Born: 2000-08-17
Team: KooKoo
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Height / Weight: 6-1 / 187
GERMANY @ FINLAND U20, FEBRUARY 9, 2019
Seppälä had a strong game on the backend as Finland U20 edged Germany 6-1. The KooKoo defenseman was smooth with the puck and made calculated decisions in all three zones. He had a particularly good shift in the second period in which he first used a quick stick to poke the puck away and then started the attack the other way. He made a great pass during the same shift in the offensive zone to set up a scoring chance. Seppälä displayed swift hands when carrying the puck up the ice. What’s more, he is a strong skater showing good agility, footwork and backwards skating ability.
SCOUTING REPORT (SEPTEMBER 6, 2018)
Peetro Seppälä is a mobile and smart blueliner with some untapped offensive potential. The KooKoo defenseman appeared in six Liiga games last season and was part of the gold-winning Finnish U18 national team at the World Championships. He has now got off to a good start with the U20 team and will be the defenseman to count on in key situations over the course of the season. Seppälä went undrafted this year but I consider him a strong overage option for the 2019 NHL Draft.
Seppälä possesses strong four-way mobility and skates well backwards. He has the speed and smarts to join the attack at the right times. The 6’1 defenseman makes good decisions with the puck at both ends of the rink and shows noticeable poise under forecheck pressure. His passes are consistently crisp and easy to receive. While you won’t see much flash and dash from him, Seppälä rarely makes risky plays with the puck and processes the game fairly quickly. Despite not getting on the scoresheet often, he does a good job of getting quality shots on net for possible rebounds and deflections. Seppälä reads the play well without the puck and uses a quick, timely stick to poke pucks away. He could be a tad quicker to react in the defensive zone at times, however. He has good size and plays a solid physical game along the boards and in front of the net.