Virolainen is a two-way player who has NHL size and the ability to shut down his opponent’s offensive attack. With his big frame and hard-nosed style allow him to contribute to the physical game and to win loose puck battles against weaker opponents. His defensive zone awareness is very good, he knows where his assignment is and has the ability to recognize scoring threats and help negate opportunities against. In the offensive zone he has some success when working away form the puck. He is smart enough to recognized the weak points in his opponents setup and work towards the high-danger areas. Where his game begins to fall off is his ability to create with the puck on his stick. His skating isn’t all that great and he lacks the speed to separate from his opponents, making it difficult to create off the rush. Also, his ability with the puck leaves some to be desired. He should not be expected to drive play and create chances for himself or his teammates because he does not have that ability and it doesn’t fit in with his playing style. His ticket to carving out a role in the NHL would be as a defensive center, who can specialize at shutting down the opponents and excelling on the penalty kill.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide