Koivula played his worst game of the tournament so far against Slovakia. He had almost 16 minutes time on ice but he only managed to get one shot even though he played also in power play.

Forward played pretty sloppy game against the Slovaks. His passing was inaccurate and he didn’t make enough work off the puck and this slowed down the game of his line. Koivula has improved his skating but it still looks heavy and he needs to make some extra work to get his feet moving. Koivula had problems especially in quick transitions. His defensive game needs more work too.

Koivula is a big and strong player who is pretty good in board play and in front of net. However Koivula was much better in this area against Canada and it felt like he didn’t give all he got against Slovakia. Couple of times Koivula got the puck when his feet were already moving and thanks to his good stickhandling skills, good reach and big body it is extremely tough to get puck away from him even in tight situations.

Koivula has taken the leap from junior leagues to the pro leagues quite well. He is already capable of putting up points in Liiga and is also a part of one the best power plays in the league.

His hockey IQ is very high, and he seems to always find his linemates quite well. He still needs to work with his skating, although it has gotten significantly better from last year. He has also gained some muscle and can win board battles against seasoned pro veterans.