Born: 2005-01-11
Team: Jokerit
Position: Right Wing
Shoots: Left
Height / Weight: 5-9 / 159
U17 TWO-NATIONS TOURNAMENT, AUGUST 5-7, 2021
Kuusla was noticeable in Finland’s first game against Russia and carried his strong play throughout the tournament. He was smooth with the puck, he could keep the puck on a string and do many things offensively. He had good touch, accuracy and firmness on his passes and used indirect well to move pucks into space. He was not afraid to take charge in an attempt to create offense. He was straightforward in the offensive zone when needed and scored a skilled wraparound goal in the second game. He could have operated more frequently in the interior of the ice, but overall I thought he was the best Finnish forward offensively. He showed good glide and edge work and he was tough to contain as he evaded checking pressure well. His defensive zone coverage was pretty good, although he could have been more active with his stick to cover lanes. He was tenacious without the puck and his compete level was fairly high. All in all, Kuusla showed a lot of skill and the ability to be a dual threat offensively.