WJC: 2016 — Finland Roster Talk
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He's a Liiga regular who constantly clocks big minutes with his club team, plus he's been solid in the practice tournaments.
Whether he'll ever be anything more than a FEL regular I can't say. Other guys may have higher ceilings. But as far as this WJC goes, it's quite enough to take on the competition thrown at him.
He is decent player with good leader qualities. What i have seen, he is always right place in right time in defensive, but he has also still room to grow in offensive, but he hasn't show that side on his play this year much. He can be good D-men in few years NHL level, but he has lot to do to reach that level.
kelsier
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Geez, the team is stacked offensively. Definately a bit suprised to see Vaakanainen there. Knowing how much potential he has, I'm close to hoping he'd make it through the cuts while obviously the odds are against it.
The team has never had this much scoring potential, not ever. I'd prefer to see Laine and Rantanen playing in one unit from the get go and develope chemistry. Both are huge guys and Rantanen's ability to skate, protect and feed the puck would be exactly what Laine needs. There are so many options I'm rather sure the staff is puzzled what to do with them all. Then there are guys like Puljujärvi and Saarela that should be more than capable netting goals in this level, especially if there's Aho feeding the puck and being the two way guy. Another note is having Kapanen being more of a luxury than a necessity at this point. Hopefully the AHL experience has lifted him to the next level and he will be better all around guy than he was before, rather than trying to do things on his own in a team that really doesn't need a solo artist.
Can't say other than being thrilled for the WJC. Time to start counting the days!
The team has never had this much scoring potential, not ever. I'd prefer to see Laine and Rantanen playing in one unit from the get go and develope chemistry. Both are huge guys and Rantanen's ability to skate, protect and feed the puck would be exactly what Laine needs. There are so many options I'm rather sure the staff is puzzled what to do with them all. Then there are guys like Puljujärvi and Saarela that should be more than capable netting goals in this level, especially if there's Aho feeding the puck and being the two way guy. Another note is having Kapanen being more of a luxury than a necessity at this point. Hopefully the AHL experience has lifted him to the next level and he will be better all around guy than he was before, rather than trying to do things on his own in a team that really doesn't need a solo artist.
Can't say other than being thrilled for the WJC. Time to start counting the days!
And then, of course, there are Hintz, Repo and Nättinen who are nothing to scoff at either.
Matter of fact, as much as Laine and Puljujärvi are hyped, they're not the ones I expect to be the 'big men' in this team, at least in the metaphorical sense.
In my book, our five most important forwards, in the order of prominence, are: 1. Rantanen, 2. Aho, 3. Hintz, 4. Kapanen, 5. Repo. They are the ones who need bring the meat to the table if we are to go anywhere. Only then do we come to Laine and Pulju, and if they can add any support scoring on top of them, even better.
But yeah, whatever happens, we've never, ever looked this good offensively. In a relative sense, it's our most firepower-laden team ever, across all competitions and age groups. Even any of our men's olympic teams haven't looked this good going into a tournament.
Personally I'm not even worried about our defense. Yeah, as individuals, you can't call them very good. But neither are they very bad, or even "somewhat" bad. The correct word to describe them is "decent", or "adequate". And Finland has shown a number of times, again across all age groups, that you don't need a defense full of Norris candidates to be effective. All you need is a bunch of humble guys who buy into the game plan and execute the system to a tee.
It's such a simple thing really - stay under the puck, don't let the opposition get man advantage rushes, steer the shots into 'easy' sectors and make sure the goalie sees the puck at all times. It's not winning us any style points, but there's still beauty in its simplicity. Any scrub who's made it into Liiga knows how to play that game. And the guys we have have already made it.
Finally, goalies. They're good. We have two men's league starters with great stats. 'Nuff said.
...boy am I waiting for this thing. Perhaps more than Christmas itself.
HockeyHistorian
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It's hard to not get excited. I just hope the puck bounces their way right from the start and that especially the most important scorers get a few in early games. Gotta love the firepower we have (at least on paper): Laine, Repo, Puljujärvi, Saarijärvi and even the newfound shoot-first Saarela are such great weapons to have on the man advantage. Add to that players like Rantanen, Nättinen, Aho and Kapanen and you *should* have enough skill and firepower to go all the way.
I just hope that the youngsters are able to perform under the immense hype and pressure of the home tournament.
That said, I'm so glad that it is YLE that is broadcasting these games. And that I bought tickets to the Finland - Russia and the Czechoslovakia game
I just hope that the youngsters are able to perform under the immense hype and pressure of the home tournament.
That said, I'm so glad that it is YLE that is broadcasting these games. And that I bought tickets to the Finland - Russia and the Czechoslovakia game
I understand your point here, but I think Laine has to be on that top 5. Even though he is younger than Kapanen and Repo, when we need goals in key moments, Laine is the one that Jalonen will be counting on. As said couple of post above, Kapanen is a luxury player at this point. If he makes an impact, great. If not, we have other guys. And Repo hasn't basically done anything on the National Team level, so I'm not sure how much can be expected from him.
It's going to be very intresting to see how Jalonen will manage the line up. There are so many options that it's actually quite hard to say which lines would definitely be the best ones.
I'm putting Repo ahead of Laine because 1. He's older, 2. His Liiga showings are more impressive, and 3. His NT stats can be excused because he was only put in a position to succeed in the latest practice tournament, after he started ripping it up in Liiga. Before that, he was hardly penned down as more than another 4th line hopeful.
If Laine can be the man and take the mantle, all the better. But no matter how highly-touted prospect he is, he's still an underager and therefore should not be put in a position where too much depends on him. He has great assets that should be utilized especially on power play, but on those crucial moments when the game is on the line, I initially want to see those five players out there before him, in that order. Laine and Puljujärvi are the ones who must make a case for themselves as to why they deserve it more than some of those five.
This is rather rare: we actually have big guns now, even in abundance. The defence might be bit weak, but then it tends to be it every year - having such an exceptional attack with our customary tight team defence and excellent coaching, this is not bad at all.
God, i hope to see good game @ Lahti pregame.. I just wonder, that is Rantanen going to play 22nd day?
I don't like the way Kapanen's been acting in media in recent years. He's always talking about how HE couldn't bring his A game when it mattered and how HE'S responsible of making those winning play etc etc. He seems so selfish. Nothing wrong with being selfish but I don't see that spirit in Kapanen that I'd like to see. It's okay to be leading player on the team if you really are the leading player.
And can't forget that last WC in Finland. U18 and Kapanen was the captain when team had that embarrassing loss against Sweden. Was it like 10-0? Yes, the swedes had better players but can't accept the way they gave up on that game. Last year WJC in Canada, Kapanen was again in big role. You can't only blame Kasperi that the PP was so bad and the team lost again to Swedes in the big game. But in my opinion he couldn't be the player that he had potential to be.
He's been talking about putting too much pressure on himself to make an impact. And about those scouts in crowd before the draft. Now he's been in North America and finally get away from Kuopio so he's allowed - even encouraged - to play actual hockey. Hopefully this time, his last time as a junior, he'll make an impact and even lead the team to something great. He talked about how now it's the first time he's one of the older players in team and about how he can help younger - like Pulju and Laine - to focus on their own game and play the best they can. And enjoy.
Kapanen is going to be one of the leading players. He's now in the main age group in this tournament and should have an impact in games. Same goes with others like Hintz and Rantanen. Also Nättinen, Aho and Saarela are going to be key players. Must remember that Pulju and Laine are so young after all but it's a big opportunity for them. Team Finland seems to have it all good. Defense could be better (like 2014, wow) but with the game book of Jalonen they can compensate a lot. I'm saying top-3 final position is a must for this team. It's high expectations but they are still the home team so that must be high.
Really hoping that Tuulola could become a leading player to blue line. Vaakanainen (-99) gonna be interesting to follow if he makes the team.
And can't forget that last WC in Finland. U18 and Kapanen was the captain when team had that embarrassing loss against Sweden. Was it like 10-0? Yes, the swedes had better players but can't accept the way they gave up on that game. Last year WJC in Canada, Kapanen was again in big role. You can't only blame Kasperi that the PP was so bad and the team lost again to Swedes in the big game. But in my opinion he couldn't be the player that he had potential to be.
He's been talking about putting too much pressure on himself to make an impact. And about those scouts in crowd before the draft. Now he's been in North America and finally get away from Kuopio so he's allowed - even encouraged - to play actual hockey. Hopefully this time, his last time as a junior, he'll make an impact and even lead the team to something great. He talked about how now it's the first time he's one of the older players in team and about how he can help younger - like Pulju and Laine - to focus on their own game and play the best they can. And enjoy.
Kapanen is going to be one of the leading players. He's now in the main age group in this tournament and should have an impact in games. Same goes with others like Hintz and Rantanen. Also Nättinen, Aho and Saarela are going to be key players. Must remember that Pulju and Laine are so young after all but it's a big opportunity for them. Team Finland seems to have it all good. Defense could be better (like 2014, wow) but with the game book of Jalonen they can compensate a lot. I'm saying top-3 final position is a must for this team. It's high expectations but they are still the home team so that must be high.
Really hoping that Tuulola could become a leading player to blue line. Vaakanainen (-99) gonna be interesting to follow if he makes the team.
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MMANumminen
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FinPanda
Team Finland 2022 WHC champions
kelsier
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As someone already noted, Repo does not have enough international experience to be up there in the talks of top 5 forwards going into the "Worlds". The age argument is understandable, but not enough. Laine is the better player out of the two, not only when talking about the potential, but current ability included. Also if you look at their PPG they are pretty ~similar considering Laine has played less games during the season. If Finland is down to a goal in the end, there is no way Jalonen will leave Laine hanging in the last minutes of the game. There's not a player in the team who can match his ability to finish. We saw what he was able to bring on the table in the Placid and being amongst the top 3 forwards of that tournament. Getting praised by Jalonen only strenghtens of what has been said before.
Also as someone already afterwards underlined, Kapanen is more of a luxury and considering the abysmal last WJC, Jalonen will be very cautios and most likely not automaticly granting him more minutes than needed, especially unless he redeems himself early on. He has 9 points in 15 games in the AHL today, which isn't a whole lot considering the guy already has several years of experience in playing in professional leagues. If Jalonen choses to play Puljujärvi on the same line with Aho due to their shared history and chemistry that may drop Kasperi's stocks big time.
Even though it seems we have 3 lines that all are capable of producing I see it very likely that both Repo and Kapanen may not fit in the two PP units (though there's always the possibility of using 4 forwards and 1 defender).
Rantanen obviously is the biggest and most important player of the punch, followed by Aho and Laine. Afterwards it becomes more complicated and debatable.
Laine and Puljujärvi will both have big roles in this tournament, instead of being complimentary players or "support" cast. However, if the latter doesn't bring it, there's a very good chance he will be replaced by someone who has shown more. I'm not personally that much worried of the production related talks regarding Puljujärvi in the Liga as these are not adult games. His size and skating alone brings so much advantage against the peers that he should be able to succeed a great deal.
Having the logjam on the wings is only a good thing overall. Otherwise I agree on about the most what you stated before.
It's a little odd that I have so much more trust in Puljujarvi and Laine who are both only 17, When Kasperi Kapanen is 19 and I dont know if he can deliver. Hopefully Kapanen has matured a bit and can play a TEAM game this year, if Kapanen under preforms not just Statistically but effort wise also, Jalonen will pull the plug and he won't be on the ice in critical moments.
We have to point out that it's the 96's and 97's first and foremost that we should rely on. Rantanen,Kapanen and Aho leading the way. Then there's Hintz, Saarela and Nättinen. As for Laine+Puljujärvi, hopefully we see some timely goals from them but the biggest pressure to perform is on Rantanen,Kapanen and Aho.
Little offtopic but lets not forget the Kapanen 96 age group kickstarted theyre International junior career by winning the Youth Olympics 2012 in Insbruck. 4 players from that roster now made it to their age groups main event WJC selection camp those are Kasperi Kapanen, Kaapo Kähkönen, Eetu Sopanen and Joni Tuulola. So they started on high note and can finish on high note.
Now, you seem to think that "importance" equals "scoring", which is not the case - otherwise I wouldn't, for example, have Aho at #2 on the list. No, I was talking about fitness in all situations, not only scoring, but bringing it all in both zones and leading by example. And Repo deserves to be on that list exactly whete I placed him, because he perhaps our 2nd most multifaceted forward after Aho.
Laine is an excellent scorer, and therefore he needs to be utilized in a manner where he concentrate on exactly that and nothing else. He is good for PP like I said myself and yeah, I want to see him out there too when chasing a goal, but asking him to be one of the leading players on the team, someone who does it all... not so much. And same goes for Puljujärvi.
So, I repeat, what we need is...
1. Rantanen - to be a monster whenever he's on the ice.
2. Aho - to be a Swiss army knife of a player who brings solid two-way play.
3. Hintz - to be the leading playmaker.
4. Kapanen - to fully utilize the skills and experience he has.
5. Repo - to be the secondary utility guy.
And then we need... Laine and Puljujärvi to further build on the foundations set up by the preceding five and finish the play whenever they can. However, should they not always succeed in that, we're still in a decent position if the older players just do their jobs. Because then they can afford to fail from time to time.
Matter of fact, as far as pure scoring goes, we don't even have to discuss who should get the best position to succeed in that. We have six great wingers and three good centermen, so no matter which way one mixes them (and how the line numberings go), they're all going to get roughly equal minutes and no one needs to play with scrubs.
kelsier
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Not sure wether we have watched the same games or not, but still the list is somewhat questionable even on the terms (need & importance) as you've put it.
1) Rantanen - no real argument there
2) Aho - could be said the same (while an argument can be made for Laine)
3) Hintz - well, this guy has missed half of the season. He isn't the best playmaker in the team (that credit goes to Rantanen). I wouldn't even use the term playmaker when it comes to Hintz. He has very good 2 way ability and a motor added with size, but he isn't the guy that runs plays, at all
4) Kapanen - shouldn't be on the list even on terms of importance. Age is a factor but he leaves too much to be desired for at the moment and brings in too many question marks, as he has before
5) Repo - is able to play a very good two way game. Adds age, skill and size. Was this an average to good team, then propably. But Finland will have a core of forwards that has never been seen before. So no, he isn't top 5 when it comes down to need
You are severely underestimating Laine's ability to play two way game. He has taken strides in every aspect of hockey compared to previous seasons. Someone not having him on the list of the most important forwards at this moment is not having a clear enough picture about his overall game. Laine isn't all about scoring even when it obviously is his biggest asset. He is very much capable of setting up plays, using his body in all zones and not being a liability in the back end.
If I had to pick at this given moment who'd I'd rather have in the team between Puljujärvi and Kapanen I would go for the first without much hesitation. Should he be on the list? Who knows. But I'm fully expecting Puljujärvi to bring his game to another level in the WJC.
Anyway, we will find out soon enough who are the players carrying the team forward, won't we?
Jussi
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He's playing in the AHL on the 25th (Avs insisted that he play that game) so he'll most likely miss the first game.
It's not about what Laine is and what he isn't. It's just the simple fact that traditionally, having underagers to be the leading players in these tournaments have left people wanting. If someone like McDavid was considered supporting cast in his first tournament, I think it's a bit too much to ask a guy like Laine to be one of the leading men.
Like I said, if he can be that, good for us, but if Jalonen is smart, he's gonna create an environment where Laine and Puljujärvi can play to their strengths without having to worry too much about leading by example. It's the way one is going to get the most out of them.
And what comes to Kapanen, I think he's getting a tad too much crap for his showings. (But of course, not being able to see the forest from the trees is another HFBoards mainstay.) Let's keep in mind that he's got good tournaments on his belt too, like the U16 Olympics and his first U18 WC. When he has failed, such as that other U18 foray under Urama and last year's WJC, pretty much the entire team has failed too. That's merely two bad tournaments under rather inept coaching... and on the other side of the scale, he's got two good ones too. Not to mention we never got to know how he would have done in the final team under Kivi. So the odds are he isn't a born failure, just high maintenance who needs good management that knows how to utilize him, bit like Olli Jokinen. Sort him out right, and he'll be far more valuable to this team than a pair of underagers.
And if there's someone who should be able to solve that puzzle, it's Jalonen.
FinPanda
Team Finland 2022 WHC champions
That's an error. They don't have game after 21.12 before 26.12, so he will come after 21.12 game. Obviously he won't play an AHL game at 26.12 when the tournament starts.
http://theahl.com/stats/schedule.php?date=2015-12-21
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