The first two rosters for this season’s 4 Nations Face-Off were revealed on Wednesday afternoon. Patrik Laine and Joel Armia feature on Finland’s roster, which was announced alongside that of neighbour and rival Sweden.
When rosters were due on Monday, Laine hadn’t even played a game this season, just cleared by the Montreal Canadiens’ medical staff on Sunday to return to play. A long history as a goal-scorer, and the fact that there aren’t a lot off options to choose from at the NHL level, earned Laine a spot on the roster as team general manager Jere Lehtinen hoped to add his offensive firepower for the tournament.
Joel Armia was more of a long-shot option, but his responsible defensive game and penalty-killing proficiency were clearly seen as complementary pieces to the other talents on the roster. Armia had played in the previous two World Championships for Finland before skipping last year’s tournament, and has a great deal of international experience from his developmental years.
The tournament begins at the Bell Centre on February 12 for a round-robin among Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States, and concludes at TD Garden in Boston on February 20 for the championship game.
