Always Adjusting - Raimo Tuominen

[SlapshotWrangler 806]

HOUSTON - The Victory Hockey League Minors is nearing to a close. The best hockey of the season is yet to come and teams are scrambling to finish the season strong. Raimo Tuominen is taking in his first season in the VHL system and is adjusting to the pace here. Ever since getting drafted by the Houston Bulls, Raimo is always adding new things to his game.

 

“At first I was really struggling offensively. I couldn’t get quality shots off, my passes were shaky, and I was just overall being swarmed by the pace. I will admit, I had a really rough start to the season. I had a sit down with the coaches and realized I could not continue playing the same style of hockey as I did back in Finland. The first step for me was definitely getting more physical.”

 

Raimo was good at taking hits but he did not exactly dish them out. This was pointed out and it was the first thing he aimed on getting better at. After being offensively minded in SM-liiga, Raimo learned that he could not focus on one side of the game. He had to work toward being a 200-foot player.

 

“I may not be exactly like Grunkle who basically smothers every single player on the opposing team with hits but I did need to become more active physically in order to contribute when I don’t have the puck. It turned out that getting more physical actually helped me get more chances. My shot has changed too. I used to rely on having a strong shot. I still have it and utilize it but now I’ve learned to be more deceptive and to really be selective with my shots instead of firing over and over like a machine gun.”