Salo logged nearly 19 minutes of ice-time for Sport in a 4-o loss to HIFK. He made strong plays when having the puck on his stick. In the second period, he made a really nice stretch pass that was tape-to-tape. He has excellent poise and the ability to exit the zone with smart passing. He’s not big in stature but has physicality to his game.

On the downside, I think his skating is still average at the Liiga level. He has a bit clumsy stride. His footwork and quickness, or lack thereof, are somewhat concerning. Nevertheless, Salo has upside given his very good hockey sense, work ethic and puck skills, and could be a solid top four defenseman for the Islanders when all is said and done.

Salo once again played for almost twenty minutes. He has progressed well during the season. Defender still has work to do with his skating and he isn’t agile enough in quick transitions. However on the own end he is already one of the best players on his teams because he wins majority of his board battles and he also has excellent gap control. Salo also seems more and more comfortable with the pace of Liiga. While defender plays simple game, he plays with the puck and joins the rush more often compared to the beginning of season. If he continues to develop at this pace, he should become really good two-way defender.

Salo played once again a solid game with TOI of 18:20. He didn’t look at all out of place among grown-up professionals. His skating looks a bit clumsy at times, but he isn’t slow in any way and joined the rush a few times in this game. He was put on the ice at the end when Sport hunted for the equalizer with an extra attacker, which was a good move by the coach, because Salo assisted the equalizing goal.

Sometimes Salo still overplays situations especially when he sees an opportunity to a turnover, but his defensive awareness is still high quality. His gap control is excellent and he can defend well both with his stick and with his body.

Salo is not the flashiest player on ice but his defensive skills are impressive for a player of his age. He already looks solid in men’s league, positions himself well and even shows some grit and willingness to play physical game. However Salo could add some power to his skating as he seems bit slow at times. While his offensive skills are somewhat limited, he is capable of decent passing play and the defender even got two assists against Tappara.