WJC: Finland 2020 Roster Talk

[JabbaJabba]

So Puistola is going to make it after all, that should be good news. Such a shame that Lundell won't be there. Defence is dope and offence should be capable. Now it's up to the coaching staff to make it work.

 

[Statsy]

So Puistola is going to make it after all, that should be good news. Such a shame that Lundell won't be there. Defence is dope and offence should be capable. Now it's up to the coaching staff to make it work.

I’m a little surprised he’s on the roster having just watched video of the hit... and him being taken off on a stretcher. It was a pretty brutal play.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

So Puistola is going to make it after all, that should be good news. Such a shame that Lundell won't be there. Defence is dope and offence should be capable. Now it's up to the coaching staff to make it work.

I told you guys Lundell won't U20 WJC's this year due to that elbow injury.
But no-one didn't believe that it is really annoying to be right.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

So no Lundell and Nordgren.
I really don't know will i watch any Finland's U20 WJC games this year.
Time will tell how much Lundell's draft stock drops due to miss U20 WJC's because of elbow injury.

 

[FinPanda]

I told you guys Lundell won't U20 WJC's this year due to that elbow injury.
But no-one didn't believe that it is really annoying to be right.

Its not we didn't believe. We just wished it wasn't as serious as it was. Its never wrong to wish good things. Optimism isn't a bad thing.

You misunderstood what we were saying to you and you got unnecessarily mad about us not being so negative and having hope.

 

[FinPanda]

Happy to see Puistola on the roster.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

So no Lundell and Nordgren.
I really don't know will i watch any Finland's U20 WJC games this year.
Time will tell how much Lundell's draft stock drops due to miss U20 WJC's because of elbow injury.

Didn't seem to affect Kotkaniemi. And he already has gold.

 

[FinPanda]

So no Lundell and Nordgren.
I really don't know will i watch any Finland's U20 WJC games this year.
Time will tell how much Lundell's draft stock drops due to miss U20 WJC's because of elbow injury.

It won't drop at all. It could've rose because of this tournament but definitely won't drop.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Best D on paper. Annunen is the best goalie of the tournament.
That group of forwards look surprisingly good , even with few players missing from the games.

 

[FinPanda]

Best D on paper. Annunen is the best goalie of the tournament.
That group of forwards look surprisingly good , even with few players missing from the games.

Yea the forwards look okay, probably no-names for some people, but there are some good Liiga production behind the names.

 

[Kent Nilsson]

I thought Nordgren was okay ?

Its not we didn't believe. We just wished it wasn't as serious as it was. Its never wrong to wish good things. Optimism isn't a bad thing.

You misunderstood what we were saying to you and you got unnecessarily mad about us not being so negative and having hope.

Why do you bother with this guy...

 

[FinPanda]

I thought Nordgren was okay ?



Why do you bother with this guy...

Nordgren hasn't played much so they probably wanted him to stay home or something..

And I'm not sure why I bother. He doesn't seem like a guy who reads the messages and answers he gets, or if he does he just doesn't understand them.

 

[Hockeyfrilla]

delete

 

[king89]

My team:

Maccelli- Kupari -Ranta
Killinen- Tanus/Kivenmäki -Puistola
Räty- Räty -Haatanen
Saarela- Petman -Erholtz

Heinola - Thomson
Seppälä - Honka
Utunen - Nousiainen
Kokkonen

Annunen
Patrikainen

I think Ranta will surprise and take a top 6 role.

 

[Svedu]

I´m quite chocked by this some what overoptimistic tone here. I don´t believe this team will win more than a bronze medal at tops, and that´s not bad after a gold. Without Lundell this team loses it´s real power. Winning team always need two superior centers. This team will have one great center, while the rest should be considered good-decent.
Räty is a great talent, but i´m not sure that we have enough killer instincts on the forward side this year. I would only consider Maccelli and Kupari as potential top forwards in the future, yeah and Aatu of course, but i´m not convinced he´s elite at this level, not yet. Puistola coming back from an injury can make it difficult for him and that´s understandable. No, this group of forwards are not the best in this tournament. Not top three. Hopefully players like Ranta can step up a bit and i really hope Saarela showcases something better than last years WJC-18´s. Kivenmäki, Haatanen etc will be interesting to follow because i´m not sure they will have a good tournament.

Annunen is really good, but Russia have two great goalies as well and Spencer Knight is no question mark either. Actually, many countries will have top goalies in this tournament. Dostal and Alnefelt are great as well.
Therefor i would not consider us being better than others, just because this years WJC has a big amount of promising goalies.

I´m not sure i would choose some of these wingers before Leevi on a fourth line. Even if his numbers this year has been underwhelming. Rindell not making it is a surprise for me. I wanted to see him on a second PP-unit. Then we would of had two good shooters in Thomson and Rindell.
Can someone please guess and tell me how Raipe and his staff thought?

Good roster yes, but nothing to hype up before we see how they play together and how Raipe can coach them.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Didn't seem to affect Kotkaniemi. And he already has gold.

2018 draft wasn't as talent loaded like 2020 draft will be that's the difference.
Lucas Raymond will take care of that Finland's 4yrs streak of TOP3 draft picks will end next June.
Lundell is more TOP10 / TOP15 pick than TOP3 / TOP5 pick.

 

[MattiasSnall]

2018 draft wasn't as talent loaded like 2020 draft will be that's the difference.
Lucas Raymond will take care of that Finland's 4yrs streak of TOP3 draft picks will end next June.
Lundell is more TOP10 / TOP15 pick than TOP3 / TOP5 pick.

I still think Lundell is heavily underrated by some here on the board, he has good numbers, is the best defensive player amongst forwards but still is not regarded a top prospect because he isn’t as flashy offensively as others. He is one of the smartest players in this draft and probably the most mature in the draft. Definitely a top 5 prospect according to me.

 

[JabbaJabba]

I´m quite chocked by this some what overoptimistic tone here. I don´t believe this team will win more than a bronze medal at tops, and that´s not bad after a gold. Without Lundell this team loses it´s real power. Winning team always need two superior centers. This team will have one great center, while the rest should be considered good-decent.

Annunen is really good, but Russia have two great goalies as well and Spencer Knight is no question mark either. Actually, many countries will have top goalies in this tournament. Dostal and Alnefelt are great as well.
Therefor i would not consider us being better than others, just because this years WJC has a big amount of promising goalies.

Good roster yes, but nothing to hype up before we see how they play together and how Raipe can coach them.

My biggest worry is the coaching staff followed by offence as they are missing Lundell, and Nordgren could have been great too but I understand why they chose not to have him. The defence is great, one of the most promising ones Finland has had IMO and I think they can contribute greatly in the offensive zone depending on how they are utilized. Yeah, the roster isn't a world breaker and going into the tournament people probably pick Canada and USA and possible other rosters before Finland but when has Finland had the top roster going into the tournament.

I do agree that this year there seems to be a lot of good goaltenders and I don't think Finland dominates this position and we just have to see, how all these players perform. Someone is bound to disappoint. Annunen should succeed behind that defence better than for example Dostal who probably won't get much help from Czech defence.

While having a couple of good centers would be nice, I don't necessarily agree that they can't succeed without them. That 2014 championship team didn't have any superior centers Finland U20 at eliteprospects.com and to think that that roster won gold makes me optimistic of what this year's roster could do.

 

[Svedu]

My biggest worry is the coaching staff followed by offence as they are missing Lundell, and Nordgren could have been great too but I understand why they chose not to have him. The defence is great, one of the most promising ones Finland has had IMO and I think they can contribute greatly in the offensive zone depending on how they are utilized. Yeah, the roster isn't a world breaker and going into the tournament people probably pick Canada and USA and possible other rosters before Finland but when has Finland had the top roster going into the tournament.

I do agree that this year there seems to be a lot of good goaltenders and I don't think Finland dominates this position and we just have to see, how all these players perform. Someone is bound to disappoint. Annunen should succeed behind that defence better than for example Dostal who probably won't get much help from Czech defence.

While having a couple of good centers would be nice, I don't necessarily agree that they can't succeed without them. That 2014 championship team didn't have any superior centers Finland U20 at eliteprospects.com and to think that that roster won gold makes me optimistic of what this year's roster could do.

Yeah, Lundell seems a bit underrated by some or even many. I mean what more can you want? He´s been a leading player in two gold winning teams. He has contributed and not been there as an alibi. The kid has two years with impressive stats against pros. To not pick him at top 6-7 is nothing but wrong. But then again, i do think franchises should really focus on picking the best player for them, not always the consensus best player.


"but when has Finland had the top roster going into the tournament."

Well, that´s just plain wrong to be honest. Last years roster was much more impressive on the forward side and i was expecting a medal. Gold was not a surprise then, while it would be a upset this year. I mean come on, we had players like Kupari, Kakko, Lundell, Heponiemi, Talvitie, Tolvanen and the list goes on. Once again, to compare this years roster against last years and claim that it´s even is nothing but a lie. Ylönen and Puustinen was like 3-4 line wingers and on this years roster they would have been top-6 wingers easily.
I wrote it before and i´ll write it again: Maccelli and Kupari are the only ones on this group of forwards who stand out.

You are hyping the D´s too much in my opinion. They are good but have you forgotten how good Vaakanainen, Laaksonen and Jokiharju was last year? I believe Vaakanainen is better on defending than anyone from this years roster. He has always been mobile, calm and a two-way kind of a player. Laaksonen and Jokiharju were great puck holders as well.
Luukkonen and Annunen are both great so yeah, to sum it up? The D could be on the same level as last years, the goalie too, but the forwards? Forget about it.

The 2014 gold winning team believed in Kivis philosophy. They played like this years mens. Teräväinen was the best player in that tournament and he was nothing but magic. Almost the best performance i´ve seen on that level from a finn. He was a true leader and carried that team. Meanwhile many of those players has succeeded somewhat and were no amateurs. Two great goalies in Saros and Husso. Saros performances was like Luukkonens final games, that says a lot. He was a wall in net. Players like Lehkonen, Ristolainen, Honka, Lehtonen, Lindell, Pokka & Haapala are pretty decent. Then you had a guy like Mäenalanen who hade a sick tournament and built a chemistry with the wizard Teräväinen.
Some of these players were almost better as prospects in my opinion. I think Lehkonen never reached his full potential in Montreal and Honka in Dallas is nothing but an disappointment for me.

Let´s see how it pans out. I´m already excited because i believe this years tournament could have bit more of an even competition.

 

[JabbaJabba]

Yeah, Lundell seems a bit underrated by some or even many. I mean what more can you want? He´s been a leading player in two gold winning teams. He has contributed and not been there as an alibi. The kid has two years with impressive stats against pros. To not pick him at top 6-7 is nothing but wrong. But then again, i do think franchises should really focus on picking the best player for them, not always the consensus best player.

I believe that Lundell goes somewhere between 5th and 10th. If he falls out of the top 10, then some team is going to be very happy drafting him and getting a steal in the first round. I don't think missing this tournament should hurt Lundell's draft situation much. He already has two gold medals from u18 and u20 and has done well in FEL. Scouts would have to have really bad memory to ignore his past accomplishments.

"but when has Finland had the top roster going into the tournament."

Well, that´s just plain wrong to be honest. Last years roster was much more impressive on the forward side and i was expecting a medal. Gold was not a surprise then, while it would be a upset this year. I mean come on, we had players like Kupari, Kakko, Lundell, Heponiemi, Talvitie, Tolvanen and the list goes on. Once again, to compare this years roster against last years and claim that it´s even is nothing but a lie. Ylönen and Puustinen was like 3-4 line wingers and on this years roster they would have been top-6 wingers easily.
I wrote it before and i´ll write it again: Maccelli and Kupari are the only ones on this group of forwards who stand out.

I did not say that this year's team is better than or as good as last year's so don't say I told a lie when I didn't say that. I was talking about going into a tournament and comparing rosters with other countries Finland is rarely the favourite. Last year USA and Canada had impressive rosters and I think both were rated higher than Finland. Finns like you said were not complete underdogs so the gold wasn't that shocking as it was in 2014, but I don't think they were the favourites either.

You are hyping the D´s too much in my opinion. They are good but have you forgotten how good Vaakanainen, Laaksonen and Jokiharju was last year? I believe Vaakanainen is better on defending than anyone from this years roster. He has always been mobile, calm and a two-way kind of a player. Laaksonen and Jokiharju were great puck holders as well.
Luukkonen and Annunen are both great so yeah, to sum it up? The D could be on the same level as last years, the goalie too, but the forwards? Forget about it.

I agree with everything you say here. The forwards were much better last year and therefore roster overall was better, but I believe that if this year they utilize those smart and mobile defencemen to defend and to move on the offence, they could really help Annunen and help the offence by starting quick attacks. It's up to the coaching staff to make it work but I do see potiential with the roster.

The 2014 gold winning team believed in Kivis philosophy. They played like this years mens. Teräväinen was the best player in that tournament and he was nothing but magic. Almost the best performance i´ve seen on that level from a finn. He was a true leader and carried that team. Meanwhile many of those players has succeeded somewhat and were no amateurs. Two great goalies in Saros and Husso. Saros performances was like Luukkonens final games, that says a lot. He was a wall in net. Players like Lehkonen, Ristolainen, Honka, Lehtonen, Lindell, Pokka & Haapala are pretty decent. Then you had a guy like Mäenalanen who hade a sick tournament and built a chemistry with the wizard Teräväinen.
Some of these players were almost better as prospects in my opinion. I think Lehkonen never reached his full potential in Montreal and Honka in Dallas is nothing but an disappointment for me.

Yeah that team did great but going into the tournament the roster wasn't that special and didn't have two great centers. Of course in hindsight it is easy to say that Mäenalanen was great but we could see similar or better performance by some players from this year's team. We'll have to see how this plays out this time.

 

[stickty111]

Hey guys, do you guys think Kokkonen has a good chance to make the team? I ask because he hasn't had a great start in Liga.

 

[FinPanda]

Hey guys, do you guys think Kokkonen has a good chance to make the team? I ask because he hasn't had a great start in Liga.

Absolutely. I think he should be a lock but we'll see.

 

[Czechboy]

The best part of your team announcement.. other than that it's early and you can get skating... almost all of your players are in Finland playing. Very jealous of that kind of development as the Czechs are inviting players from about every conceivable league in the world.. Q, WHL, OHL, USHL, Extraliga, Finnish Liiga etc. It's so much better when the coaches, management and players are near each other.

As far as predictions.. any of the Big 5 can win any tournament and I won't be surprised. I always think it is a bad idea to go against Canada due to sheer volume of amazing players. However, it is big ice (I think), in Europe and most your team plays in Europe on big ice. Could be a big advantage.

 

[57special]

Ranta's game is starting to come together again in the NCAA. When I first saw him last year I thought he was going to be a star, then he stuttered his way through the last part of last season, and even the beginning of this season. I now expect less from him, but he's returning to form....sort of a poor mans Rantanen.

Good speed, shot, and strength. He's got the athleticism.

 

[Kent Nilsson]

Whats up with Annunens injury ?