Swedish media: Finland has surpassed Sweden in hockey

[karhukissa]

Thats the thing about Finland, a single WIN and now they are the powerhouse.

So you don't count our amazing success in U18 & U20? Most medals with USA during recent years.

Finland is a hockey powerhouse nowadays, but i wouldn't say that we have surpassed Sweden. We'll have better forwards in the future & probably goalies too but margin isn't as big as it is when comparing Swedish defence to ours.

Sweden produces by far the best d-men talent per capita, and i don't think we'll ever catch that. In few years though we could have pretty solid defence too in best vs best tournaments, with some star power in Heiskanen and Solid top pairing d-men in Lindell and hopefully youngsters like Välimäki or Jokiharju.

But i wouldn't be worried at all in Sweden, their system is doing amazing job.

 

[canswetoxic]

So you don't count our amazing success in U18 & U20? Most medals with USA during recent years.

Finland is a hockey powerhouse nowadays, but i wouldn't say that we have surpassed Sweden. We'll have better forwards in the future & probably goalies too but margin isn't as big as it is when comparing Swedish defence to ours.

Sweden produces by far the best d-men talent per capita, and i don't think we'll ever catch that. In few years though we could have pretty solid defence too in best vs best tournaments, with some star power in Heiskanen and Solid top pairing d-men in Lindell and hopefully youngsters like Välimäki or Jokiharju.

But i wouldn't be worried at all in Sweden, their system is doing amazing job.

The medals were indenielable a success but how many so called stars have busted in NHL and gone silent ? You have to remember it was a single game and it can go both way.

 

[lawrence]

they were a powerhouse in 98 when they defeated a Stacked Canada team for the Bronze medal. No surprise here. you know who else is on the rise? the Swiss and they will soon surpass the Czechs.

 

[illone84]

Not looking good for sweden right now. Finland has 10k more licensed players than sweden. More NHL stars, more golds at junior level.

Even swedish media is recognizing it as a problem.

It is because too many young males play ****ing soccer. I hate soccer, because we will never be good at that sport, so I want all resources for hockey, but it will never happen.

Swedish Media. Do you mind sharing some links to articles please?

 

[Finnswiss]

Not looking good for sweden right now. Finland has 10k more licensed players than sweden. More NHL stars, more golds at junior level.

Even swedish media is recognizing it as a problem.

It is because too many young males play ****ing soccer. I hate soccer, because we will never be good at that sport, so I want all resources for hockey, but it will never happen.

I don't know but according to the IIHF Sweden has about 4'000 more junior players and didn't they won just recently the gold medal at the U18 world championship or am I wrong? Ok Finland won this year the gold medal but remember they game against Sweden ended 5:4 only. Sweden could have won this game too. I'm not the opinion that Finland surpassed Sweden already.
Sweden will also in future play for medals at whc. I don't see it so bad for Sweden and the birth rate in Finland is very low. I have no idea how it's in Sweden but it seems better there. They have in any case more players on the junior level than Finland.

 

[Urbanskog]

What an exaggeration, as clickbaits tend to be. Finland might be catching up but Sweden still remains ahead.

Had Sweden won in overtime against Finland, this article wouldn't even exist.

 

[sdf]

Not looking good for sweden right now. Finland has 10k more licensed players than sweden. More NHL stars, more golds at junior level.



Even swedish media is recognizing it as a problem.

It is because too many young males play ****ing soccer. I hate soccer, because we will never be good at that sport, so I want all resources for hockey, but it will never happen.

If sweden can produse many very skilled hockey players then that guys easily could be very skilled socer players, i think Sedins could be pretty awesome at socer. For example soviet socer team was actualy great

 

[JackSlater]

Well, it seems that scorchingly hot takes do not just belong in the realm of North American journalists.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Finland needs to sustain this success to really surpass Sweden but it is close. I agree with OP, I hate soccer as well.

Who cares potkupallo ( soccer) Finland can't even play real soccer like France, Germany etc does.
Only global sport which might be some threat to hockey in Finland is basketball.

But even basketball can't surpass hockey as a number 1 sport in Finland.
Not so long when Lauri Markkanen is only Finnish star level player in NBA.

 

[karhukissa]

The medals were indenielable a success but how many so called stars have busted in NHL and gone silent ? You have to remember it was a single game and it can go both way.

Well you're the one who keeps talking about single game.

Even though Swedes published that article right after WHC, it was also about bigger picture. Like amount of top talent produced, U18&U20 success etc.

Like i said i don't agree with that, but it's childish of you to think it's all about one game. Or then there's only two powerhouses in hockey, Canada and USA. Do you think so?

 

[canswetoxic]

Well you're the one who keeps talking about single game.

Even though Swedes published that article right after WHC, it was also about bigger picture. Like amount of top talent produced, U18&U20 success etc.

Like i said i don't agree with that, but it's childish of you to think it's all about one game. Or then there's only two powerhouses in hockey, Canada and USA. Do you think so?

Canada>>Sweden=USA>>Russia>>Finland

 

[member 305909]

Sweden is quite good at soccer. Made it to the WC quarters last year and qualified many times.

Finland has never even qualified and unlikely to ever will much to the fury of our soccer-fans many of whom hate hockey.

 

[BalticWarrior]

Sweden is quite good at soccer. Made it to the WC quarters last year and qualified many times.

Finland has never even qualified and unlikely to ever will much to the fury of our soccer-fans many of whom hate hockey.

Jealousy breeds hatred

 

[vivalavili]

Canada>>Sweden=USA>>Russia>>Finland

cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool.

Players in top 40 in points this season:
Finland 4
Russia 3
Sweden 4

Players who scored 30 goals this season:
Finland 4
Russia 3
Sweden 3

Goalies with 25 wins or more
Finland 3
Russia 2
Sweden 2

Seems like theres nothing that suggests that the top players from Sweden and Russia are significantly better than those from Finland ( I'm assuming that you using two " > " signs means that you think those countries are significantly better than the one that comes after them). Defensemen is pretty much the only are where the Finns are worse than Sweden and Russia but you could say that it's because our defensemen are pretty young and still getting better. Who knows what future brings.

In my opinion the order atm is Canada >> USA > Sweden = Finland = Russia > the Rest

 

[Henkka]

Thats the thing about Finland, a single WIN and now they are the powerhouse.

What single win?

WHC - 2011
U20 - 2014
U20 - 2016
U18 - 2016
U18 - 2018
U20 - 2019
WHC - 2019

Those youth Championships pretty much predicts the future. Our decade will be the NEXT ONE on men's level.

Looking on some current statistics is not the point. It's predicting the future.

Don't know about Sweden. Maybe they are as good.

 

[Mestaruus]

I think Sweden is doing okay in hockey. Two of the three latest WHC golds. First ever U18 gold few months ago. Okay Swedish women aren't doing that great at the moment, but women & hockey have always been a minor thing anyways when looking hockey as a whole, unfortunately.

Swedish media is just posting some BS fake news it seems.

 

[canswetoxic]

cool cool cool cool cool cool cool cool.

Players in top 40 in points this season:
Finland 4
Russia 3
Sweden 4

Players who scored 30 goals this season:
Finland 4
Russia 3
Sweden 3

Goalies with 25 wins or more
Finland 3
Russia 2
Sweden 2

Seems like theres nothing that suggests that the top players from Sweden and Russia are significantly better than those from Finland ( I'm assuming that you using two " > " signs means that you think those countries are significantly better than the one that comes after them). Defensemen is pretty much the only are where the Finns are worse than Sweden and Russia but you could say that it's because our defensemen are pretty young and still getting better. Who knows what future brings.

In my opinion the order atm is Canada >> USA > Sweden = Finland = Russia > the Rest

That was easy with the stat, choose the one that suit you and then you can show that Finland has produced more talents?

 

[RageQuit77]

Finns (as a whole) are very rabid consumers of hockey when it comes international tournaments and successes and failures reflect fast and directly to general opinion on 'state of hockey in Finland'. I think that recent successes of Finnish Teams may twist the situation look more positive than it really is.

In Sweden it seems going to other direction currently. Media plays the main role in creation of collective perception in both countries.

When Finland is declared storbror in Hockey by Swedish pundits, you simply know that it must be some kind moral panic going on there. Sweden doesn't suddenly lose its hockey prominence if Tre Knonor sucks. Take easy dear Swedes!

 

[karhukissa]

That was easy with the stat, choose the one that suit you and then you can show that Finland has produced more talents?

Your posts makes literally 0 sense. Which stat he should've used? Faceoff stat or +/- ?

 

[canswetoxic]

Your posts makes literally 0 sense. Which stat he should've used? Faceoff stat or +/- ?

Well, top 40 in points? How about I switched it with list of players has more than 40 points or 50 points? How about players who scored 25 goals, 20 goals or 10 goals? etc? You see, you can use the stats however you want to suit the facts. Oh yea, lets not count on defense yet, because our players are still young. Meeeeeh

 

[Murky]

Empty rhetoric. Sweden is a powerhouse and Finland hopes to be getting there. Right now, it is not close.

 

[tuozzi]

Nope. If recent development continues then maybe in ten years.

 

[karhukissa]

Well, top 40 in points? How about I switched it with list of players has more than 40 points or 50 points? How about players who scored 25 goals, 20 goals or 10 goals? etc? You see, you can use the stats however you want to suit the facts. Oh yea, lets not count on defense yet, because our players are still young. Meeeeeh

We were talking about TOP END TALENT. You think 10 goals is top end talent? Sweden has way more depth atm, nobody said otherwise.

And your original claim was that "Finland won once and now they are powerhouse, ha ha" or something along those lines. Powerhouse means, atleast for me, a country which is able to produce talented players every year into the NHL. And more than just one. Finland is doing that currently, and this years draft is 4th, read 4th year in a row when Finn is drafted in top-3. Also looks like 2020 is going to be 5th.

 

[Nexon]

they were a powerhouse in 98 when they defeated a Stacked Canada team for the Bronze medal. No surprise here. you know who else is on the rise? the Swiss and they will soon surpass the Czechs.

I would not say surpass, they will even it our rather, Czechs still have way more prospects in draft.

 

[vivalavili]

That was easy with the stat, choose the one that suit you and then you can show that Finland has produced more talents?

I chose top 40 in points because I wanted all the nations to be represented at least a bit. If I'd chosen the top 30 there would've been only one Swede, Elias Lindholm at #30 but still 3 Finns and 3 Russians.

Well, let's then only look at those who scored more than ppg. That's pretty reasonable since being a ppg player is pretty much expected from a first line player, right? Sweden had 1 ppg player, Russia had 5 and Finland 3. So it's pretty reasonable to say that Russia has the best forwards from these nations at the moment, right? But it's not like Sweden is miles ahead of Finland and Russia, I'd even say that these pretty widely used stats tell that out of these three nations, Sweden had the worst top forwards this season.

I also chose 30 goals because that's also a pretty widely used milestone. And it's not unreasonable to look at how many goalies got 25 wins since that's pretty much the least amount of wins a decent starting goalie should get.

I didn't cherry pick these stats just to make Finland look good, I chose three pretty useful stats, that are widely used, even in HFBoards. I just can't understand why it is so important to some (mostly Canadian, I've noticed) hockey fans to keep spreading the narrative that Finland isn't one of the biggest hockey countries in the world. Is it because Finland's population is just over a third of Ontario's?