Tuomas Uronen — 2023 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

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Tuomas Uronen

2022-23 Team: HIFK U20 (Finland)
Date of Birth: March 19, 2005
Place of Birth: Kerava, Finland
Height: 6-foot-0, Weight: 187 pounds
Shoots: Right
Position: Right Wing
NHL Draft Eligibility: first-year draft eligible

Rankings

Tuomas Uronen is a Finnish winger who played for HIFK U20 in the Finnish junior system, totaling 20 goals and 43 points in 39 games. He appeared in five games for HIFK’s senior team in the Liiga and was held off the scoresheet. He also played in 17 games for Finland’s U18 team at the international level, totaling four goals and eight points. 

Related: 2023 NHL Draft Guide

Every team looks to fill out depth in their prospect pipeline in the later rounds of the draft, or perhaps they’re looking for the next late-round gem, a la Jesper Bratt or Mark Stone. Uronen isn’t likely to be the next Bratt or Stone; they’re the exception rather than the rule in late-round drafting. But he could be an intriguing selection somewhere in the mid-rounds. 

The strength of Uronen’s game is his offensive makeup, specifically his shot. When given time and space, he can wire one with a heavy wrister. Here’s an example of his shooting ability against Sweden in U18 competition from a year ago:

Uronen’s shooting ability showed up in the U20 league of Finnish junior hockey, but he’s also a decent playmaker. Generally speaking, there’s plenty to like about his offensive makeup. He works hard on the forecheck, but he also goes to high-danger areas to create scoring chances, where he’s shown an ability to redirect shots for goals.  

Uronen’s work in the offensive zone tends to show up on the scoresheet, at least it has to this point of his career. But he’s also adept at creating space for his teammates off the puck. He may never be a burner skating-wise, but he makes up for it in other areas. If he were a little bigger than 6-foot-0, 187 pounds, he’d likely be on the radar of more public rankings ahead of the draft a month from now. 

Other THW Draft Profiles

Tuomas Uronen — NHL Draft Projection

It is a bit surprising to see Uronen on only a few publicly available draft rankings. There does seem to be some consensus, though, somewhere in the general area of a top 75-100 prospect. I’d expect his name to get called somewhere in the third or fourth rounds on June 29. He’s one of those players worth taking a chance on in the later rounds because of how he plays the game. 

Quotables

“Uronen is an intriguing forward who shows strong offensive instincts and has the ability to zip off a shot with his quick release. His ability to process might be his best strength. He’s always got his head on a swivel, both offensively and defensively, and he uses his anticipatory sense in order to put himself in situations in the opposition’s end that make him a viable option for teammates…” – Aaron Vickers, FC Hockey

“Tuomas Uronen is a smart winger that makes a lot of nuanced plays that make you smile. At 1:25 in the first, he bounced the puck off Latvian netminder Aksels Ozols down low to purposely create a rebound. It worked as Rasmus Kumpulainen jumped in for the goal. It’s a simple, but effective play that has allowed Uronen to become quite successful. He later scored to make it 4-0, a lead that essentially put the game way out of reach for the Norwegians.” – Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff

“Uronen will never be the biggest player on the court, but he is already quite strong in one-on-one battles and works hard, for example, to steal the puck. An additional gear to skating and the development of finishing skills would make Uronen an even more potential player for the future. It would not be surprising if he could play at least a handful of matches in the League next season.” – Lassi Alanen, EP Rinkside (Finland) (July 11, 2022)

Strengths

  • Shot 
  • Play off the puck in the offensive zone
  • Hockey IQ
  • Two-way game

Under Construction — Improvements to Make

  • Skating
  • Strength

NHL Potential

Uronen’s game screams third-line/bottom-six winger at the NHL level. There’s enough offensive upside in his game to think third-line forward, he has the two-way presence already, and he plays a style of hockey that fits that kind of role. 

Risk/Reward Potential

Risk: 3/5, Reward: 3.5/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense: 6.5/10, Defense: 6.5/10

Awards/Achievements

Uronen was named to the U16 SM-sarja all-star team during the 2020-21 season, and he won the Sami Kapanen Award as best forward and Teppo Numminen Award as best player. He captured a bronze medal with Team Finland at the U18 World Junior Championship in 2022 and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer. 

Tuomas Uronen Stats