| Arttu Alasiurua | Karpat | Finland-Jr. | L | C | 5’11” | 161 | Kiminki, FIN | 2005 | 2022-2023: B- |
U18: Team Finland vs NTDP, February 8 2023: Alasiurua totaled 14:18 in ice time including 1:47 while on the power play and 3:05 while shorthanded. He has a slight frame with a deep knee skating posture and a stride that finishes with a toe snap so we believe he will be able to carry more weight while keeping or even gaining speed as he matures. Early in the first period we noticed his awareness away from the puck as he recognized that Team Finland had Team USA caught in an awkward line change. So as Alasiurua came off his bench he curled high through his defensive zone and then sprinted through the middle lane to keep USA’s defenders from gapping up. It was a little thing and it wouldn’t end up on the stat sheet, but it allowed for an easy Finnish zone entry through the middle lane. He was a key penalty killer and it was obvious that his coaches trusted his details as he seemed to be on the ice for every defensive zone shorthanded face-off. Offensively he was in constant motion while cycling and he showed high level hand eye coordination on a waist heigh tip in the third. We also liked the anticipation / awareness Alasiurua showed while being the bumper on the power play as he felt the penalty killer’s pressure and one touched passes into space or through tight windows. He also showed nice quickness when jumping on a rebound for grade “A” opportunity. Conversely we did not like the awareness he showed on Team USA’s first goal as late in a shift he attempted a high risk pass in the offensive grey area that led to a clean rush the other way. His second minus literally occurred 20 seconds later as he was in solid defensive posture but cleared the puck right to a Team USA player in the high slot show buried it. After being on the ice and essentially the cause for back to back goals against we watched for his mental toughness and we felt as though he refocused quickly and showed the mental capacity to “park” his mistakes and move on. He finished the game -3 with 0 points, 2 shots, 3 PP shot attempts, 2 grade “A” opportunities, 2/8 on face-offs, 0 hits and he had 2 quick stick PP rebound attempts blocked.
U18: 5 Nation Tournament, November 8-14, 2022: Arttu is a 5’11 left shot centerman who is playing at present at 161 pounds, a bit slight but with a frame that will allow him to put on much needed muscle. He is strong on his blades and hard to knock off the puck, allowing him to maintain possession under pressure and continue attacking. He is a good point producer for this Finnish team and appears more of a goal scorer than a playmaker. He also showed himself to be a very valuable piece of Finland’s game away from the puck. His forecheck efforts were excellent, in fast and very good at disrupting breakouts. He also showed will on the PK with premier stop and start skating, active stick and good jump on foot races for loose pucks where his clears were strong.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images