Team Finland @ 2014 U18 WHC

[Periwinkle]

I've noticed Kapanen's puck hog qualities as well. I don't know if he thinks he can do everything himself and/or if he's performing for the scouts. His skill is clear but that approach rarely works in a team sport. The line changes seem like an interesting shake-up, hope it works.

I was able to follow last game in brief portions but it seemed like constant bad D zone mistakes, hope they are focusing on a simpler and more effective D as well.

 

[JJTT]

http://www.suomikiekko.com/2014/04/pikkuleijonat-haastaa-usan-tassa-ketjut-kamppailuun/

Saarela WILL play! 3rd line with Kapanen and Kiviranta, Honkanen moves up to 1st line with Rantanen and Lammikko. Lämsä as 13rth forward.

 

[Gaps]

I've noticed Kapanen's puck hog qualities as well. I don't know if he thinks he can do everything himself and/or if he's performing for the scouts. His skill is clear but that approach rarely works in a team sport. The line changes seem like an interesting shake-up, hope it works.

The thing with Kapanen on this team is that he's a big fish and he as well as the rest of the team know that. Sure, there are the younger very good talents like Rantanen and Niku, but currently Kapanen is the one the scouts are the most interested in. He probably feels he has to do everything and be the hero.

It wasn't a good idea to put him with 2 small fish. Saarela is a big fish too and he knows that, which might just be at least a part of the reason this was his 1st game. He probably feels at least just as entitled to take the responsibility as Kapanen does. That's why it works. He doesn't automatically think Kapanen needs to have the puck and isn't afraid to hold onto it himself.

Lost the game but Saarela made the line better. Hope he stays in the lineup.

 

[Periwinkle]

I think it's more than fair to have the player/s with the most (apparent) skill/potential to have some leash,even selfishness, because it's not like a Team Finland ever burst with high end skill. I can see why he would think he needs to carry the team, being the biggest name, it's just that sometimes he does it in a completely face palm-inducing way. Like today when he was entering the US zone (in the third period, I think) and then for no reason than for the sake of a flashy play left the puck blindly near the blueline, I guess hoping someone would pick it up...all the while having 2-3 US players surround him.

Still, when the players take their helmets off and are interviewed you can see just how young they really are, so it's hard to pass a harsh judgement. I'm sure he'll learn.

And Saarela definitely needs to play, and it seemed like Saarela and Kapanen together worked a lot better than previous versions of the first line.

 

[Gaps]

The best players absolutely should be given some leash, whether we're talking about juniors or adults. But yes, there's a limit to how much leash you should give too.

Especially when it comes to kids, it's the coach's job to know how to handle players of all type and temper and figure out how to get them to play to the best of their abilities. Urama has in part failed at that in this tournament by sitting Saarela until he had pretty much no other choice but to let him play. I don't care if he's challenging to coach (some of the best Finnish players are), the team isn't talented enough to have a kid like that sit unless he's injured.

The boys aren't the ones who need to carry the main responsibility of the team's success or failure because they are so young. Kapanen is Kapanen abd yes, he could very well learn and develop into a fine player. Right now it's Urama's responsibility to make him as useful to the team as possible, and that's not by sitting him.

 

[Periwinkle]

Urama näki myös paljon postiivista joukkueessaan murskatappiosta huolimatta.

− Koko joukkueen tekeminen. Enkä anna tämän pelin siihen vaikuttaa, koska koko joukkue oli juuri sellainen kun ajateltiinkin,

− On tietysti epäreilua nostaa muutamaa nimeä esille. Turnaus oli erittäin hyvä, olosuhteet olivat viimeisen päälle, väki oli mukana hienosti. Mahtava kokemus varmasti pojille, kertoi Urama.

http://www.jatkoaika.com/Uutiset/u18-kymmenen-nolla/156404

From what planet is this guy from?

[Eng. Finnish coach being positive after the 10-0 loss]

 

[Gaps]

Someone please tell me this incompetent moron has already emptied his office.

 

[FiLe]

It should be impossible for Urama to continue as the U18 coach, but he is Liitto's junior coaching chief - so it probably won't be much of a step down for him, as it seems unlikely that he'll have to relinquish that office as well.

And he shouldn't - given how he's handled that aspect of his job without complaints. He is, after all, a guy who was able to wrestle at least some power away from El Kale. It was reportedly his idea to hire Karri Kivi, for example. Still, it is somewhat perverse thought that he failed this bad in his 2nd job, and is most likely going to pick his own successor.

 

[JJTT]

I dont know why that fat moron was coaching the team in a first place. He has just failed everywhere he has coached so hiring him for head coach was a really weird decision. Sure he can know something about developing players but he sure didn't have any kind of team strategy or game plan.

 

[FiLe]

They "hired" him because he was already riding a desk at Liitto, and had some coaching experience.

It's obvious now he should stick to his day job and go nowhere near the bench.

 

[Gaps]

What's even more hilarious is that you don't need a very advanced game plan to do at least decently in this tournament, yet Urama didn't seem to be capable of any tactics whatsoever. After all, it's junior hockey and the players are going to make junior mistakes and they're even more prominent than with the U20 age group. What irks me about Urama is that he didn't even seem to have common sense when it came to the tactical side, and let's not talk about sitting one of the team's best players for most of the tournament. Inexcusable.

And what am I supposed to think about this?

- Leijona-tie alkoi tästä. Jotkut näistä pojista menevät vielä olympialaisiin asti. Toivottavasti ottelu kasvatti heitä, kommentoi valmentaja Rauli Urama murhaavan tappion jälkeen.

http://www.mtv.fi/sport/mm2014/uuti...n-sukelluksesta-toivottavasti-tappio-kasvatti

For God's sake man, when the junior NT coached by you loses 0-10 in the QF, you need to take a good hard look in the mirror and admit your own mistakes instead of hope in public that the boys learned something.

 

[Erikfromfin]

Its really sad that guys in draft year or near it are playing for a dream and then they are tossed a guy like Urama. Really shame.

 

[Jussi]

According to Tero Lehterä, this was the second time scouts witnessed this team "giving up": http://www.mtv.fi/sport/mm2014/uuti...rofi-sahasi-nhl-oksaa---moni-poika-voi-pettya

I can't help but think there had been some kind of a rift between the players and coach. Back in the day, when I met some of the guys from my former regular "football gang" for the first time, I and couple other friends were invited to their training session game to fill up the team numbers (they were C/B-juniors at the time). I noticed very quickly that they did not like or appreciate their coach at all. He seemed to try and cover his ineptitude by yelling loudly more. And when he was playing as the last defender, my friend stole the ball from him and went around the keeper and scored, I heard more than a few guys muttering "was that how we trained, coach?" or "so that's how we should play...". So if the team wasn't in "harmony", it's not really a wonder at their age if they don't bother to try after a certain point anymore.

 

[Periwinkle]

In his playing days Lehterä seemed bland (from what I recall- I was really young then) but I like him as a commentator and a hockey analyst. Calm and analytical. How was he as a coach for Blues A-juniors? Difficult to find any info.

It would be a great form of irony if team- and individual disappointment ends up benefitting Kapanen in the draft. What I mean is, if his position falls to a late first rounder and he ends up on a contender team. Might suck for the other guys though.

 

[kelsier]

Was propably most discusting game I've witnessed ever. If Urama & the rest of the coaching team doesn't get some kind of investigation about how they let a collapse like this happen, then the federation fails even more than the team in the tournament. Also there's the matter of Saarela that deserves to be looked in. If it was some kind of personal bias from the head coach to keep 1 of the best players benched, we definately need to make sure it doesn't happen again in the future. These are kids and if an adult doesn't know how to deal with the younger generation, he definately should not be there in the begin with.

A huge disappointment, what else can be said.

 

[kelsier]

And this: "− On tietysti epäreilua nostaa muutamaa nimeä esille. Turnaus oli erittäin hyvä, olosuhteet olivat viimeisen päälle, väki oli mukana hienosti. Mahtava kokemus varmasti pojille, kertoi Urama."

REALLY? Could a coach make anymore Pejorative Slured statement after a nightmare of a game Let me puke.

 

[Jussi]

In his playing days Lehterä seemed bland (from what I recall- I was really young then) but I like him as a commentator and a hockey analyst. Calm and analytical. How was he as a coach for Blues A-juniors? Difficult to find any info.

A-juniors champion. It's not that hard to find really...

 

[Periwinkle]

I was kind of more talking about the general opinion of his coaching - you know: did the boys bring it home because of him or despite of him, did he push out the greatest effort from the player material or was it strong to begin with etc- didn't find any message board chatter, although I admit my googling was brief. Obviously the winning bit is impressive just as.

 

[JJTT]

I was kind of more talking about the general opinion of his coaching - you know: did the boys bring it home because of him or despite of him, did he push out the greatest effort from the player material or was it strong to begin with etc- didn't find any message board chatter, although I admit my googling was brief. Obviously the winning bit is impressive just as.

Only watched the final games from Blues this year but the team was really stacked, i think even Urama could have gotten them to finals

4 national team d-man with Moberg, Autio, Vainio and Ilvonen + Good goalie with Kähkönen and some hard working forwards + Kangasniemi who was top 3 scorer in the league.

 

[Gaps]

This gets even better:

Miika Arponen ‏@MiikaArponen 11h

Urama IS:ssä "Olen enemmän tukijan roolissa, palautteen antaja ja kansainvälisen kuvan näyttäjä.â€

Miika Arponen ‏@MiikaArponen 11h

Urama: "Turnausvalmentaminen ei ole tärkeintä, vaan seuratoiminta on kaiken avain.†Melkoista vastuunpakoilua?

https://twitter.com/MiikaArponen/status/459641129659826176

https://twitter.com/MiikaArponen/status/459641230809653249

If he's just in a supporting role, what the hell was he doing behind the bench?

 

[JJTT]

This gets even better:





https://twitter.com/MiikaArponen/status/459641129659826176

https://twitter.com/MiikaArponen/status/459641230809653249


If he's just in a supporting role, what the hell was he doing behind the bench?

My quess they simply didn't get anyone qualified and willing coach back in 2012 to replace Lämsä so they settled for the easy way and signed him for a long contract. Well lets hope this is the wake up call to improve the U18 team, like the fiasco in last years wjc was for U20's.

 

[Periwinkle]

Only watched the final games from Blues this year but the team was really stacked, i think even Urama could have gotten them to finals

4 national team d-man with Moberg, Autio, Vainio and Ilvonen + Good goalie with Kähkönen and some hard working forwards + Kangasniemi who was top 3 scorer in the league.

Thanks for the views - interesting to see if he is/becomes a great coach.

This gets even better:

https://twitter.com/MiikaArponen/status/459641129659826176

https://twitter.com/MiikaArponen/status/459641230809653249

If he's just in a supporting role, what the hell was he doing behind the bench?

Oh wow. If he has a desk job at Liitto for junior development, he should have firsthand awareness of importance of coaching, play systems in a tournament and how important these tournaments are for the players considering the draft.

Fire his ass, seriously, what complete lack of accountability and good judgement in addition to being a poor coach.