Eeli Tolvanen played fantastic game in the quarterfinals against Czech Republic. He totaled nine shots, got primary assist when Kristian Vesalainen connected to the rebound of winger’s scoring attempt and he made great job blocking the goalie’s view in Finland’s second goal. Unfortunately he couldn’t score today and only hit the crossbar in the second period. He also failed in shootout.

Tolvanen has quick shot which he uses a lot. Unfortunately it was inaccurate through the tournament and he only scored once. However Tolvanen was still one of the best Finnish forwards. He showed a lot of effort, checked effectively and he was energetic. His skating has improved and he was usually one of the quickest players on ice. Tolvanen showed some grit too and made couple of heavy hits.

Winger has good work ethic but he often tries to search for breakaways and while this often leads to his scoring opportunities, it occasionally causes some problems in defense. Tolvanen has gained some strength and he is nowadays pretty hard to knock down. He shows good vision and even though his passing could be more accurate, he makes constantly right decisions in the offensive end with and without the puck. He is underrated as a playmaker and he created multiple scoring chances for his linemates in every game.

Tolvanen had an impressive debut for Jokerit in a preseason game against Kunlun Red Star. He made several highly skilled plays on the power play. Known as a great goal-scorer, today he also showcased excellent puck poise and vision to set up teammates with cross-ice passes. He also took one rocket of a wrist shot in the first period that hit the crossbar. He made smart passes at even strength, too, showing lots of ability with the puck. Has great offensive awareness and quick hands. However, while his shot features a very quick release, the accuracy could have been much better as he had several good looks in the offensive zone.

Tolvanen’s skating and top speed looked rather strong for an 18-year-old prospect playing against men. He has pretty good mobility and quickness in his first few strides. Additionally, he had a surprisingly strong stick and didn’t avoid battles. He also threw one solid hit in the first period.

Tolvanen showed once again why he is one of the most interesting players in 2017 NHL Draft while gathering goal and assist against Bloomington Thunder. He has everything you want from the offensive player. Tolvanen is mostly known for his deadly shot, but to me his best asset is his extremely high hockey IQ as he usually makes the right decisions even when there’s not much time.

Forward also makes precise and sharp passes, is a very good stickhandler and he creates scoring opportunities for his linemates often. However he needs to improve his defensive game as he just seems to be preparing for offense when the game is at own area.

His biggest question marks for this season were skating and physical game and even though those aspects still needs more work, Tolvanen seems to have improved greatly at both. Especially his skating looks really fluid and he has better top speed than before.

Despite being somewhat diminutive in height, Tolvanen is a complete package as an offensive player. He is speedy, has a very high hockey IQ and his shot – both wrister and slapshot – are deadly. He has smooth hands and is a dangerous player on 1-on-1’s too.

While his compete level is high, he forechecks hard and doesn’t really shy away from battles, he could still use a bit more muscle and develop his physical game further.

Tolvanen does give nice passes from time to time, but he is a bit onedimensional – which is always not a bad thing considering who good his shot is. He is also relatively good as a two-way forward.