After spending the majority of the season with Tappara’s U18 team, Virolainen had a monster performance in the U16 bronze medal game against JYP. He ended up scoring a hat-trick, adding two primary assists and also had a chance for a fourth goal, but missed the empty net.

Virolainen is a big-bodied center with excellent offensive instincts. He didn’t need to show high-end skills or shot to score his goals, but rather he was always in the right place at the right time. Virolainen played a methodical two-way game and looked ok defensively despite taking two penalties and causing a penalty shot. Virolainen used his opportunities clinically in the offensive zone and also made good passes in transitions. His skating didn’t necessarily wow me, but his stick-handling skills looked good.