WJC: Finland WJC Roster

[Brun0]

Goalkeepers:
Sami Aittokallio (Ilves)
Joonas Kuusela (Pelicans)
Joni Ortio (TPS)
Petteri Similä (Niagara)

Defenders:
Teemu Eronen (Jokerit)
Tommi Kivistö (Jokerit)
Aleksi Laakso (Blues)
Nico Manelius (Jokerit)
Jyri Niemi (Saskatoon)
Kristian Näkyvä (Blues)
Rasmus Rissanen (Everett)
Sami Vatanen (JYP)
Tony Vidgren (Lukko)
Veli-Matti Vittasmäki (TPS)

Attackers:
Sami Blomqvist (Blues)
Eero Elo (Lukko)
Mikael Granlund (HIFK)
Teemu Hartikainen (KalPa)
Jasse Ikonen (JYP)
Pekka Jormakka (JYP)
Jani Lajunen (Blues)
Matias Myttynen (Ilves)
Joonas Nättinen (Blues)
Iiro Pakarinen (KalPa)
Toni Rajala (Brandon)
Joonas Rask (Ilves)
Jere Sallinen (Blues)
Matias Sointu (Sudbury)
Teemu Tallberg (HIFK)


Team Finalnd will be missing some heavy names such as:
Teemu Pulkkinen (injured)
Joonas Donskoi (injured)
Erik Haula (I guess wasnt good enough, which surprises me) 2009-2010 Omaha Lancers USHL GP 21 G 12A 23 PTS 35

Click to read more...

 

[vippe]

Wonder why Sweden released their roster so early compared to other nations..

 

[studley49]

With Pulkkinen and Donskoi out, I think this team is going to be the typical Finnish team of recent years: strong D, strong two-way game, one main offensive line and a darkhorse goalie for the tourney.

Should be interesting to see who lines up with who: my money's on a top line of Rajala-Hartikainen-Granlund with Ortio starting in net!

 

[Grove]

Some serious BS, if Haula doesn't make the final team.

 

[Brun0]

With Pulkkinen and Donskoi out, I think this team is going to be the typical Finnish team of recent years: strong D, strong two-way game, one main offensive line and a darkhorse goalie for the tourney.

Should be interesting to see who lines up with who: my money's on a top line of Rajala-Hartikainen-Granlund with Ortio starting in net!

Well there are acctually 2/3 scoring lines but I guess you know nothing about finnish hockey. Yes this team is VERY physical (many guys are almost 190cm) but there is simply some scoring talent only too. Sami Blomqvist scored 40 goals in 40 games in Junior A last season (new record). Goaltending might be surprisingly the weakest part of this team.

Almost every player on the team has been playing regulary in their sm-liiga respective teams this season unlike last year. The defence has some pretty amazing offensive talent with Vatanen and Laakso. Vatanen has scored 17 points in 27 games in sm-liiga and Laakso has scored 14 points.

 

[Savolainen]

Some serious BS, if Haula doesn't make the final team.

Thinking the same..

 

[studley49]

Well there are acctually 2/3 scoring lines but I guess you know nothing about finnish hockey.

You're telling me that someone not on the line I listed has a legitimate chance at leading the team in points? I'm not saying they only have 1 offensively-talented line, rather that their top line should see much more powerplay time (and ultimately, more points) and the rest of the lines will score by committee.

For example, Hartikainen was the only Finn with a point-per-game or more in last year's tournament. This year's Finnish team will be better, but that doesn't mean I think that anyone outside their top line will do much more than a point-per-game clip.

As far as "knowing nothing about Finnish hockey" goes, if you think that the Finnish team will outscore the likes of Canada, USA, Russia, and Sweden then "you know nothing about HOCKEY", period.

 

[Brun0]

Well I'm not saying they will outscore but they can definetly win over Sweden, Usa and Russia. Finland has been a lot better in WJC than Sweden if you look at the result from past 2 decades. Even last year Sweden barly won over us even though the had the best in Swedish history and Finland is stronger than last year and sweden is weaker than last year.

I also dont get the fact that every time we reach the medal games it's a big "surprise" and we might be the dark horse. We can defenetly win any of the listed coutries if we play a good game and you have to live with it. Rajala-Granlund-Hartikainen should defenetly not be a line if you have seen any finnish games but you obviesly haven't. Hartikainen doesn't have the pace and chemistry to play with them.

I dont even want to talk about canada cause they are allways favoured by the refs.

 

[Jim Morrison]

Meh, not so scared of this team. Should be an easy win for Sweden.

 

[vippe]

Well I'm not saying they will outscore but they can definetly win over Sweden, Usa and Russia. Finland has been a lot better in WJC than Sweden if you look at the result from past 2 decades. Even last year Sweden barly won over us even though the had the best in Swedish history and Finland is stronger than last year and sweden is weaker than last year.

I also dont get the fact that every time we reach the medal games it's a big "surprise" and we might be the dark horse. We can defenetly win any of the listed coutries if we play a good game and you have to live with it. Rajala-Granlund-Hartikainen should defenetly not be a line if you have seen any finnish games but you obviesly haven't. Hartikainen doesn't have the pace and chemistry to play with them.

I dont even want to talk about canada cause they are allways favoured by the refs.

Yeah there's not many things correct there. Sweden has a way better team this year, it wasnt our best team ever last year and sure we did barely win but it was a bad game out of swedish perspective.

And what does a WJC 15 years or so ago have anything to do with this years? :p

 

[Brun0]

Meh, not so scared of this team. Should be an easy win for Sweden.

yeah look at record between fin and swe. Sweden has won Finland once in 16 years in WJC so we will see.

This is typical swedes. Hyping own team before and when they loose explaining why they lost. Like in eurohockey tour, leave crap talk and talk afterwards. Your team isnt that good, bealieve me with the soft elitserien play where you can keep the puck without anyone tackling and without any pace and forcheck you will never win anything in WJC.

 

[Jim Morrison]

yeah look at record between fin and swe. Sweden has won Finland once in 16 years in WJC so we will see.

so what? we've never had a better talent crop than this so what does history matter? different players different game. and this team is stronger than last years btw

 

[alphahelix]

Rajala and Hartikainen: Hopefully they decimate. (go oilers)

 

[Makkeli]

Jortikka, where the hell is Haula?

 

[BLBarmada]

Well I'm not saying they will outscore but they can definetly win over Sweden, Usa and Russia. Finland has been a lot better in WJC than Sweden if you look at the result from past 2 decades. Even last year Sweden barly won over us even though the had the best in Swedish history and Finland is stronger than last year and sweden is weaker than last year.

I also dont get the fact that every time we reach the medal games it's a big "surprise" and we might be the dark horse. We can defenetly win any of the listed coutries if we play a good game and you have to live with it. Rajala-Granlund-Hartikainen should defenetly not be a line if you have seen any finnish games but you obviesly haven't. Hartikainen doesn't have the pace and chemistry to play with them.

I dont even want to talk about canada cause they are allways favoured by the refs.

thats not true you guys did stronger but sweden got weaker ? wtf are you smoking if im correct almost half their team are regulars in the SEL and the rest play minor roles In the SEL but im pretty sure the only guy not playing in the SEL is OEL
so i dont know how they got weaker.The Swedes are sending maybe the best WJC team they've ever had so i dont see them being weaker.Yeah sure you guys got better but so did Russia and The USA i mean im not saying that you guys cant beat the Americans or the russians but i think Sweden can more than handle you guys oh and the refs favour us really because we play a physical game im pretty sure most of are games have been referred by European refs over the past 10 WJC so call it favoritism does'ent matter to us we won the past 5 WJC fair and sqaure and tell how were we favored? in last years final against sweden didnt they get more powerplays then we did ? we still won.what ? is it favoritism when the refs called icing agianst russia in the semis when that russian guy (cant his remember name) shot from his own blueline and missed the empty net ? just accept that we play a style thats more physical and you guys don't maybe your still not used to seeing it

 

[Jussi]

Rajala-Granlund-Hartikainen should defenetly not be a line if you have seen any finnish games but you obviesly haven't. Hartikainen doesn't have the pace and chemistry to play with them.

Yeah, at the U-20 tournament in Finland Hartikainen (despite getting points) didn't gel at all with Granlund and Pulkkinen , he was constantly slowing them down. Eero Elo might be a better fit with Rajala and Granlund, it also helps he's a righty.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

No Pulkkinen or Donskoi!?

Damn injuries

 

[JeromeHP]

who should be the goalie for the finn? has Simila a chance to be the no1 guy for the finn or maybe the backup ? or not at all since he's in NA this season

 

[Garl]

Well I'm not saying they will outscore but they can definetly win over Sweden, Usa and Russia. Finland has been a lot better in WJC than Sweden if you look at the result from past 2 decades. Even last year Sweden barly won over us even though the had the best in Swedish history and Finland is stronger than last year and sweden is weaker than last year.

I also dont get the fact that every time we reach the medal games it's a big "surprise" and we might be the dark horse. We can defenetly win any of the listed coutries if we play a good game and you have to live with it. Rajala-Granlund-Hartikainen should defenetly not be a line if you have seen any finnish games but you obviesly haven't. Hartikainen doesn't have the pace and chemistry to play with them.

I dont even want to talk about canada cause they are allways favoured by the refs.

Why so cocky?

 

[Jim Morrison]

yeah look at record between fin and swe. Sweden has won Finland once in 16 years in WJC so we will see.

This is typical swedes. Hyping own team before and when they loose explaining why they lost. Like in eurohockey tour, leave crap talk and talk afterwards. Your team isnt that good, bealieve me with the soft elitserien play where you can keep the puck without anyone tackling and without any pace and forcheck you will never win anything in WJC.

This is typical finns. Hyping their team to be a superteam who will destroy other more talented teams because they play "physical". Believe me with the more skillful elitserien play where puck-possesion is focused on we will win everything in WJC.

See how stupid that sounds? Why are you saying how we play the game in SEL when you probably don't even watch games? And even if SEL is not as tough it doesn't matter as our WJC team plays a WHOLE different game than any SEL team. The coach has even said that they focues hard on offensive hockey with alot of forechecking.

 

[Guss]

yeah look at record between fin and swe. Sweden has won Finland once in 16 years in WJC so we will see.

This is typical swedes. Hyping own team before and when they loose explaining why they lost. Like in eurohockey tour, leave crap talk and talk afterwards. Your team isnt that good, bealieve me with the soft elitserien play where you can keep the puck without anyone tackling and without any pace and forcheck you will never win anything in WJC.

Care too explain why the last decades tournaments and euro hockey tour has anything too do with this WCJ tournament it`s a new team every year and it`s a known fact that we have struggled alot until recent years, Finland on the other hand is quickly going downhill, there`s top talent like Granlund but no very much else just look at rescent NHL drafts.

About EHT Sweden has very very few good players between 23-28 thats why we suck right now, just wait a couple of years.

 

[Steven]

Who will probably be starting in net?
I'm not really familiar with Finnish hockey.

 

[Felix29]

Erik Haula

Haula's omission is a crock!
Kid played with Granlund and Rajala at the U-18 Championship last year and did not look remotely out of place.
Now is tearing up the USHL. Regardless of one's opinion if this league, it is a step up from Shattuck. Many good players struggle with the transition.
I honestly don't know much about the guys on this list that made it. But Haula's name not included is BS.

 

[Granlund2Pulkkinen*]

Haula's omission is a crock!
Kid played with Granlund and Rajala at the U-18 Championship last year and did not look remotely out of place.
Now is tearing up the USHL. Regardless of one's opinion if this league, it is a step up from Shattuck. Many good players struggle with the transition.
I honestly don't know much about the guys on this list that made it. But Haula's name not included is BS.

I noticed that too.. I think they're going for younger and less talented players or soemthing

12 goals and 23 assists in 21 games is great... He has almost twice as many points as Seth Ambroz... a highly touted prospect for 2011.

 

[State of Hockey]

No Haula seems to be a joke, especially since two other Wild prospects are in, and I don't consider either them to be nearly the prospect Haula is.