Finland is a serious contender in Olympics next year

[Eye of Ra]

Saros
Rask
Rinne

Heiskanen - Lindell
Nutivaara - Ristolainen
Välimäki - Jokiharju
Lehtonen - Määttä

Hintz - Barkov - Rantanen
Teuvo - Aho - Laine
Donskoi - Granlund - Kapanen
Armia - Kotkaniemi - Puljujärvi
Kiviranta - Haula - Kakko

For me its should be obvious for anyone that Finland can take the gold in Olympics. Yet so many people only mention Canada, Russia, USA.

Finland won silver in world cup 2004 and og 2006 and bronze 2014 with teams that on the paper was not top 7, but now they have a team that is top 4 on the paper + great coaching.

Click to read more...

 

[ORRFForever]

Saros
Rask
Rinne

Heiskanen - Lindell
Nutivaara - Ristolainen
Välimäki - Jokiharju
Lehtonen - Määttä

Hintz - Barkov - Rantanen
Teuvo - Aho - Laine
Donskoi - Granlund - Kapanen
Armia - Kotkaniemi - Puljujärvi
Kiviranta - Haula - Kakko

For me its should be obvious for anyone that Finland can take the gold in Olympics. Yet so many people only mention Canada, Russia, USA.

Finland won silver in world cup 2004 and og 2006 and bronze 2014 with teams that on the paper was not top 6, but now they have a team that is top 4 on the paper + great coaching.

Never underestimate the Fins.

 

[llwyd]

Well, with a relatively clearly weaker material, we were already the best playing team in Turin. Though we happened to lose to Sweden in the final - or so I guess, I don't really recall that time very clearly. (I think this might be the very first time I at least partially acknowledge that moment in space-time that I might have maybe shared in this continuum...)

 

[FiLe]

Too early to draw any lineups, but this is the depth pool Finland will likely draw its final 25 from:

Tuukka Rask
Kevin Lankinen
Juuse Saros
Kaapo Kähkönen
Joonas Korpisalo
Antti Raanta

Miro Heiskanen
Esa Lindell
Rasmus Ristolainen
Henri Jokiharju
Jani Hakanpää
Mikko Lehtonen
Juuso Välimäki
Markus Nutivaara
Olli Määttä
Sami Vatanen
Niko Mikkola
Olli Juolevi

Aleksander Barkov
Sebastian Aho
Roope Hintz
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Erik Haula
Juho Lammikko
Eetu Luostarinen
Mikko Rantanen
Patrik Laine
Teuvo Teräväinen
Jesse Puljujärvi
Mikael Granlund
Joonas Donskoi
Kaapo Kakko
Eeli Tolvanen
Kasperi Kapanen
Joel Armia
Janne Kuokkanen
Joel Kiviranta
Artturi Lehkonen
Arttu Ruotsalainen

If I forgot someone, I apologize. Then again, having to make an apology like this is more evidence to the fact that yes, Finland has never had this many world-class options to pick from. And I didn't even count a number of guys who are not quite NHL regulars yet, but could very well break through in the next six months.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Never been more excited about the state of Finnish hockey.

 

[jonlin]

Laine - Barkov - Rantanen
Teräväinen - Aho - Puljujärvi
Kapanen - Hintz - Donskoi
Granlund - Kotkaniemi - Armia

Tolvanen, Lehkonen, Kakko, Haula

Heiskanen - Lindell
Hakanpää - Ristolainen
Nutivaara - Jokiharju
Lehtonen - Määttä

Rask
Saros
Raanta

 

[Arselona]

Great oFfense, the D is a bit thin after Heiskanen/Lindell. I think Määttä will get a spot with his showing in WC. Also I Wonder if some of the prominent/loyal euro guys will get a spot (like Anttila).

 

[Erikfromfin]

Teuvo Teräväinen - Sebastian Aho - Mikko Rantanen
Patrik Laine - Aleksander Barkov - Jesse Puljujärvi
Mikael Granlund - Roope Hintz - Joonas Donskoi
Kasperi Kapanen - Anton Lundell - Joel Armia
Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Kaapo Kakko

Esa Lindell - Miro Heiskanen
Mikko Lehtonen - Rasmus Ristolainen
Juuso Välimäki - Jani Hakanpää
Olli Määttä - Sami Vatanen

Tuukka Rask
Juuse Saros
Joonas Korpisalo

 

[Husqvarna]

Just check out the Stanley Cup play offs ... and of course that hard hitti'n Hakanpää of Carolina fame.

Heavy Finland horses all around:

 

[ddlennon]

defense is not good enough to go for gold but maybe we can medal

 

[FiLe]

defense is not good enough to go for gold but maybe we can medal

Even a Mestis defense would be good enough for gold when it's organized by Jukka Jalonen. (I may be slightly exaggerating - but only slightly.)

 

[Benedict Kovalchuk]

Seeing it all written down, I have to admit this looks like a real damn good Finn roster. Maybe the best in my life time, and I'm 31.

 

[Lambo]

I am so impatient to see this "new Finland". Finally being able to see all the players together. A highlight!

 

[f1nn]

Never underestimate the Fins.

Please do! If there is a situation where Finns underperform, it is when others expect them to do well the underdog mentality is why we punch above our weight

 

[Erikfromfin]

I think Lundell makes it. He played bomb liiga season, superb world juniors and now superb world champs right under the nose of Jalonen. Everything is going up to speed just like expected and projected. Next season he will be 3rd line center or even 2nd line center for Florida ahead and higher in the lineup than Lammikko/Luostarinen. He would be perfect fit at 4th center or if he doesn't make playing 12 he should atleast be extra 13th or 14th forward like from Canadas example you can never have too many elite centers. His direct competition for the spot Haula is pretty bad these days, Kotkaniemi is in the mix thou. Only thing I found interesting was Jalonens comments where he basicly said Lundell is good offensive player but has work to do defensivily, the excact opposite what draft geeks and followers have been saying of him for years, his been considered best two-way centers and his offensive upside questioned but I quess Jalonen sees nuances of his game differently which would not bode well for 4th center role. He would make my team even today but when taking projection up to next february I would be semi shocked if he didn't make it.

 

[ORRFForever]

Please do! If there is a situation where Finns underperform, it is when others expect them to do well the underdog mentality is why we punch above our weight

Fins are NOT an attractive people, but they can surprise you in hockey.

 

[Stubu]

Saros
Rask
Rinne

Heiskanen - Lindell
Nutivaara - Ristolainen
Välimäki - Jokiharju
Lehtonen - Määttä

Hintz - Barkov - Rantanen
Teuvo - Aho - Laine
Donskoi - Granlund - Kapanen
Armia - Kotkaniemi - Puljujärvi
Kiviranta - Haula - Kakko

For me its should be obvious for anyone that Finland can take the gold in Olympics. Yet so many people only mention Canada, Russia, USA.

Finland won silver in world cup 2004 and og 2006 and bronze 2014 with teams that on the paper was not top 7, but now they have a team that is top 4 on the paper + great coaching.

You have almost my dream lines but not quite. Let's have:

Aho and Turbo stapled together, yes, for the mad chemistry. Laine or Puljujarvi in for old times' sake.

Give Hintz his own line with Kapanen and Haula for speeeeed.

Donskoi - Barkov - Granlund for the "foreign legion" line.

The question: who gets the C? It's between Granlund, Barkov, Kotkaniemi, Hakanpaa. Maybe the first fight decides.

 

[jj cale]

I'm pretty sure everybody here already knows this.

 

[Sky04]

That's a very weak bottom 6 forward group and bottom 4 D, Nutivaara - Ristolainen on an international team? That's an average 2nd pairing in the league.

They'll live and die by goaltending and 2 lines. I wouldn't even put Russia in the same group as Canada and USA either.

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

That's a very weak bottom 6 forward group and bottom 4 D, Nutivaara - Ristolainen on an international team? That's an average 2nd pairing in the league.

They'll live and die by goaltending and 2 lines. I wouldn't even put Russia in the same group as Canada and USA either.

Yup, bottom 6 won't cut it. The overall team should be respected and they will be competitive but it simply won't hold a candle to Canada. No shame either as this is a good team for a country with 5.5 million people

 

[Tmu84]

Never been more excited about the state of Finnish hockey.

Agreed with this.

But only thing i am bit worried is our goaltending situation. I am not quite convinced on our goaltending - not quite convinced on Saros yet. Our only hope of Gold relies on stellar play by the goaltender a la Kiprusoff in World Cup 2004 or Niittymäki in 2006. And I don't see Saros delivering that kind of performance...

And Rask? Not quite sure if he still has it. Then I'm obliged to change my mind if Rask is able to take the Bruins to the promised land this year

 

[93LEAFS]

Anything can happen in single-elimination, especially if a goalie gets hot. But, they don't particularly scare me as a Canadian. But, its probably the deepest Finnish team in best on best I've seen.

 

[jonlin]

That's a very weak bottom 6 forward group and bottom 4 D, Nutivaara - Ristolainen on an international team? That's an average 2nd pairing in the league.

They'll live and die by goaltending and 2 lines. I wouldn't even put Russia in the same group as Canada and USA either.

Hintz was actually PPG+ and he is the 3C

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Well, i think we will not see neither of Rask, nor Rinne
Rinne retires after this season (for good) and Rask might retire after the next season.

100% certain there will be players from KHL (at least).
- i mean Marko Anttila is a lock, he is our current captain,
only an injury will kick Anttila out

5-6 players outside NHL (at least)
our entire 4th line will be put together from none NHL players.

Its an international tournament, not an All-Star game.

 

[FiLe]

Finland's top-three centres (barring injuries) will be Aleksander Barkov, Sebastian Aho and Roope Hintz - who are all 1Cs of their respective NHL teams. For wings, Finland has Mikko Rantanen, Patrik Laine, Teuvo Teräväinen, Mikael Granlund and Jesse Puljujärvi - who all appear to be in the top-six of their respective teams. The top-9 will likely be filled up by one of the following: Kaapo Kakko, Eeli Tolvanen or Joonas Donskoi. All top-six to middle-six forwards and 30-50 point scorers in a full season.

The fourth line doesn't have to dazzle anyone to begin with - it will be a grinder unit whose main task is to be defensively responsible. Some decent two-way centre in the vein of Erik Haula or Juho Lammikko will be anchoring the line down, and when winged by creatures like Kasperi Kapanen, Joel Armia, maybe Artturi Lehkonen, they can provide the necessary shifts to keep the top lines in shape.

Anybody who has any inkling what hockey's about will understand that it's a very competitive forward group.

In defense, Finland's individual quality of d-men may not dazzle after Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen. But there's at least one more fellow who's elite at what he does - Jani Hakanpää is a very solid stay-at-home d-man. Mikko Lehtonen is one of the coach's familiars and will likely feature in the first three pairs. Whoever becomes the final name in the main six remains to be seen, but at least he's bound to be an NHL regular.

Whoever ends up getting the nod in net may not be considered the cream of the NHL crop, but the starter of his team regardless.

Well, all this may still pale on paper against what Canada and USA can bring to the table. But if Finland can regularly medal in a best-on-best with far lesser teams - lineups that have maybe one or two bona fide first liners, some middle-six creatures and about half the team coming from Europe - it wouldn't be very smart to call them weak when they can boast a team full of NHL regulars and at least the top-9 brimming with guys who fit in the top-six in their respective NHL clubs.