| Tuomas Uronen | HIFK U20 | U20 SM-sarja | R | C | 6’0″ | 187 | Kerava, FIN | 2005 | 2022-2023: B |
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran, February 16, 2023: I like how Uronen plays. He’s hard on pucks with a high compete level and excels at using an active stick to be a disruptive force while forechecking. After generating turnovers he has a direct mindset and looks to get to the net as much as possible. I like his speed and anticipation because he can sprint to the quiet areas or top of the crease before the defenders process what the next play is. Offensively, he has a quick release on his snap shot and does not need a lot of space or a flat puck to shoot it where he wants it. I don’t think he’s a dangler, but he has good puck-handling skills and the poise to make plays under pressure or when an opponent is leaning on him. Standing at 6’0″ and weighing 187lbs he has the frame to win battles now as well as the skating posture to carry more weight while maintaining his speed so he can win 50/50 pucks while playing at higher levels. I don’t think he projects as a top six forward, but I do feel he has the work ethic, awareness and grit to be a a third liner who plays against the other team’s offensive players as well as being a high level penalty killer. To me he’s a player you take in the third round letting him take his time and about three years down the road you end up with a 6’0″ 205lbs wrecking ball with the skill to contribute a bit offensively.
Spengler Cup: HIFK vs Orebro, December 27, 2022: Uronen totaled 11:33 in ice time including 3:37 while on the power play. He did not play while shorthanded. To be just seventeen years old and playing a regular shift in the Spengler Cup is very impressive. He has a powerful stride with a nice flat edge return leg which allows him to maintain maximum speed with little effort. Offensively we liked his aggressiveness and confidence as he recognized which lane to fill on line rushes and when he was the middle drive he showed his strength as he drove the opposing defender to the top of the crease and then some. Late in the first period he showed nice defensive awareness and compete when he recognized that his linemate had been caught puck watching. Uronen then used his speed to sprint 10′ and pop his opponent’s stick just as he was about to fire one from the high slot. The effort resulted in a clean zone exit and a line rush heading the other way. He played an active bumper on the power play where his offensive instincts allowed him to have a grade “A” sweeping one-timer from the right face-off dot. On the play he recognized the lapse in the penalty killer’s details and he slid to the soft area at the dot. His shot generated a far pad rebound and chaos. One thing to note, he is right shot who primarily played his right side and in this game he had two opportunities to receive hard passes on his backhand that would have led to odd man rushes. Both hard passes hit his stick blade and bounced approximately 5′ forward out of his reach. We have no doubt that this is a skill that he can work on, but it is something to think about when deciding if he can eventually play all three forward positions or both wings at the next level. He finished the game even with 0 points, 1 shot, 1 PP shot, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 1 hit, 4 giveaways, 3 takeaways and he won 50% of his 6 puck battles.
U18: 5 Nation Tournament, November 8-14, 2022: Tuomas is just approaching 6′ but is already 183 pounds so his frame is pretty solid at present. He is a right shot and plays his strong side wing where we absolutely loved his speed and aggressiveness on the puck in both of his showings. We felt his efforts were noticeable each and every shift of his viewings at this tournament and he played with a ton of energy, pushing the pace and playing intense. He was physical in all 3 zones and certainly showed he is a good NHL prospect with a 200 foot game and the ability to chip in offensively as both a goal scorer and a play maker. His skating is very good, excellent laterally and with the quickness and change of pace to make defenders miss in their hit attempts. In tight situations he has good spin and evade, and his feet are always moving, working hard to support linemates at all times.
Liiga: HIFK vs JYP, November 2022: Uronen totaled 2:29 in ice time and as a 2005 playing in just his third Liiga game he did not play in the the third period. He did not play on either special team’s unit. He has a deep knee powerful skating posture that allowed him to physically keep up with the play, but in all honesty the game seemed to be moving too quickly for him on the mental side. We do not think this means he can not process the game at this level. We do feel he had his blood pumping and was simple over thinking the game. He finished the game even with 0 points, 1 giveaway, 1 takeaway and he won 100% of his 2 puck battles.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images