Uusikartano was centering TPS’ second line in a pre-season game against Ilves. He managed to score off of an odd situation, where the Ilves goalie had left to celebrate a goal (while the puck had hit the post) to the corner and Uusikartano was able to shoot the puck to the net from neutral zone.

Uusikartano had a pretty rough start but got better as the game progressed. He played responsibly in his own zone, positioning decently and following his man around. Not surprisingly he also was used on the penalty kill. Aside from his odd goal, Uusikartano rang the post on one occasion, but otherwise, his offensive contributions were pretty limited. His stride looked a bit choppy and his top speed was rather average.

Uusikartano’s reliable playstyle should make him a regular with TPS’ U20 squad this upcoming season. As he gets more used to the pace and physicality, I would expect him to start contributing more offensively.