Like I said before, Söderholm is a very experienced and intelligent hockey player. He does things the right way and doesn't make many mistakes. He can make very clever passes in all zones to advance the attack and has a pretty good slap-shot too. He's solid without the puck as well, and very good on the power-play. Can kill penalties too, and doesn't take many. He's gotten slower and lost some mass to keep up over the years, but I have no doubt he's going to be effective in DEL.
Then there's Pikkarainen. He was a very highly touted prospect in his day. At one point it was thought he would become what Söderholm is today -- a star, a leader, a legend. That never happened, though not because he lacked talent. He's a great skater and plays with a lot of offensive flair. He's a good passer, and shoots well and often. However his work ethic is known to be quite poor, and he makes many mistakes and poor choices. Expect turnovers, defensive lapses and occasional flashes of brilliance. When properly utilised and motivated, he can be dominant, but that's not something you can count on. Most likely the best role would be as a power-play specialist with sheltered minutes otherwise.
