Jere Lassila

nsized playmaking centre who despite not being the biggest or fastest guy on the ice, plays a strong instinctive and creative game as a complimentary player who reads the ice and his teammates well. Not flashy or able to beat defenders one on one, but gets himself to open ice as an option and passes the puck very well to the scorers. He centred the top line in the A\U-18 Five nations tournament. He thinks pass first but is a good finisher. He stays in the high slot and doesn't get caught when transition takes the puck back the other way. Creative and smart and a guy you can root for to continue on an upward trajectory.He had an injury plagued year and at this point, but has a scorer’s mentality and good stick handling skills, and is a strong transition passer. He did score at over a point a game clip for Finland at the U18 World Hockey Championship, helping his team secure bronze in the process. He was the team captain.He has a strong presence defensively but lacks NHL size and skating ability (no second gear) but is an effective pro style hockey player who some team will take a chance on.

—Bill Płaczek—