Born: 2002-08-13
Team: Kärpät U20
Position: Goalie
Catches: Left
Height / Weight: 6-2 / 159
REPORT: KÄRPÄT @ TPS U20, OCTOBER 23, 2020
Meriläinen made 42 saves and allowed two goals as Kärpät U20 beat TPS 5-2. He was challenged right from the beginning of the game, but he was up to the task and came up big in key moments. The goals that he allowed were a redirection out of mid-air and a sharp-angle shot. At 6’2″, he is a good sized netminder who shows awareness, reads plays well and remains calm in his crease. He did a good job of controlling his rebounds, especially on low shots. When he did allow second-chance opportunities, his teammates were able to collect the loose pucks. He displayed quick reflexes – made some nice saves both with his glove and pads. He was not afraid to handle the puck outside of the crease, and he could move the puck into good spots while the opposing team put pressure. An excellent performance from Meriläinen against a high-scoring TPS team which has lots of offensive firepower.