World U-18 Championship: Finland

The top line of Mikael Granlund, Teemu Pulkkinen, and Toni Rajala carried Finland to a bronze medal finish. Granlund and Pulkkinen are high-end prospects that are eligible for the 2010 draft, while Rajala lead the tournament in scoring with 19 points in 6 games. McKeen's director of scouting Max Giese was in attendance at the World U-18 Championships and filed this report on Finland.

Mikael Granlund (2010), C, Karpat Oulu

Few players are more dangerous and skilled in tight than Granlund .. a shifty and darty skater that likes to go east to west to make defenders miss .. an electrifying water bug with the puck that can undress multiple opponents in one sequence .. freezes defenders with his skill and they have to respect him, which affords him the opportunity to slow the game down and assault with his deft and creative playmaking ability .. his passes are tape to tape and hit his man in stride .. worked well out of Gretzky's office and kept defenders guessing by disguising his intentions .. knives through defenses and has the presence to outwait the goaltender into making the first move .. a two-way player that is smart defensively and consistently makes good marks .. lack of size is the only issue at 5-foot-10 and 178 pounds, however, Granlund is a fearless player that provides plenty of jam .. actually uses his size to his advantage by getting low and gaining leverage in one-on-one battles .. was Finland's ace in the faceoff circle .. awed scouts on one play with a beautiful fake one-timer-shot-pass that showcased his skill and vision .. should be firmly entrenched in next years top-10, as he's the Finnish Patrick Kane with more tenacity and better defensive play.

Teemu Pulkkinen (2010), RW, Jokerit Helsinki

One of the smartest players out there, speed is not Pulkkinen's game, instead he employees a cerebral approach .. his hands are slick and he's capable of dismantling defenders even without much speed built up .. a highlight-reel-caliber-skill-package that never fails to finish, Pulkkinen is an accurate scorer with a big shot that likes to set up the one timer .. the puck seems magnetic to him, as he has phenomenal smarts with that sixth sense for getting open in prime scoring real estate .. has a keen sense of anticipation and the rare ability to see the play before it happens .. his vision of the ice is remarkable and he's an accomplished playmaker that had a real synergy with Mikael Granlund .. defensively, he requires improvement and must commit himself better to his assignments .. an opportunistic player that will leave the offensive zone the instant it appears, as if his defenseman has gained possession of the puck .. tended to disappear in games when Finland needed to shut things down and he will need to complete his game next year .. however, Pulkkinen is such a smart and talented player that he will go very high at next years draft.

Joonas Nattinen (2009), C, Blues Espoo

A sizable two-way centerman that would see his game come together if he played with more intensity .. not dynamically quick, but a healthy skater for a player of his size .. nothing special, but Nattinen does possess above-average skill and impressed with his ability to loft soft touches to himself, which allowed him to get around some defenders .. a dependable passer that also gets himself open in the slot, although he lacked finish in tight around the goal .. a pretty good defensive center that comes deep into his own zone to cover the lowest open man .. a very useful player when using his size and is at his best while driving the net and leaning on people, problem is he too often plays a dormant physical game .. frustratingly, he will go by the blue paint, but never on top of it to really create havoc .. not a high-end-offensive-player, Nattinen is more of a second-third-round-type-of-pick.

Toni Rajala (2009), LW, Ilves Tampere

Lead the tournament in scoring with 10 goals and 19 points in 6 games .. rallied the troops in the bronze medal game with a hat-trick against Canada .. in the open ice Rajala is very talented and on the powerplay he's very dangerous, but he's small and his soft play leaves a bitter taste in your mouth .. smooth skater with strong acceleratory strides .. his finesse skills are unquestionable and his hand-eye coordination is extraordinary .. sniped some pretty goals over the course of the tournament thanks to his fast release and accurate finish .. a clever and creative player that becomes more noticeable as the game opens up .. pint-sized and timid, Rajala is not courageous going into the corners and will never hang around the net for long .. plays afraid and as the game becomes more physical he tends to disappear .. was on both special team units .. has terrific skill and offensive ability, but he's small and soft, making him a risky pick for an NHL team.

Erik Haula (2009), RW, Shattuck St. Mary

A smooth and strong skater that easily accelerates to his comfortable top speed .. not a high-end-skill-package, but he does have the ability to carry the puck to the net and finish .. displayed signs of playmaking ability in tight around the net and he was on the puck a lot in prime scoring areas .. a good all-around player and effective penalty killer .. his hardnosed approach is appealing and he finishes his checks .. attacks the slot area and competes in the trenches .. a solid investment at the middle of the draft.

Tommi Kivisto (2009), D, Red Deer Rebels

A frustrating prospect to decipher because he looks like a player but in the end just isn't .. he's not a bad skater, but his agility and pivoting could be cleaner .. quarterbacked the powerplay and has some ability with the puck, most notably his shot that has some bite to it .. capable of making the first pass coming out of his own zone, but too often he hurt his team with his questionable decisions and by putting the puck into no man's land .. has above-average size and isn't soft, however he often gets outworked and beaten in one-on-one confrontations .. error prone and isn't either an offensive defenseman or a shutdown defender .. has some talent in all facets of the game, but not enough to be dominant in any .. needs to find some definition to his game, as right now he's not the sum of his parts.

Sami Vatanen (2009), D, JYP Jyvaskyla

A miniature-sized-offensive-defenseman that also packs a physical edge .. a crisp, agile skater with a nice glide .. daring with the puck, Vatanen is always looking for the homerun and too often this leads to turnovers .. needs to begin to take what is given to him instead of trying to force the big play by always stretching the ice .. a skillful puckcarrier that is capable of moving the puck to his teammates and displays some creativity while quarterbacking the powerplay .. small and has difficulty containing moves to the net .. needs to do a better job of angling opponents off to the wall .. despite his lack of size, Vatanen is a competitive player and if you push him, expect to be pushed back .. hits surprisingly hard in the open ice and is courageous .. has character and stood up for his goaltender .. a high risk/high-reward-type-of-pick.

Joni Ortio (2009), G, TPS Turku

A butterfly goaltender with the polished Finnish technique .. collapses quickly into his butterfly and covers the lower portion of the net well .. has modest size, but he plays bigger than listed because he timely challenges shooters .. has fast, flexible legs and good lateral movement .. mentally tough .. he's a smart goaltender with a good feel for the game and an adequate glove .. the problem for Ortio is that he's easily beatable up high, especially blocker side .. too often, he commits to his butterfly prematurely and his lack of size then is exploited by shooters that can pick corners at the upper half of the net.