Team Finland @ 2014 WJC

[Gaps]

I thought the offensive game was fine, as was the goaltending (although I'm not sure how much it has to do with NT coaching), but overall the defensive game by the defensemen still requires work. I felt that for the most part they were too passive near our own net and allowed the other team to hold onto the puck instead of putting them under pressure. Many times they were practically just standing there and ended up getting front row seats to a goal scored on Saros/Korpisalo.

There's also a lack of hands in the offense after a select few forwards, but there isn't much Kivi can do about that. More firepower is more than welcome, making Saarela a likely candidate for the final team if he can make things happen in Lüga this season.

Aside from the obvious forwards, I liked H. Ikonen's game. Big, strong kid who works hard, hits and is willing to go to the dirty areas. I didn't see a particularly good pair of hands, but I think he's an upgrade to Nykopp.

 

[edd1e]

U20 Team Finland roster announced to small tourney in Rovaniemi in late August:

Team Finland:

Goalies:
33 Oskari Setänen, Lukko
35 Janne Juvonen, Pelicans

Defence:
3 Esa Lindell, Jokerit
8 Mika Ilvonen, Blues
34 Mikko Lehtonen, TuTo
36 Markus Nutivaara, Kärpät
47 Santeri Saari, Jokerit
57 Victor Westermarck, Tappara
58 Vilho Virmavirta, Tappara
59 Sebastian Kauppila, Jokipojat

Forwards:
10 Aleksi Mustonen, Jokerit
15 Samu Markkula, JYP
21 Otto Rauhala, Tappara
37 Joonas Huovinen, Lukko
38 Saku Kinnunen, KalPa
39 Jesse Paukku, Jokipojat
40 Lassi Niemenmaa, Tappara
41 Aleksi Rutanen, Blues
42 Topi Nättinen, JYP
51 Felix Westermarck, Blues
53 Mikko Virtanen, KooKoo
54 Joose Antonen, JYP

Other countries participating are: Sweden, Russia and Czech

Pretty unknown group.. I mean arent these guys suppose to be gelling together already..?

 

[Tormentor]

Pretty unknown group.. I mean arent these guys suppose to be gelling together already..?

Russia has a few big names coming to the tournament, but the Swedes and the Czechs will field a B team just like Finland. Bad timing for an event like this, top players are having important pre-season games with their club teams and some guys are already in North America.

 

[edd1e]

Olli Määttä might get 9 games in NHL this season. That tells me that Finland has come a long way with juniors because we might have a player in our u20 team who has NHL experience.

Right now i'd put the D as following:

Olli Määttä - Juuso Vainio
Ville Pokka - Julius Honka
Mikko Vainonen - Esa Lindell
Niklas Tikkinen

Actually feels like i missed someone..?

 

[Jussi]

Olli Määttä might get 9 games in NHL this season. That tells me that Finland has come a long way with juniors because we might have a player in our u20 team who has NHL experience.

Right now i'd put the D as following:

Olli Määttä - Juuso Vainio
Ville Pokka - Julius Honka
Mikko Vainonen - Esa Lindell
Niklas Tikkinen

Actually feels like i missed someone..?

Ristolainen. Though if he continues his pre-season performance level, he might not be available.

 

[edd1e]

There's a big change that he's not available.

 

[JJTT]

Olli Määttä might get 9 games in NHL this season. That tells me that Finland has come a long way with juniors because we might have a player in our u20 team who has NHL experience.

Right now i'd put the D as following:

Olli Määttä - Juuso Vainio
Ville Pokka - Julius Honka
Mikko Vainonen - Esa Lindell
Niklas Tikkinen

Actually feels like i missed someone..?

Karri Kivi spoke very highly of Mikke Levo when he was a Nelonen's studio guy on Ilves game so i'd imagine he will be on the team over Lindell.

Also i think there is no change Ristolainen is available, given how well he has played on the pre-season. Määttä will probably go back to London when Letang is healthy.

So something like


Määttä-Pokka
Vainonen-Honka
Levo-Vainio
Tikkinen

Tikkinen can also play as a forward so he is the ideal guy for 7th d-man role

Goalies also look great as we have 3 guys who are sm-liiga regulars with Setänen,Saros and Juvonen

 

[bebl]

Goalies also look great as we have 3 guys who are sm-liiga regulars with Setänen,Saros and Juvonen

+ Husso who have taken n1 goalie spot in HIFK.

 

[Reento]

A.Lehkonen-T.Teräväinen-K.Kapanen
H.Haapala-H.Ikonen-J.Ikonen
M.Rantanen-S.Salminen-A.Rutanen
J.Nikko-A.Saarela-S.Mäenalanen
A.Mustonen/R.Kulmala

O.Määttä-V.Pokka
M.Vainonen-J.Vainio
S.Saari-J.Honka
N.Tikkinen/M.Levo

J.Saros
J.Korpisalo
V.Husso/J.Juvonen

 

[Tormentor]

Right now i'd put the D as following:

Olli Määttä - Juuso Vainio
Ville Pokka - Julius Honka
Mikko Vainonen - Esa Lindell
Niklas Tikkinen

Actually feels like i missed someone..?

It'll be interesting to see what our D will look like if both Ristolainen and Määttä are unavailable. I'm guessing there are a good number of guys that aren’t that far from making the team if both of those spots open up. Some of the following guys probably aren't viable options for the coaches, but the wealth of possibilities is nonetheless quite obvious.

Ville Pokka, Juuso Vainio, Esa Lindell, Niklas Tikkinen, Mikke Levo and Valtteri Parikka have played in 1üga this season. Mikko Vainonen, Julius Honka and Alex Lintuniemi are pretty good players that we have in North America. Mikko Lehtonen, Santeri Saari, Atte Mäkinen, Victor Westermarck, Vilho Virmavirta and Sebastian Kauppila are some of the guys that have played in Mestis this season. Then there's two wild cards in Aleksi Mäkelä and Markus Nutivaara. Mäkelä was ahead of Mikke Levo in Ilves' depth chart before his wrist injury, apparently he should return to games in a month or so. Nutivaara played with Kärpät during European Trophy and was a 1st pairing D for the U20 national team at their tournament in Rovaniemi. That's 17 guys in addition to Ristolainen and Määttä.

 

[edd1e]

It'll be interesting to see what our D will look like if both Ristolainen and Määttä are unavailable. I'm guessing there are a good number of guys that aren’t that far from making the team if both of those spots open up. Some of the following guys probably aren't viable options for the coaches, but the wealth of possibilities is nonetheless quite obvious.

Ville Pokka, Juuso Vainio, Esa Lindell, Niklas Tikkinen, Mikke Levo and Valtteri Parikka have played in 1üga this season. Mikko Vainonen, Julius Honka and Alex Lintuniemi are pretty good players that we have in North America. Mikko Lehtonen, Santeri Saari, Atte Mäkinen, Victor Westermarck, Vilho Virmavirta and Sebastian Kauppila are some of the guys that have played in Mestis this season. Then there's two wild cards in Aleksi Mäkelä and Markus Nutivaara. Mäkelä was ahead of Mikke Levo in Ilves' depth chart before his wrist injury, apparently he should return to games in a month or so. Nutivaara played with Kärpät during European Trophy and was a 1st pairing D for the U20 national team at their tournament in Rovaniemi. That's 17 guys in addition to Ristolainen and Määttä.

Good depth right now at D. Määttä would be superb to have and big chance that he will play in OHL just because of the huge depth/contracts that Penguins have in their D.

Without Määttä and Ristolainen i'd see Ville Pokka, Mikko Vainonen, Juuso Vainio, Julius Honka as strong candidate's to make the team. After that i'm not sure.. mayby Niklas Tikkinen and Esa Lindell. I'm really boring with these picks, there might some upset pick.. A guy like Nutivaara or Virmavirta.

How do you see Karri Kivi play the D? Is it going to be similar to the mens team with 8 D or..?

 

[Tormentor]

I'm really boring with these picks, there might some upset pick.. A guy like Nutivaara or Virmavirta.

Nutivaara needs tough games against men, transfer to Mestis is a minimum requirement. That Tappara/LeKi trio of Mäkinen, Westermarck and Virmavirta is an interesting one, would be nice to know which one Kivi likes the best.

How do you see Karri Kivi play the D? Is it going to be similar to the mens team with 8 D or..?

He used 8 D's in Rovaniemi, but it's not that uncommon to see that in shorter tournaments. Otherwise I have no idea, but I hope he goes with the 7-13 split. Loosing one of the forwards to an injury or suspension can hurt the team relatively baldly when they go with the 8-12 split.

 

[Gaps]

Pending anything dramatic, looks like we should run a goalie duo of Saros/Husso. Husso is a bit of a surprise name here, but he has done well in the Lüga and should make for a decent backup. Korpisalo or Juvonen can be the 3rd goalie.

Kivi should be prepared for the possibility that neither Ristolainen or Määttä will be participating in the tournament. Even if their teams would be willing to let them, their possible Olympic participation can put a damper on that plan. Erkka and Kivi should decide together whether it would be sensible to drag the boys across the Atlantic twice in over just two months.

 

[Jussi]

Pending anything dramatic, looks like we should run a goalie duo of Saros/Husso. Husso is a bit of a surprise name here, but he has done well in the Lüga and should make for a decent backup. Korpisalo or Juvonen can be the 3rd goalie.

Kivi should be prepared for the possibility that neither Ristolainen or Määttä will be participating in the tournament. Even if their teams would be willing to let them, their possible Olympic participation can put a damper on that plan. Erkka and Kivi should decide together whether it would be sensible to drag the boys across the Atlantic twice in over just two months.

Both would be more familiar with the rinks and playing style of the national team were they to play in both tournaments.

 

[Gaps]

Both would be more familiar with the rinks and playing style of the national team were they to play in both tournaments.

On the other hand it's a long trip and this is not the offseason. You can get worn out more easily when you're in the middle of the season. It is more important for them to be in good shape for the Olympics (should they be going there) than playing in the WJC.

 

[edd1e]

I think Määttä might be ready for the Olympics, but not Ristolainen. Anyway if they both stay in NHL (which seems like a strong case) they're not going to play in WJC.

Does anyone know what's the deal with Ristolainen, is there even remotely big possibility for him to be sent to TPS?

Also what's the update on our D here in Finland? Ville Pokka is doing fine, but Niklas Tikkinen has been sent down to Mestis. Juuso Vainio has played less than others in HPK..

 

[JJTT]

Does anyone know what's the deal with Ristolainen, is there even remotely big possibility for him to be sent to TPS?

He wont be sent back to TPS since first year of his entry level contract was used when he played his 10th game last night.

 

[Jussi]

On the other hand it's a long trip and this is not the offseason. You can get worn out more easily when you're in the middle of the season. It is more important for them to be in good shape for the Olympics (should they be going there) than playing in the WJC.

Their clubs could scratch them healthy so they'd have enough time to adjust to time differences.

 

[JJTT]

u20 team for 8.11-10.11 tournament in Russia (Pokka,Saros,Salminen resting H.Ikonen,Honka,Vainonen playing in chl)

Maalivahdit:
30 Ville Husso, HIFK
35 Janne Juvonen, Pelicans

Puolustajat:
4 Niklas Tikkinen, Blues
5 Juuso Vainio, HPK
6 Atte Mäkinen, Tappara
7 Esa Lindell, Jokerit
34 Mikko Lehtonen, TuTo
47 Santeri Saari, K-Vantaa
49 Valtteri Parikka, Ässät
58 Vilho Virmavirta, Tappara

Hyökkääjät:
10 Aleksi Mustonen, K-Vantaa
11 Joni Nikko, Lukko
14 Juuso Ikonen, Blues
19 Teuvo Teräväinen, Jokerit
24 Kasperi Kapanen, KalPa
25 Henrik Haapala, Tappara
28 Artturi Lehkonen, KalPa
38 Saku Kinnunen, KalPa
41 Aleksi Rutanen, TuTo
42 Topi Nättinen, JYP
54 Saku Mäenalainen, Kärpät
56 Rasmus Kulmala, TPS

Notable players with u18 and u19 teams

U18:

Mikko Rantanen, TPS
Aleksi Saarela, Lukko
Juho Lammikko, Ässät

U19 challange team:


1 Joonas Korpisalo, Jokerit
32 Oskari Setänen, Lukko

23 Aleksi Mäkelä, Ilves
36 Markus Nutivaara, Kärpät
55 Mikke Levo, Ilves

 

[bebl]

u20 team for 8.11-10.11 tournament in Russia (Pokka,Saros,Salminen resting H.Ikonen,Honka,Vainonen playing in chl)+Tanus


Notable players with u18 and u19 teams

U18:

Mikko Rantanen, TPS
Aleksi Saarela, Lukko
Juho Lammikko, Ässät

U19 challange team:


1 Joonas Korpisalo, Jokerit
32 Oskari Setänen, Lukko

23 Aleksi Mäkelä, Ilves
36 Markus Nutivaara, Kärpät
55 Mikke Levo, Ilves

25 Joose Antonen, JYP
15 Samu Markkula, JYP

i completed your listings

 

[FiLe]

We might be missing some of the best players of the classes that would still be eligible, but luckily our coaching appears to be top notch. Damn do I get all warm and fuzzy inside whenever I hear Kivi talk. We friggin' finally have a guy behind the bench who's taking this gig seriously.

 

[Gaps]

We might be missing some of the best players of the classes that would still be eligible, but luckily our coaching appears to be top notch. Damn do I get all warm and fuzzy inside whenever I hear Kivi talk. We friggin' finally have a guy behind the bench who's taking this gig seriously.

Agreed. Kivi seems very dedicated to the job. Hopefully the boys view him as trustworthy as well. For once, the team has a coach who is willing to expand his horizons and seems to know what he is doing, he is actually making a trip to North America to see how the players there are faring and how they do things there. Compare that to last year when the coaches were apparently too afraid to let Laurikainen play because they had only seen a couple of his games on tape.

 

[FiLe]

Compare that to last year when the coaches were apparently too afraid to let Laurikainen play because they had only seen a couple of his games on tape.

Not to mention all the blatant favoritism going on, which led to the snubbing of Haapala and possibly J.Ikonen as well, and guys like physically underequipped Järveläinen getting a spot. Not to mention Tomek dealing out letters to this own boys left and right.

 

[JJTT]

How have Vilmavirta, Saari and Lehtonen played this year? Can't seem to find their stats anywhere.

 

[bebl]

http://http://www.mestis.fi/index.php/tilastot.html
Lehtonen 1+5
Virmavirta 1+2
How many games they have played? dunno

Read this from jatkoaika: "Illan Anonyymi Sankari - palkinto menee taas Mikko Lehtoselle. Vaihdosta toiseen eleetöntä, varmaa peliä. Hänen pelinsä seuraaminen on iloa silmälle."