Team Finland suffered an unexpected loss against Belarus, but Pärssinen was one of the better Finnish players during the game. He started in the fourth line, but he was moved to the first line center at the beginning of second period. Pärssinen also played in front of net at the power play and he also had a big role in penalty kill.

Pärssinen is not the flashiest player on ice, but he is extremely reliable two-way centerman. He is a smart player, making simple yet effective decisions with the puck and his positioning and movement off the puck are impressive for a player of his age.  He is defensively sound showing good defensive awareness and he intercepted many passes during the game, and he also played solid checking game. The forward is a strong skater having pretty good top speed and his acceleration was pretty good too. Pärssinen has intriguing size and that was apparent many times during the game when he was able to protect the puck and win one-on-ones thanks to his size and strength.

For me, the biggest questionmark with him is if he can generate points regularly. He shows a good vision, his hands are decent and he can make some effective dekes, but he just doesn’t feel like constant threat at the offensive zone. However his work ethic, commitment and defensive capabilities alongside with his above average overall play should make him interesting two-way center. Pärssinen is also very strong at face-offs consistently winning over 60% of the face-offs, a trait that should make him even more interesting.

Pärssinen was held pointless in TPS’s 0-3 win over JYP, but he was playing big minutes as his team’s first line center. At 6’1” and 183 pounds, Pärssinen has a good frame, even though he relies mostly on his skill and vision to make plays. His skating seemed above-average and he was constantly active in all three zones. Pärssinen has good hands, even though he could be more reliable with the puck. He showcased a pretty well-rounded skill set, as he also competed hard for pucks and showed good defensive awareness.