The Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan filed an article about Red Wings prospect and Team Finland defenseman Eemil Viro, who seems to be able to handle the bump and grind of best-on-best competition despite his 6′, 165-pound stature:
Viro, 20, is penciled to play in Grand Rapids beginning in October to start his North American career, and steadily work his way toward the NHL.
Niklas Kronwall, the Wings’ longtime defenseman, is currently a Wings’ development coach in Europe and has worked extensively with Viro. Kronwall has drilled into Viro the importance of staying within himself.
“He said, ‘Keep improving your skills,'” Viro said about what Kronwall has stressed. “‘Play with your skills, and it’s going be fine.’ I’m a good skater and I can use that. I’m a two-way defenseman. I can defend well. I really want to improve my offensive skill, getting the pucks to the net and creating more on the offensive.”
Viro is currently one of the leaders and more experienced players for Finland at the world junior championships in Edmonton. Viro played 19 minutes and was plus-one in Finland’s 6-1 victory Tuesday over Latvia.
General manager Steve Yzerman talked about the importance for any young player such as Viro to be able to compete in a pressure-filled tournament.
“It’s fantastic for players to go into these world junior tournaments,” Yzerman said. “They’re great experiences individually for them, but also in their development as hockey players playing in big games, do-or-die games and under the pressure is great.”
Continued; thus far, I haven’t seen many instances when the wiry-framed Viro has been pushed around or pushed off the puck. His positioning is good, he’s got a short stick that he uses to his advantage, and his lower-body strength seems to be good.
He’s definitely going to have to gain ten pounds of muscle if that’s conceivably possible for him, but his techniques are going to be more important to his ability to compete than a 200-pound weight.
