In the last five years, Finland has done it all. They were once crowned world champions (2019), they had one unfortunate final loss (2022), they won a bronze medal (2021), they lost a Bronze Medal Game (2020) and they crashed out in the quarter finals (2023).
What are we supposed to expect from this year’s iteration of Team Finland? Barring a shocking relegation battle, we are primed to see the nation repeating one of their last five results. This year’s team, however, probably sits closer to the one that got sent home by Sweden in its first playoff game last year than to the gold medal-winning, star-studded roster of 2019.
Preliminary roster
| # | Player | Position | League | Current Team (NHL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Niklas Kokko | G | Liiga | Kärpät Oulu (SEA) |
| 31 | Noa Vali | G | Liiga | TPS Turku |
| 1 | Eemil Vinni | G | Mestis | JoKP (2024) |
| 13 | Kalle Kangas | D | Liiga | Jokerit (PIT) |
| 6 | Kasper Kulonummi | D | Liiga | Tappara (NSH) |
| 4 | Arttu Kärki | D | OHL | Soo Greyhounds (VGK) |
| 10 | Emil Pieniniemi | D | Liiga | Kärpät (PIT) |
| 15 | Jesse Pulkkinen | D | Liiga | JYP Jyväskylä |
| 3 | Otto Salin | D | Liiga | HIFK Helsinki (LAK) |
| 12 | Joona Väisänen | D | USHL | Dubuque Fighting Saints |
| 21 | Samu Bau | F | Liiga | Ilves Tampere (ARI) |
| 22 | Kasper Halttunen | F | OHL | London Knights (SJS) |
| 19 | Konsta Helenius | F | Liiga | Jukurit (2024) |
| 32 | Emil Hemming | F | Liiga | TPS Turku (2024) |
| 29 | Lenni Hämeenaho | F | Liiga | Ässät Pori (NJD) |
| 24 | Aleksanteri Kaskimäki | F | Liiga | HIFK Helsinki (STL) |
| 20 | Oiva Keskinen | F | Liiga | Tappara (CBJ) |
| 25 | Max Koskipirtti | F | NCAA | Michigan Tech |
| 18 | Rasmus Kumpulainen | F | OHL | Oshawa Generals (MIN) |
| 28 | Jere Lassila | F | Liiga | JYP Jyväskylä |
| 34 | Tommi Männistö | F | NCAA | Michigan State University |
| 36 | Janne Naukkarinen | F | Liiga | SaiPa |
| 33 | Jani Nyman | F | Liiga | Ilves Tampere (SEA) |
2023 tournament returnees in bold
Strengths
There are offensive elements to like on this Finland roster. Both Lenni Hämeenaho and Jani Nyman could have been first-round draft selections in their respective year, and have continued their development into bona fide Liiga players. Nyman is currently tied for second in league goal-scoring with his 14 markers in 28 appearances, while Hämeenaho has the best point total out of all the Ässät forwards.
They are clear blows for both Ässät and Nyman’s Ilves to lose their star players for an important stretch of games, but Finland’s first-year head coach, Lauri Mikkola, surely appreciates the gesture. Large-sized right-winger Kasper Halttunen is another player who has had a good autumn, forging his craft post-draft iwith the knights of London in the Ontario Hockey League.
Alongside these three musketeers, the Finnish lions are hoping that young prodigies Konsta Helenius and Emil Hemming can demonstrate their sky-high potential when it matters most. Helenius, who doesn’t turn 18 until May, 2024, has already eclipsed 20 points this year, while the even younger Hemming has held his own after making the TPS roster out of camp.
Weaknesses
It is surprising to see a Finnish side where only 13 out of 23 players have been drafted by an NHL franchise. That number puts them closer to Team Slovakia (11 players drafted), than to their arch rivals from Sweden (20 players). Naturally, those numbers are slightly skewed by coach Mikkola’s decision to bring along three 2024 draft-eligible players in his squad. While goaltender Eemil Vinni isn’t on many-an NHL radar just yet, both Hemming and Helenius look to be first-round choices come next summer and should, as mentioned above, add a fair bit of sass to the offence.
Still, what this team is sorely missing is the star power of a Miro Heiskanen, a Patrik Laine or a Kaapo Kakko. Joakim Kemell was supposed to be that guy, but his impressive stint with the Milwaukee Admirals meant that he will stay on the other side of the Atlantic. Another intriguing player who we will not get to see is defenceman Aron Kiviharju, another 2024 draft hopeful. In Kiviharju’s case, a long-term injury sustained in early October smothered his WJC dreams. Instead, the defence now looks moderately uninspiring. It’s extra harsh for Kiviharju when you remember that he was surprisingly one of the final roster cuts for the 2023 tournament.
Mikkola will have to make sure his team outworks its opponents on every inch of the large ice surface, because this team certainly won’t beat Canada, USA, or Sweden purely on skill.
He will also need a plethora of stellar performances from netminder Niklas Kokko, who is all but a lock to receive the majority of the starts. Kokko was part of last year’s roster, but ended up as the third choice behind Jani Lampinen and Aku Koskenvuo.
Projection
There is a large chance that Finland ends up third in their group behind aforementioned Canada and Sweden. It could prove crucial to beat Germany in the group stage, to keep Julian Lutz and his teammates behind in the standings. As the luck of the draw would have it, this means they’ll probably avoid another world beater in terms of Team USA in the quarter-final.
A round-of-eight game against either Czechia, Slovakia, or Switzerland looks far more winnable for this good-but-not-great Finnish side. In a semifinal, anything can happen, but if we look at this from a neutral point of view, it looks likely that Team Finland picks the short straw and returns home as the fourth-best team of this tournament.
