| Emil Hemming | TPS | Liiga | R | RW | 6’1″ | 201 | Vaasa, FIN | 2006 | 2023-2024: A |
Game Grade: B-
Comments: Better energy for Hemming in today’s game. He played at a much faster pace than the previous two games this tournament and was able to generate a couple of chances with his shot. He has a heavy wrister which he let go multiple times. He needs to become better at creating his own space because a majority of his shots came from distance due to his inability to work the puck inside. He got time on the top power play unit in the bumper spot and was able to get a dangerous one timer off in one instance. He needs to do a much better job getting open as he spent most of the time on the power play completely covered and did very little to change that. Hemming has a bad habit of skating himself into trouble. When he had the puck in motion he seemed to always skate into congestion or corner himself against the blueline/deep in the corner. He has skilled hands but fumbles the puck when pressure is applied. Better game for Hemming but he needs to work on creating his own space and opportunities.
| Konsta Helenius | Jukurit | Liiga | R | C | 5’11” | 180 | Ylojarvi, FIN | 2006 | 2023-2024: A |
Game Grade: C+
Comments: This was not the best game from Konsta. He is more of a defensively focused player and since this game was mostly spent in Latvia’s zone, his lack of high-end offensive abilities was very visible. He does not have the best hands and had a lot of trouble beating opponents 1v1 tonight. He has a powerful stride and enters the offensive zone with speed and confidence but is unable to force his way inside or generate much of anything. He fumbled the puck constantly and was unable to create anything through his passing today. He settled for bad shots from distance tonight. He showed some good forecheck pressure and a bit of physicality, but his lack of offense was a bit hard to watch. An off night for sure but he needs to make a bigger impact on offense to give Finland a chance in this tournament.
| Darels Uljanskis | AIK J20 | J20 Nationell | L | D | 6’1″ | 185 | Riga, LAT | 2006 | 2023-2024: C |
Game Grade: C
Comments: Uljanskis is a smooth skating defenseman that is confident with the puck. He attempted multiple rushes up ice and was able to complete some well-placed stretch passes to move play up ice. I liked his agility and edgework that he used to escape from pressure and work his way into space. He had some trouble handling the puck under pressure and gave up a couple of bad turnovers in his own end. I didn’t get a great look at him in his own end, but I did catch a nice play where he outmuscled an opponent during a battle in the crease and dropped him to the ice with a strong shove. Not the best performance but he showed some good traits with the puck that give him the potential to become a good two-way defenseman.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Scout: Henry Lawrence