U19 Report: Finland

Exclusive scouting notes on the Finland under-19 national team that participated in a recent three-game series against the Czech Republic. Blueliner Mikael Kurki and winger Kim Stromberg were among the top performers. The rosters included players born in 1986 and 1987.

Top performers

Mikael Kurki (2006), D

Scouting: a solid skater with deceptive quickness .. good footspeed 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 asset .. can go end-to-end with the puck when the play opens up .. crafty puckhandling skills .. solid hand-eye-coordination .. 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 .. possesses a fast-released snap shot .. solid offensive 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 .. gets outmuscled by bigger opponents.

Jussi Ruohola (2006), D

Scouting: a middle-sized defenseman .. an okay skater with a decent agility and first-step quickness .. uses a short stride of solid effectiveness .. okay turns .. adequate lower-body strength and balance .. boasts above-average stickhandling skills .. maintains puck-control in traffic .. a solid passer, but sometimes careless with the puck .. possesses a solid offensive flair and doesn't loose confidence after making a mistake .. suffers from the odd positional breakdown .. needs to improve on his play in his own zone and stay with his man all the way .. slap shot is of decent accuracy, but average hardness .. a diligent willing to play the body, but can get outpowered by bigger opponents .. should particularly improve on his defensive reliability .. uses his body only to a limited extent .. always involved in the game .. doesn't take off-shifts.

Kim Stromberg (2006), RW

Scouting: an okay skater .. uses a powerful stride .. okay first-step quickness and acceleration .. possesses decent agility and balance .. okay top-end speed .. can execute with the puck without having to slow down significantly .. solid stickhandling skills .. maintains puck-possession in traffic .. decent hand-eye coordination .. aware of his linemates .. can make accurate passes through traffic just like finish the scoring chances .. fires a quick hard snap shot .. slap shot of solid hardness and accuracy .. can play bigger than his size .. tough to get moved when he decides to perform in front of the opposing net .. is showing a solid ability to lay a good hit on the opponent .. solid determination and traffic play .. regularly aggressive .. willing to return back to help out the defense but could mark his man more quickly .. consistency is an issue .. tends to be a lesser factor in the later stages of games .. a late '87 born forward.

Jonas Enlund (2006), C

Scouting: a decent skater .. adequate agility and footspeed .. solid acceleration, but could use upgrading on top-end speed .. average balance on his skates .. a solid stickhandler who uses both sides of the blade .. 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 .. succeeds in one-on-one situations .. slap shot of adequate accuracy could be upgraded in terms of hardness .. willing to return to defense, but is still raw in his defensive awareness .. should limit the options of the opponent more effectively .. doesn't shy away from traffic and throws the occasional hit .. willing to take a hit to make a play .. a late '87 born player.

Other Players

Juha Toivonen (2006), G

Scouting: a quick goalie with solid reflexes .. plays more of a butterfly style .. shows okay athleticism and dexterity .. decent resilience .. decent skating skills and movement in the crease .. adequately 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 upper 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.

Henrik Maunula (2006), D

Scouting: a middle-sized defenseman like him still needs better wheels .. should work on the effectiveness of his stride and be more explosive when needed .. average acceleration and agility .. could use more lower-body strength and balance .. decent position play, but can get outmuscled by bigger opposition .. more of a defensive-minded rearguard .. 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 when passing on a longer distance .. 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 needs to learn how to get them through regularly .. average physical force along the boards and when clearing the crease .. still should bulk up to be more effective.

Jani Forsstrom (2006), D

Scouting: a decent skater for a player of his size .. adequate acceleration and first-step quickness but tends to slow down when making moves with the puck .. decent agility and lateral movement .. okay lower-body strength and balance .. could use more explosiveness .. more of a defensive-minded blueliner .. is at his best when he keeps his play simple .. chooses the obvious passing lane but is prone to mistakes when trying to be creative with the puck .. doesn't make long outlet passes .. adequate stickhandling skills .. often unleashes a heavy slap shot with a decent accuracy .. used as a powerplay pointman .. should use his size to his advantage more and be a more constant physical presence .. can throw a solid hit when needed .. works down low adequately hard .. occasionally tends to chase opponents all around .. decent crease-clearer.

Antti Jaatinen (2006), D

Scouting: an adequate skater for a big player .. solid balance and a powerful stride .. should work on his agility and lateral movement .. needs to pick up on top-end speed to be more effective against the speedsters .. a defensively-orientated blueliner .. stays back in his own end and works hard down low but doesn't throw many nasty hits .. needs to learn how to make his size more to his advantage and show his nasty edge more often .. sub-par stickhandling skills .. should corral difficult passes more smoothly .. average passing skills and vision, should work on the timing of his passes .. a solid shot from the point with decent accuracy, but could unleash it more often .. keeps his shot from the point hidden in most cases .. a late '87 born defenseman.

Jerry Ahtola (2006), RW

Scouting: a decent skater with a short stride .. solid agility and footspeed .. could use a bigger top-end speed and be more explosive .. decent balance and lower-body strength .. adequate stickhandling skills but should corral the difficult better more effortlessly .. doesn't make many nifty dekes in tight space .. uses his stick well to break up opposing passing lanes .. not overly creative but an accurate passer on a short distance who recognizes the passing lanes quickly .. could 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 .. a diligent player .. adequate defensive awareness .. returns back to his own end when needed .. spots his man quickly but should play better in position .. adequate toughness along the boards despite modest frame .. can play the point on powerplay units.

Joonas Riekkinen (2006), C

Scouting: a decent skater .. okay footspeed but could use a bigger acceleration .. adequate top-end speed .. decent agility .. more of a playmaking forward .. adequate stickhandling skills .. solid passing accuracy but is stiff when having to deal with a difficult pass .. adequate creativity with the puck .. should upgrade on his play in one-on-one situations and cover the puck better .. unleashes a heavy wrist shot with a fast release .. needs to develop smoother in-close finishing skills .. a hardworking player with a decent mean streak .. inconsistent aggressiveness but can finish his checks relatively well .. prone to unnecessary fouls .. a decent hitter along the boards .. willing to return back but should become a better defensive player who understands the play in his own zone more quickly .. should stay with his man and work on his defensive positioning.

Miika Lahti (2006), C

Scouting: a not very flashy, but effective skater .. boasts a solid footspeed and agility .. could use a more effective stride .. progressed in his balance and lower-body strength which is okay now .. 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 the 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 faceoff circle .. plays an all-round game, but doesn't really impress with any of his assets.

Aatu Hamalainen (2006), LW

Scouting: an adequate skater with a decent agility .. okay footspeed and first-step quickness .. could use a bigger top-end speed which would enable him to get into more scoring chances .. average balance .. solid stickhandling skills .. okay hand-eye coordination .. cycles the puck well .. solid accurate tape-on-tape passes but is prone to overhandling the puck .. doesn't fire the puck very often, looking for a pass instead .. decent in-close finishing skills .. sticks his nose into traffic and doesn't play afraid .. doesn't dish out many hard hits but knows how to lay a decent hit despite modest frame .. adequate defensive awareness .. limits the options of the opposition with decent effectiveness, but still could improve in this asset .. decent on the penalty killing units .. shows a good attitude and puckhandling skills, but needs to show up in the offensive zone more often.

Teemu Ramstedt (2006), RW

Scouting: a solid skater who uses a quick choppy stride .. okay acceleration and agility .. average balance .. should gain more bulk in lower-body .. a crafty stickhandler who is strong in puck-possession .. uses both sides of the stick blade adequately well .. can deke his way out of tight spaces .. more of a playmaker than goalscorer .. 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.