Projection: Middle 6 Forward
Note: He has played on the wing this year in the Liiga, but can play
center pretty effectively, too
Strengths: Size, Two-way play, Compete
Weaknesses: Skating, creativity, and playmaking
Analysis:
Oliver Suvanto is a very good two-way forward. He makes use of his
incredible size to hold his own against the men of the Finnish Liiga.
Defending pucks, board battles, and getting pucks back, he uses his
body to properly box out defenders and use his size to his advantage.
This, paired with his above-average defensive instincts, helping the
defenseman below the hash marks when needed, great use of his long
reach to disrupt passing lanes, and his ability and willingness to
block shots, makes him an excellent candidate to translate his game to
the next level. He also plays with heart. He doesn’t take a shift for
granted, playing at one hundred percent and truly giving it his all
whenever he steps on the ice.
His main drawback for me is his skating and playmaking abilities. For
being the size that he is, he obviously won’t be the fastest skater in
the world, but his stride isn’t that fine-tuned either. I find it
clunky and choppy, obviously something that can be worked on, but as a
current asset, it’s something that falls short. I also find he lacks
any creative spark and play-making abilities. He may be really smart
and think the game well, but he struggles to translate that to his
stick. His passes aren’t always crisp or go where they’re intended, he
might hold on to the puck a second too long and have the lane close on
him, or he might just not see the right play entirely. Nevertheless,
his playmaking attributes really need some work in my eyes.