorer (2 goals) .. most frequent Finnish shooter (25 shots)

Scouting: a solid skater though not beautiful .. blessed with good balance .. okay acceleration .. above-average foot speed .. top-speed isn't hair-raising, but isn't really hurting him .. a good puckhandler .. can go end-to-end with the puck and is strong in tight spaces .. decent scoring touch around the slot .. solid passing skills and competitiveness .. willing to play in traffic .. works hard in all three zones and digs for the pucks in the corners .. doesn't tend to take many shifts off .. showed improvement in his defensive awareness .. willing to return back and is intense in his own zone .. could mark his man quicker and stay with him all the way .. solid on the powerplay and penalty killing units .. doesn't back down from the physical challenge and plays fearlessly, but isn't a feared menace thanks to modest size.

Mikko Lehtonen, RW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: was an uninspiring player during the opening two games against Switzerland and the USA before finding his play in the game against the Czech Republic .. couldn't make full use of his excellent stickhandling ability during the first two games .. didn't crash the net with authority as bulk is still missing from his gangly frame, but as the tournament progressed he emerged as a valuable passer .. blossomed in the relegation games against weaker opponents .. possesses the tools to develop into a solid pro player, but will need patience in his development .. finished 19th in tournament scoring .. leading scorer of Team Finland (5 points) .. tied with Teemu Ramstedt and Jonas Enlund for the best Finnish passer (3 assists) .. tied with Perttu Lindgren, Jesse Joensuu and Timo Seppanen for the top Finnish goal scorer (2 goals) .. ranked second on Team Finland in shots (22).

Scouting: a solid skater for a big man .. decent straightaway speed .. adequate agility, but needs to get stronger in the lower body in order to upgrade balance .. thin legs .. solid drive on the net but doesn't out-power opponents .. good stickhandling skills and hand-eye coordination .. can maneuver well with the puck in traffic .. shoots the puck relatively often, utilizing his above-average array of shots .. good slap shot with solid accuracy .. solid snap shot with a decent fast release .. average defensive play .. still slow at marking his man and staying with him .. needs to show more intensity when playing off the puck .. a skinny frame, needs to gain more strength in order to be more effective when facing a physical opponent .. a right-shooting forward.

OTHER PLAYERS:

Juha Toivonen, G (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: backed up Tuukka Rask .. saw action only when Rask had to pulled thanks to a Czech offensive storm in the third match-up of the round robin and then in the relegation group against Germany .. looked solid in both contests, but didn't get enough chances to really prove himself in the tournament.

Scouting: a quick goalie with solid reflexes .. okay athleticism and dexterity .. decent skating skills and movement in the crease .. fast when moving side-to-side .. stays square to the shooter on most occasions .. tough to beat on the initial shot .. very strong down low .. above-average leg quickness .. can use his pads well .. is vulnerable in the top shelf .. goes down sometimes earlier than needed .. doesn't cover enough of the net with his modest frame .. average glove hand .. decent stickhandling skills .. lets the odd soft goal in .. needs to work on consistency and show his best every game.

Teemu Laakso, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: a complete disappointment here .. virtually invisible during the tournament opener against Switzerland as he couldn't find his two-way prowess and wasn't really effective on the back end .. still snake-bitten during the second game against the USA .. broke down in the game against the Czech Republic, where he was even benched by the coaches late in the game after being on the ice for three Czech goals .. was able to pick his game up a bit in the relegation group, firing the puck more often and making better passes, but this still didn't help him from getting an overall bad rating from this event.

Scouting: a solid skater with an okay stride .. good agility and lateral movement .. solid first-step quickness .. needs to improve on his sub-par lower-body strength and balance .. a solid offensive flair .. likes to join the rush and support the offense, but doesn't have an elite vision .. tends to misread a number of offensive plays .. a solid stickhandler who can make passes from both sides of the stick .. still could improve on his passing accuracy .. an accurate snap shot with a fast release .. slap shot should be harder .. average defensive zone coverage, but doesn't make glaring mistakes .. needs improvement in his positional play .. isn't an intimidating physical presence .. tends to think twice about hitting and sweeping the crease with determination .. a right-shooting defenseman.

Timo Seppanen, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: filled a two-way role .. was able to chip in offensively during the first two games against Switzerland and the USA, but wasn't a real offensive threat .. showed that he still lacks in his defensive zone coverage .. had trouble handling the abrasive style of the USA team and still needs to add more bulk, especially to the lower-body .. a decent force during relegation group games .. tied with German Korbinian Holzer for sixth place overall in tournament defensemen scoring .. leading scorer among Finnish defensemen (3 points) .. tied with Jesse Joensuu for third place on Team Finland scoring .. tied with Perttu Lindgren, Jesse Joensuu and Mikko Lehtonen for the top Finnish goal scorer (2 goals).

Scouting: a decent skater with adequate lateral movement .. decent foot speed and agility .. needs work on his balance and should increase his top-end speed .. an offensive-minded blueliner .. willing to rush the puck often .. adequate puckhandling skills, but should improve on the backhand play .. still could use better offensive vision and more hockey sense .. an adequately accurate shot from the point with average hardness .. a frequent shooter from the blue line .. a decent player on the powerplay units .. needs to work on his defensive zone coverage .. suffers from the odd positional lapse .. has most of his bulk in upper body and needs to upgrade on lower-body strength in order to handle the bigger opponents more effectively.

Tommi Leinonen, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: battled adversity during the first three games of the tournament .. didn't impress in the early stages .. showed solid toughness in the contest against Switzerland but lost position when hitting and making mistakes while distributing the puck .. lost confidence in his offensive abilities and subsequently started to play more of the dump-and-chase style .. withstood the physical style of the USA team, but lacked creativity .. was torn apart like the rest of the Finnish defense in the game against Czech Republic .. served as a physical force in the relegation group games, but he didn't play a smart tournament.

Scouting: a solid skater for a big man .. adequate agility and lateral movement .. good balance and lower-body strength .. his first steps lack crispness, so that he falls behind the play on occasion .. average offensive upside .. tries to support the offense, but tends to overlook some passing lanes .. doesn't think through the offensive plays well, which leads to mistakes .. tends to lose his confidence after a mistake and switch to the dump-and-chase style .. willing to let his hard slap shot go, but accuracy is an issue .. okay in his own zone .. stays with his man and plays with an edge .. good aggressiveness, likes to play the body .. a solid hitter who is effective along the boards .. still tends to lose position when making a hit.

Henrik Maunula, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: a quiet force on the Finnish blue line in the opening parts of the tournament .. didn't often jump out at observers, but did the little things on defense well enough .. didn't make long outlet passes, but didn't panic with the puck and made regularly safe passes .. was a bit overwhelmed by the physical style of the USA team .. held his own on the defensive side in the two match-ups of the relegation group .. didn't stand out, but was a valuable workhorse in the Finnish back rows .. tied with Jonas Enlund for the second-best Finnish player in +/- (+2).

Scouting: a middle-sized defenseman like him still needs better wheels .. should work on the effectiveness of his stride .. average acceleration and agility .. could use more lower-body strength and balance .. decent positional play, but can get out-muscled by bigger opposition .. doesn't make glaring mistakes in the defensive zone .. lacks the vision and hockey sense needed to become a good two-way force .. average passing skills, needs to make more accurate passes .. doesn't take many risks when moving the puck and looks for the safe passing lane .. fires decent shots from the point with solid accuracy, but has to learn how to get them through regularly .. average physical force along the boards and when clearing the crease.

Mikael Kurki, D (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: was affected by 'Teemu Laakso syndrome' as yet another offensive defenseman who failed to produce in this tournament .. not a significant factor in the early stages of the tournament .. couldn't find a role which suited him well either as an offensive defenseman or a conservative stay-at-homer .. was caught off position several times during the game against the Czech Republic .. faded also for the bigger part of the relegation group games, playing more of an opportunistic style rather than taking the responsibility on his shoulders .. more was expected.

Scouting: a solid skater with deceptive quickness .. good foot speed and agility .. should work on his balance .. an offensive-minded rearguard .. knows to jump into the play and rush the puck but is inconsistent in this regard .. crafty puckhandling skills .. is sometimes too creative and should make use of the ultimate passing lane instead of looking for an even better chance .. accurate shot from the point with average hardness .. isn't reluctant to shooting the puck .. solid vision .. a valuable asset to the powerplay units .. suffers from the odd positional lapse .. needs to further improve on his defensive zone coverage .. misses his man on occasions .. needs to gain more strength in order to be more effective in the defensive zone.

Oskar Osala, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: delivered his usual hard-nosed showing mixed with defensive awareness, but also demonstrated progress in his skill set .. didn't disappoint in the opener against Switzerland, displaying better skating skills, but wasn't able to get into scoring chances .. thrived under the physical style of the USA team, where he made use of his massive body .. average in the game against Czech Republic .. occasionally resembled a freight train with his belligerent showing during relegation games .. registered the third-highest PIM number of all tournament players (27 PIM's) .. most penalized Finnish player .. along with USA's Jack Johnson and Justin Mercier was the only player in the tournament to receive a misconduct penalty .. will be watched closely next season.

Scouting: a decent skater for a big man .. good balance and lower-body strength .. registered progress with his first-step quickness and acceleration and is now adequately fast .. decent top-end speed .. adequate agility for a big guy .. a combative and gritty two-way forward .. plays with an edge and is a good hitter along the boards .. average puckhandling skills and hand-eye coordination, but is progressing .. good defensive awareness .. shuts down the passing lanes of the opposition precisely and stays with his man .. effective on the backcheck .. versatile player who can play both center and left wing .. decent wrist shot could use a quicker release .. heavy slap shot with solid accuracy .. could use more vision and patience with the puck to become a better passer .. misses on the odd passing lane .. a late '87 born forward.

Tommi Huhtala, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: looked awkward in the tournament opener against Switzerland, hardly creating anything .. shook off the rust in the second contest versus Team USA, deking his way through traffic several times and battling for the pucks .. had a problem with controlling his temper as he took retaliation penalties .. looked more disciplined for the remainder of the tournament, but also didn't stand out as much .. an unimpressive player in the game against the Czech Republic .. picked his game up for the relegation group and showed flashes of strong stickhandling skills, but wasn't a factor for most of both of those games.

Scouting: a decent skater .. should work on the effectiveness of his stride and develop better top-end speed .. decent acceleration .. adequate agility .. registered an improvement in his stickhandling skills and can maneuver his way through tight spaces well using his crafty moves .. decent hand-eye coordination .. doesn't hesitate to shoot the puck once on a scoring chance .. a little greedy at times .. fires a hard slap shot, but has to upgrade on accuracy .. decent defensive awareness .. good at limiting the options of the opposing forward .. should spot his man faster .. doesn't show much of a mean streak, but doesn't back down from performing in traffic either .. digs for pucks along the boards .. tends to lose his temper and take some retaliation penalties .. late '87 born forward.

Jussi Peltomaa, LW (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: did virtually nothing to impress all tournament long .. hardly noticeable during the Finnish tournament opener against Switzerland .. was willing to execute in traffic in the match-up against Team USA, but lacked the needed puckhandling skills and vision to be an effective factor .. a disappointment in the game against the Czech Republic where he seemed to be sleepwalking .. a liability when it came to the defensive play in the relegation group .. wasn't expected to turn heads and really didn't accomplish much .. finished with a team-worst +/- at -5.

Scouting: an okay skater .. solid balance, but could use more top-end speed .. average first-step quickness .. adequate agility .. decent puckhandling skills and can deal with difficult passes adequately well .. could make more elusive moves with the puck in order to bring the opposing defensemen out of position and play better in one-on-one situations .. willing to execute in traffic .. takes position in front of the opposing net .. works hard along the boards but needs to do so more regularly .. when on his game, is a solid physical presence who doesn't back down from playing the body .. a decent array of shots, but has to improve on accuracy .. isn't fully one-dimensional, but is very raw in his defensive play .. average defensive positioning .. tends to wait for breakaway chances instead of playing defensively.

Ville Korhonen, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: asked to serve as a depth player for the Finnish team .. didn't see much ice time on the third or fourth offensive unit .. didn't catch anyone's eye in either of the first two games against Switzerland and Team USA as he was neither determined when playing away from the puck nor creative once on puck-possession .. virtually invisible in the offensive zone during the game against the Czech Republic .. an average player in the two games of the relegation group, focusing on his duties as the role player and only rarely showing up on the offensive end .. his stock won't rise because of this performance.

Scouting: a solid skater with quick bursts of speed .. okay agility but could use better top-end speed .. average lower-body strength and balance on the skates .. decent stickhandling skills .. likes to deke the opposing defensemen out of position .. can succeed in one-on-one situations .. isn't afraid of using his body along the boards, but is only an average physical factor .. adequate character, digging for the pucks in the corners and sticking his nose into traffic occasionally .. a good wrist shot with a fast release .. average slap shot .. could use a better scoring touch in the slot .. needs to further improve on his defensive awareness .. doesn't show the same intensity when playing away from the puck.

Mikka Lahti, C (2005)

Tournament wrap-up: was asked to fill a more defensive role, but was virtually invisible in the offensive zone during the first two games against Switzerland and Team USA .. wasn't able to jumpstart his play when the USA squad started to play his body .. wandered in the offensive zone against the Czech Republic .. the same average play haunted him in the games of the relegation group too .. if it wasn't at least for his ability to regularly succeed on the face-offs, Lahti would have been a severe disappointment given all his international experience .. tournament's second-best face-off man (.6569) .. ranked third on Team Finland in shots (20).

Scouting: effective skater, but certainly not flashy .. boasts solid foot speed and agility .. could use a more effective stride .. adequate balance and lower-body strength .. doesn't impress with his hands thanks to average stickhandling skills .. solid snap shot with a quick release .. doesn't use his slap shot very often .. shows a commitment to defensive play .. marks his man quickly .. solid strength for a smallish player, but his size is a drawback for him when battling heavy traffic .. positions himself in front of the opposing slot and looks for rebounds .. isn't afraid to hit, but is an average hitter .. a versatile player who plays well on penalty killing units .. solid in the face-off circle .. plays an all-around game, but doesn't really impress with any of his assets.

Teemu Ramstedt, RW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: jumped out on a number of shifts in the opener against Switzerland with his quickness and surprising passing .. couldn't physically compete with the USA players, but used his smarts to pull off a very good showing and earn the Finnish 'Player of the game' accolades .. didn't stand out against the Czech Republic, but held his own .. a solid factor in the relegation group, making use of his patience with the puck and his vision .. a pleasant surprise on the Finnish team .. tied with Mikko Lehtonen and Jonas Enlund for the best Finnish passer (3 assists) .. tied with Jonas Enlund for the second place on Team Finland scoring (4 points) .. the best Finnish player in +/- (+3).

Scouting: a solid skater who uses a quick and choppy stride .. okay acceleration and agility .. average balance .. a crafty stickhandler who is strong on puck-possession .. uses both sides of the stick blade adequately well .. can deke his way out of tight spaces .. more of a playmaker than a goal scorer .. aware of his linemates and can dish out surprising passes .. should fire the puck more often and upgrade on his in-close finishing skills .. tends to jump out on several shifts before going unnoticed in the next ones .. returns back to help the defense, but is still raw in his defensive awareness .. doesn't hide from executing where it hurts, but isn't a player who would be physically intimidating .. needs to get stronger .. positions in front of the opposing slot, but doesn't throw many hits along the boards .. a late '87 born forward.

Jonas Enlund, C (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: registered a good start to the tournament with agile, smart play laced with quality passes against the Swiss team .. named deserving Finnish 'Player of the game' against Switzerland .. took a slight step back against Team USA, but still was a quality factor who could create good plays .. average in the game against the Czech Republic .. a solid player in the relegation group games, filling his playmaking role well .. made a solid name for himself in the tournament .. tied with Teemu Ramstedt and Mikko Lehtonen for the best Finnish passer (3 assists) .. tied with Teemu Ramstedt for the second place on Team Finland scoring (4 points) .. tied with Henrik Maunula for the second-best Finnish player in +/- (+2).

Scouting: a decent skater .. adequate agility and foot speed .. solid acceleration, but could use upgrading on his top-end speed .. average balance on his skates .. a solid stickhandler .. can deal even with difficult passes adequately well .. decent hand-eye coordination .. could make better puck moves when pressed in heavy traffic .. a patient player in puck-possession blessed with solid smarts .. waits for the plays to develop and then usually makes a quality pass .. slap shot of adequate accuracy could be upgraded in terms of hardness .. willing to return on defense, but is still raw in his defensive awareness .. doesn't shy away from traffic, but isn't a player who would thrive under a physical style .. doesn't lay many hits on the opponents .. a late '87 born player.

Max Warn, LW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: a competitive grinder during the opening stages of the tournament against Switzerland .. forechecked and showed up in traffic in the following contest against the USA .. played a solid physical style against the Czech Republic, but lacked prowess in the offensive zone .. rode the rollercoaster in the relegation group with an average match against Denmark before being named Finnish 'Player of the game' in the final contest of the relegation group against Germany after a diligent showing .. a possible quality utility player for the future .. ranked first on Team Finland in shooting percentage (.2500) .. finished second on Team Finland in PIM's (16).

Scouting: a decent skater, but a smallish player like him still could use better wheels .. solid top-end speed, but should work on acceleration and the effectiveness of his stride .. adequate agility .. solid balance and lower-body strength .. average stickhandling skills .. needs to improve on handling difficult passes .. should be more lethal with scoring opportunities and shoot the puck more often .. tends to look for an open teammate rather than shooting the puck .. a diligent player who sticks his nose into traffic battles regularly .. able to win numerous puck battles every game .. creates havoc in the opponent's zone with his forechecking ability .. willing to mix things up in the corners despite a lack of size .. a quality utility player in the making .. an '88 born forward.

Robert Nyholm, RW (2006)

Tournament wrap-up: had a slower start to the tournament against Switzerland, skating solely on the fourth line .. became a more effective factor in the second contest against the USA, withstanding the physical challenge and showing up a number of times in the offensive end .. faded for most of the third match-up against the Czech Republic, making very little out of his ice time .. learned valuable lessons as an underager .. missed both games of the relegation group.

Scouting: an adequate skater .. should further develop on his acceleration and top-end speed .. decent agility and balance .. stride could use more polishing .. decent stickhandling skills .. doesn't make many nifty dekes, but his puck skills aren't really hurting him .. should cover the puck better .. works hard in the offensive zone either to make a pass or shoot the puck .. can make an accurate feed .. needs a better variety of shots .. average defensive awareness .. doesn't show the same intensity when having to play in his own end .. should mark his man faster .. a solid physical presence .. willing to throw hits and show up in traffic on a regular basis .. looks for rebounds in front of the opposing net .. an '88 born player.