World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team Finland

[jalperi]

For once, I can honestly say I don't mind at all. Not the opinion, I mean. The simple fact that they aren't and may not go far.

Roster is better than on Sotshi and there we got a bronze. In one game everything is possible and we have very good coach there, althought he has never coach on small ring, but lets see. That don't meant that i am waiting top3 result from World Cup on start point.

 

[FiLe]

Roster is better than on Sotshi and there we got a bronze. In one game everything is possible and we have very good coach there, althought he has never coach on small ring, but lets see. That don't meant that i am waiting top3 result from World Cup on start point.

Not the point, dude. The point was, I don't care whether the team is strong or weak, whether they'll surprise or not, because the competition itself is a joke. Therefore it won't matter whether they win it all or finish dead last.

 

[IceHockeyDude]

Finland won't be a gold medal candidate for sure, but there will be surprisingly lot talent in the offence. Also there are a few dmen that are the top-level on NHL.

Also solid coaching and 5 on 5 game should take us far again.

 

[hirawl]

Finland won't be a gold medal candidate for sure, but there will be surprisingly lot talent in the offence. Also there are a few dmen that are the top-level on NHL.

Also solid coaching and 5 on 5 game should take us far again.

Gold medal? You make it sound like a real tournament.

 

[IceHockeyDude]

Gold medal? You make it sound like a real tournament.

Well there will be the best players in the world playing so yeah winning this would be as great achieve as winning OGs.

 

[FiLe]

Well there will be the best players in the world playing so yeah winning this would be as great achieve as winning OGs.

The tournament involves two gimmick teams, and beating them is hardly an achievement anyone will remember fondly afterwards. Definitely not the same as beating the Czechs, Canada, Sweden and Russia on one's way to gold - to reference a recent tournament.

And the existence of these joke squads taints the rest of the event as well. There's no glory in winning an event the NHL bigwigs put together to line their pockets. Imagine meeting either the YoungStarz or Leftovers in the finals - how great exactly would it feel to meet at the market square after that?

 

[jfc64]

How you guys feel facing this team? 196 - 138 in NHL goals scored by the kids.... Nothing beats a finnish centre line...


TEAM NORTH AMERICA KIDS

Connor McDavid (C) Edmonton Oilers 31 13 21 34 1.10 10 -2
Johnny Gaudreau (LW/RW) Calgary Flames 64 24 39 63 0.98 14 5
Nathan MacKinnon (C/RW) Colorado Avalanche 67 20 29 49 0.73 20 -5
Sean Monahan (C) Calgary Flames 64 21 25 46 0.72 12 -1
Jack Eichel (C) Buffalo Sabres 66 19 25 44 0.67 18 -16
Brandon Saad (LW/RW) Columbus Blue Jackets 64 24 17 41 0.64 12 -5
Dylan Larkin (C/LW) Detroit Red Wings 63 19 20 39 0.62 32 18
Sean Couturier (C) Philadelphia Flyers 46 9 17 26 0.57 20 8
J.T. Miller (C/W) New York Rangers 66 17 17 34 0.52 42 12

Aaron Ekblad (D) Florida Panthers 58 12 13 25 0.43 31 17
Morgan Rielly (D) Toronto Maple Leafs 64 6 21 27 0.42 12 -14
Seth Jones (D) Columbus Blue Jackets 64 2 22 24 0.38 20 -3
Ryan Murray (D) Columbus Blue Jackets 65 4 17 21 34 -1

John Gibson Anaheim Ducks 28 2.09 .918
Connor Hellebuyck Winnipeg Jets 26 2.35 .918
Matt Murray Pittsburgh Penguins 6 1.82 .934


TEAM FINLAND VETS

Aleksander Barkov (C) Florida Panthers 46 19 20 39 0.85 6 13
Jussi Jokinen (LW/RW) Florida Panthers 62 11 32 43 0.69 34 15
Mikko Koivu (C) Minnesota Wild 67 15 31 46 0.69 26 5
Leo Komarov (LW/RW) Toronto Maple Leafs 61 18 17 35 0.57 36 -6
Mikael Granlund (C) Minnesota Wild 67 8 26 34 0.51 18 -10
Joonas Donskoi (RW/LW) San Jose Sharks 58 10 18 28 0.48 16 2
Teuvo Teräväinen (C/W) Chicago Blackhawks 63 10 18 28 0.44 12 1
Jori Lehterä (C) St. Louis Blues 64 8 20 28 0.44 32 9
Valtteri Filppula (C/W) Tampa Bay Lightning 64 7 20 27 0.42 38 -5
Lauri Korpikoski (LW/RW) Edmonton Oilers 57 8 9 17 0.30 10 -12

Sami Vatanen (D) Anaheim Ducks 64 9 28 37 0.58 20 4
Rasmus Ristolainen (D) Buffalo Sabres 66 9 28 37 0.56 18 -17
Olli Määttä (D) Pittsburgh Penguins 59 6 12 18 0.31 18 25
Esa Lindell (D) Dallas Stars 4 0 0 0 0.00 0 -3

Pekka Rinne Nashville Predators 54 2.44 .910
Tuukka Rask Boston Bruins 51 2.50 .919

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Granlund-Barkov-Donskoi
Filppula-Koivu-Jokinen
Teräväinen-Lehterä-Komarov
Rantanen-Haula-Korpikoski
Pulkkinen

Määttä-Ristolainen
Vatanen-Lindell
Jokipakka-Kukkonen
Lepistö-Hietanen

Rask
Rinne
Korpisalo

 

[teravaineSAROS]

What is the likelyhood of Lindbohm being in the team? I feel more comfortable using him and Jokipakka over Lindell as of now

 

[illone84]

What is the likelyhood of Lindbohm being in the team? I feel more comfortable using him and Jokipakka over Lindell as of now

Jokipakka will make the team more than likely. Now he is seeing more NHL time in Calgary, so he is the safer bet over Lindbohm.

Now the question is, will Lindbohm make it over Lepisto and Kukkonen?

 

[teravaineSAROS]

I would rather have Laine over Armia in the tournament. He's more consistent, excels in big games and owns a much better shot than Armia. Armia brings playmaking and two-way play which Finland already has plenty of, where as Laine can score that one goal we desperately need at a given time

 

[Booster*]

Depending on World Champinships this spring if the young players perform they could use the sort of tournament that this World Cup is to really gain a boost for the upcoming NHL season.

My choice

Laine-Barkov-Puljujärvi
Aho-Granlund-Rantanen
Jokinen-Koivu-Armia
Salomäki-Haula-Komarov
Saarela

Määttä-Vatanen
Lindell-Ristolainen
Lindbohm-Jokipakka
Juolevi


Rask
Korpisalo
Raanta

 

[FiLe]

Depending on World Champinships this spring if the young players perform they could use the sort of tournament that this World Cup is to really gain a boost for the upcoming NHL season.

Given that 16 players have already been selected and six of them are names not in your lineup, that's not a viable setup even in theory.

Not that I'd care even if they picked such a green team. They'd be slaughtered in every game, but the experience would prep them for future endeavors. Far better outcome than doing ones utmost to try and win this charade parade.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

Your takes on these "wildcards"?

F:
Immonen?
Pakarinen?
Bergenheim?
(Kasperi) Kapanen?

D:
pokka? (how good is he compared to Lindbohm??)
Jaakola?
Honka?
Melart?
Salmela?

 

[FiLe]

Pakarinen is a maybe. The rest are long shots.

Defensemen, I'd say Jaakola has the best chance, might even grab the spot some seem to think is locked down for Kukkonen. Pokka/Honka might feature if the KHL gets stingy with d-men and someone like Lepistö is not allowed to go.


In all, Haula should be a virtual lock for one of the remaining three forward spots, and the other two from the selection of Pulkkinen, Armia, Rantanen... or Pakarinen/Salomäki on the grindy side. Little room for euros here.

For defense, Jokipakka is the virtual lock. My preference for the remaining two are Lindbohm and Lepistö, but I guess Jaakola or Kukkonen may also feature.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

Pakarinen is a maybe. The rest are long shots.

Defensemen, I'd say Jaakola has the best chance, might even grab the spot some seem to think is locked down for Kukkonen. Pokka/Honka might feature if the KHL gets stingy with d-men and someone like Lepistö is not allowed to go.


In all, Haula should be a virtual lock for one of the remaining three forward spots, and the other two from the selection of Pulkkinen, Armia, Rantanen... or Pakarinen/Salomäki on the grindy side. Little room for euros here.

For defense, Jokipakka is the virtual lock. My preference for the remaining two are Lindbohm and Lepistö, but I guess Jaakola or Kukkonen may also feature.

insightful response! thanks


How would you rank these D-men?:
Lepistö
Jokipakka
Lindell
Lindbohm

is Lepistö better than the other three?

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

I think they want players who have experience from NHL. Hietanen seems like the only guy who has a chance that hasn't played on smaller ice, but he played in the Olympics.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

I think they want players who have experience from NHL. Hietanen seems like the only guy who has a chance that hasn't played on smaller ice, but he played in the Olympics.

No I definitely get that, but I was curious about how good Lepistö is compared to Lindell, Jokipakka and Lindbohm if say for an Olympic roster

 

[illone84]

No I definitely get that, but I was curious about how good Lepistö is compared to Lindell, Jokipakka and Lindbohm if say for an Olympic roster

On the small ice in NA, you will get different answers.

1.Lepistö
2.Lindell
3. Jokipakka
4. Lindbohm

Why?

Lepistö has played 125 games in the AHL and 176 games in the NHL. Has won a gold medal in the WC, and two Olympic bronze medals as well. He is also having a great season in the KHL atm.

Jokipakka is more of a stay at home Dmen with great size, but Lindell is much more offensive, he is kicking ass in the AHL, won gold 2 years ago in the WJC, was selected to the AHL star (top 11 in scoring for all Dmen as a rookie), and already has a few nhl games under his belt. But considering they are both about 6"3 (more or less the same size), between the two I would take Lindell, as did the management team that picked him in the top 4 D for the tournie.

After Lindell its Jokipakka, then Lindbohm or Kukkonen.

At the end of the day, I think the Dmen will be: Risto, Vatman, Holy Maatta, Lindell, Lepistö, Jokipakka, Kukkonen. And if they have an 8dman set up, the final will be Pokka.

 

[FiLe]

How would you rank these D-men?:
Lepistö
Jokipakka
Lindell
Lindbohm

I'm not gonna rank them in any particular order. We'll have to think about what kind of role one needs to fill.

Lindell - already the best of them overall. #1 choice when you need a puckmover, but no slouch in the defensive end either. Belongs to our current best setup, no question, and Marjamäki agrees, as we can already tell.

Lepistö - a versatile machine. True jack of all trades, master of none. Doesn't really excel in anything but can play both a puck-mover role and DD adequately, if need be. Experience from both big and small ice add to the package. Let's call him a guy most coaches would love to have as their extra d-man. Ready to jump in at any situation, but won't complain if he doesn't get further than the bench.

Jokipakka/Lindbohm - for third pairing stay-at-home roles. Pretty much interchangeable in that regard, though at this very moment Jokipakka may take slight preference because he has more NHL experience. It's however Lindbohm who may actually be more profilic once he locks down a spot in the show.

I think they want players who have experience from NHL. Hietanen seems like the only guy who has a chance that hasn't played on smaller ice, but he played in the Olympics.

I see little room for Hietanen as long as Vatanen and Ristolainen are healthy. They grab his natural habitats, and he is a highly suspect player to bend into the roles that are left, especially in small ice. If this was a big ice tournament, then maybe, given that he was behind Salo and Vatanen in pecking order in Sochi too.

At the end of the day, I think the Dmen will be: Risto, Vatman, Holy Maatta, Lindell, Lepistö, Jokipakka, Kukkonen. And if they have an 8dman set up, the final will be Pokka.

On what grounds do you think Pokka takes over Lindbohm, who has already shown he can handle the NHL? I'm not calling Pokka garbage, I actually see all the pieces in his game that ultimately may shape him to be another "Lepistö", only difference being the right hook, but as of right now if they need another besides those seven, it's got to be Lindbohm.

 

[illone84]

On what grounds do you think Pokka takes over Lindbohm, who has already shown he can handle the NHL? I'm not calling Pokka garbage, I actually see all the pieces in his game that ultimately may shape him to be another "Lepistö", only difference being the right hook, but as of right now if they need another besides those seven, it's got to be Lindbohm.[/QUOTE]

If they go with 7 dmen, I don't see space for neither Lindbohm nor Pokka. Otherwise, I don't think it's fair to say that Lindbohm has proven anything in the NHL yet. Sure, he has shown that he can handle 30 games, but that sample is too small IMHO to make any fair judgements.

In my original roster posted in January I selected Lindbohm over Pokka, but now that I have put more thought into it, I see Pokka being a solid 8th dman, given management decides to take 8 dmen.

Ville is having a great season in the ahl, and has shown he can win it all (ie. wjc 2014). At this point Lindbohm and Pokka have played around the same amount of games in NA (around 120+) with Pokka putting up much better numbers.
He also played with Lindell on the same d pairing in Sweden 2014, so I think those two have good chemistry, in the case they need to play again together in Toronto.

I like how Lindbohm is a solid stay at home type with size and strength, but I think Ville's offensive game and overall strengths outweigh what Lindbohm has to offer, albeit it comes down to the 8th spot.

Otherwise, I'm happy taken either one as long as the rest are healthy and good to go.

What are your reasons for choosing Lindbohm over Pokka? Would you rather have Lindbohm fill in the stay at home role with his size considering we have good offense with RR, Vatman, OM, Lindell, etc?

 

[FiLe]

What are your reasons for choosing Lindbohm over Pokka? Would you rather have Lindbohm fill in the stay at home role with his size considering we have good offense with RR, Vatman, OM, Lindell, etc?

That's the main reason. 8th d-man is primarily a bottom-pairing defensive guy in regular rotation, and for that role Lindbohm does take preference by a mile. With those four already selected, there is no need for a puckmover, nor an utility guy as long as Lepistö is there. If there are five who can bring can bring something to the table offensively, sixth is an overkill unless there's truly an established name available. Therefore, there really is no argument for Pokka here.

If we were to lose one of Ristolainen/Vatanen to an injury though... then things would get interesting. Pokka would not be a shoo-in, but something of a coin toss between him and Hietanen.

 

[illone84]

That's the main reason. 8th d-man is primarily a bottom-pairing defensive guy in regular rotation, and for that role Lindbohm does take preference by a mile. With those four already selected, there is no need for a puckmover, nor an utility guy as long as Lepistö is there. If there are five who can bring can bring something to the table offensively, sixth is an overkill unless there's truly an established name available. Therefore, there really is no argument for Pokka here.

If we were to lose one of Ristolainen/Vatanen to an injury though... then things would get interesting. Pokka would not be a shoo-in, but something of a coin toss between him and Hietanen.

Makes sense to me.

On the other note, I wanted to mention the potential size of this team's Dmen. Not bad.

Rasmus Ristolainen: 6"4 207lb
Esa Lindell: 6"3 210lb
Olli Määttä: 6"2 206lb
Sami Vatanen: 5"10 183lb

With Potentials:

Jyrki Jokipakka: 6"3 215lb
Petteri Lindbohm: 6"3 198 lb
Sami Lepistö: 6"1 194lb
Ville Pokka: 6"0 214lb
Topi Jaakola: 6"2 198lb
Lasse Kukkonen: 6"0 189lb


Also, the centre position is pretty big.

Sasha Barkov: 6"3 214lb
Mikko Koivu: 6"3 215lb
Jori Lehterä: 6"2 210lb


With potentials:

Erik Haula 6"0 193lb
Joonas Kemppainen: 6"3 223lb


I guess the wingers aren't as big. But I'm hoping that Mikko Rantanen makes it, to add some size, strength and scoring.

 

[Keke]

I wonder what number Barkov is going to use in the National team now that #16 is retired. It'll be weird to see him without #16

 

[Kibe]

61? Also there is no use for Hietanen.