WJC: Finland at the 2011 WJC

[MaNNe]

So is Pullkinen the go to offensive guy on this team this year then? Especially with Granlund out. Teemu has bulked up a lot and is having a great season

Pulkkinen and Armia i'd say.

 

[wings5]

This team differs from the other Finnish teams as this time it appears size will not be an issue. This is a very big team especially compared to past teams. I wonder though which of these players will be offensive players up front and on D? Also who are the grinders that will be relied on for physical play?

 

[Detroitredwingsfan]

Here's what I wrote about him 7 weeks ago:

"Haven't seen him playing in Mestis yet, so hard to say how he's performing there. In juniors he's a reliable all-around defenseman, has the stamina to play top pairing minutes. Looks physically mature for his age. Nice frame and reach, looks about 6'1'' tall, as reported. Good but not an elite skater. For a 16-year old Finn his defensive play is advanced, reads the game pretty well and is rarely caught out of position in the defensive zone. Not overly aggressive, has a Lidström'ish approach to the defensive game. Good first pass and a decent shot from the point. Protects the puck well and has above average puckhandling skills. Will take part to an offensive play if there's a clear opening, might even go to the net. Based on my limited viewing I'd say that he has a good chance of becoming a mid-round draftee in 2012, if he's still growing, might go even higher than that."

Since then I've seen him play in Mestis, and I think we can up the hype another notch. Simply impressive, it's rare to see a defensive prospect like him in Finland. Strong lateral movement and pivots, awesome stamina and strength level for a 16 year old athlete. Notable physical presence even against grown men, and the way he plays is effective and clean. Could use a tad more thrust and acceleration on a straight line, but that’s just nitpicking. Once he gains more experience, he’ll probably rise to a whole new level.

Seems like he is a guy to keep an eye on. Do you know what his chances of making the team are?

 

[BillyShoe1721]

Who is expected to start in net?

 

[FiLe]

This team differs from the other Finnish teams as this time it appears size will not be an issue. This is a very big team especially compared to past teams. I wonder though which of these players will be offensive players up front and on D? Also who are the grinders that will be relied on for physical play?

Easier to say what the roles will be once we see the final cuts. To put out some however, Pulkkinen, Armia, Haula ought to be the offensive leaders. Vatanen's the go-to guy on D. Pakarinen to lead the grinder squad.

Who is expected to start in net?

Joni Ortio.

 

[Tormentor]

Seems like he is a guy to keep an eye on. Do you know what his chances of making the team are?

One of the 9 defensemen was just cut and it wasn't Määttä, so his chances are looking pretty good.

 

[Tormentor]

So Iilahti and Pietilä are the latest cuts. Final cuts (one defenseman and one forward) will be made after the exhibition game against Canada in Kitchener.

Goalies: (3)
19 Samu Perhonen, JYP (-93)
30 Sami Aittokallio, Ilves (-92)
31 Joni Ortio, TPS (-91)

Defensemen: (8)
3 Jyrki Jokipakka, Ilves (-91)
4 Tommi Kivistö, Jokerit (-91)
5 Nico Manelius, Jokerit (-91)
7 Jani Hakanpää, Blues (-92)
8 Rasmus Rissanen, Everett (-91)
9 Sami Vatanen, JYP (-91)
15 Olli Määttä, JYP (-94)
23 Jesse Virtanen, Lukko (-91)

Forwards: (14)
6 Teemu Pulkkinen, Jokerit (-92)
10 Erik Haula, University of Minnesota (-91)
11 Miikka Salomäki, Kärpät (-93)
13 Julius Junttila, Kärpät (-91)
16 Henri Tuominen, Ilves (-91)
18 Iiro Pakarinen, KalPa (-91)
20 Joel Armia, Ässät (-93)
21 Valtteri Virkkunen, Blues (-91)
24 Teemu Tallberg, HIFK (-91)
25 Toni Rajala, Ilves (-91)
26 Mika Partanen, Mississauga (-92)
27 Joonas Donskoi, Kärpät (-92)
28 Jaakko Turtiainen, HPK (-91)
29 Joonas Nättinen, Blues (-91)

 

[YARR123]

Based on my limited knowledge I think it will be Hakanpää cut from the final roster, based on the facts that he's playing Jr. A and he hasn't been that impressing there (based on two games though, so cant say for sure). solid, but nothing that would've really caught my eye. Would be nice to see where he stands against others his age at a higher level, but not sure if thats good for the team.

 

[Nate070]

Here's what I wrote about him 7 weeks ago:

"Haven't seen him playing in Mestis yet, so hard to say how he's performing there. In juniors he's a reliable all-around defenseman, has the stamina to play top pairing minutes. Looks physically mature for his age. Nice frame and reach, looks about 6'1'' tall, as reported. Good but not an elite skater. For a 16-year old Finn his defensive play is advanced, reads the game pretty well and is rarely caught out of position in the defensive zone. Not overly aggressive, has a Lidström'ish approach to the defensive game. Good first pass and a decent shot from the point. Protects the puck well and has above average puckhandling skills. Will take part to an offensive play if there's a clear opening, might even go to the net. Based on my limited viewing I'd say that he has a good chance of becoming a mid-round draftee in 2012, if he's still growing, might go even higher than that."

Since then I've seen him play in Mestis, and I think we can up the hype another notch. Simply impressive, it's rare to see a defensive prospect like him in Finland. Strong lateral movement and pivots, awesome stamina and strength level for a 16 year old athlete. Notable physical presence even against grown men, and the way he plays is effective and clean. Could use a tad more thrust and acceleration on a straight line, but that’s just nitpicking. Once he gains more experience, he’ll probably rise to a whole new level.

Pulkkinen weighed 185 pounds at the draft combine and that was 6 months ago, so it's possible.

Ok, thanks. I have big hopes for this guy! Not just because of his first name

 

[BusQuets]

i have a strong feeling that vatanen will be the best defender in that tournament

 

[Prussian_Blue]

Based on my limited knowledge I think it will be Hakanpää cut from the final roster, based on the facts that he's playing Jr. A and he hasn't been that impressing there (based on two games though, so cant say for sure). solid, but nothing that would've really caught my eye. Would be nice to see where he stands against others his age at a higher level, but not sure if thats good for the team.

1. Where are the other defensemen playing? Surely they're not all in the SM-Liiga as U20's.

2. Hakanpää is the highest-drafted of any defenseman on the roster. He's also the biggest and most physical of any defenseman on that roster.

3. Hakanpää has a 1-10-11 scoring line, and a plus-10, with Blues Espoo. How much more do you want from a defenseman at both ends of the ice?

If Hakanpää gets cut, it'll greatly reduce Finland's chances because they will have cut loose the best defensive, stay-at-home defenseman they have in camp, IMO.

 

[YARR123]

1. Where are the other defensemen playing? Surely they're not all in the SM-Liiga as U20's.

2. Hakanpää is the highest-drafted of any defenseman on the roster. He's also the biggest and most physical of any defenseman on that roster.

3. Hakanpää has a 1-10-11 scoring line, and a plus-10, with Blues Espoo. How much more do you want from a defenseman at both ends of the ice?

If Hakanpää gets cut, it'll greatly reduce Finland's chances because they will have cut loose the best defensive, stay-at-home defenseman they have in camp, IMO.

1. All other players are either regulars in mestis or SM-liiga or splitting time between the two. Hakanpää has no experience in mens games.

2. He's the biggest but imo not that physical. According to what I've heard Rissanen is the most physical of the finnish U20 guys. Also my view on his draft number is that he's a project player, meaning he's got ways to go.

3. This I agree with, definetely not unimpressive stats for a big defenseman.

 

[Tormentor]

If Hakanpää gets cut, it'll greatly reduce Finland's chances because they will have cut loose the best defensive, stay-at-home defenseman they have in camp, IMO.

In juniors Hakanpää is a good defenseman defensively, but not stellar. On a higher level than juniors he still has quite a lot to learn. Head coach Marjamäki and Hakanpää are from the same organization, so it wouldn't be a huge surprise if he'd made the team, but IMHO he should be the last D to be cut. I have a feeling that from the 8 defensemen still left, he's the least ready to play against the level of competition that they'll be facing at the WJC's.

 

[FiLe]

2. Hakanpää is the highest-drafted of any defenseman on the roster. He's also the biggest and most physical of any defenseman on that roster.

And that tells us... what? He's a fourth round pick, and it's a known fact that any draft from the third round onwards is pure crapshoot. And even if he gets cut, it's not like Finland will be greatly diminished in size. Jokipakka, Kivistö, Rissanen and Määttä are no small fries either.

3. Hakanpää has a 1-10-11 scoring line, and a plus-10, with Blues Espoo. How much more do you want from a defenseman at both ends of the ice?

That's still in Jr.A. The rest have comparable stats from men's leagues.

For the record, I think it'll be either Manelius or Virtanen that gets cut. But it's just my prediction. I'd say that only Vatanen, Kivistö and Jokipakka are 100% safe.

 

[Tormentor]

For the record, I think it'll be either Manelius or Virtanen that gets cut. But it's just my prediction.

I'm not totally sold on Manelius either, but I believe that he has already made the team. He has been one of the captains for the U20 team this season, so he has a leadership role. Overall his game is nothing fancy, but he's a stable and pretty reliable defenseman with good upperbody strength and a winning attitude. Will probably be one of the penalty killers.

 

[Purple hippo]

Did Iilahti have a poor camp or was Perhonen just that more impressive? I thought Iilahti was a lock for the 3rd spot after Gibson was injured.

 

[Tormentor]

Did Iilahti have a poor camp or was Perhonen just that more impressive? I thought Iilahti was a lock for the 3rd spot after Gibson was injured.

Iilahti hasn't been impressive in the games that he has played in Mestis lately (2nd highest level of Finnish hockey), it seems that he’s not a goalie that you can rely on 100% of the time at this level. He's been tested and he didn't succeed.

Perhonen is untested and bit of a wildcard. His development is clearly looking upwards at the moment and he's playing with good self-confidence. He could be the 2nd Finn drafted next summer, first one being Armia.

It probably made more sense to pick Perhonen, since it's fairly certain that Iilahti wouldn’t have helped the team if either Ortio or Aittokallio would have suffered an injury. Perhonen is also a better investment for the future because of his age, will be a good experience for him to practise with the team.

 

[Prussian_Blue]

1. All other players are either regulars in mestis or SM-liiga or splitting time between the two. Hakanpää has no experience in mens games.

Not true; Hakanpää has as many games played (8) for Suomi U20 in the Mestis as any of the other players. Plus, Blues Espoo has a pretty solid and well-balanced defense, led by a veteran with NHL experience (Jere Karalahti) and featuring some decent younger veterans (Oskari Korpikari and Ville Varakas). It's hardly a mark against Hakanpää that he's been unable to crack that lineup at age 18.

Manelius, for example, has five games played in the SM-Liiga. He might be a regular for Kiekko-Vantää (21 GP), but his numbers there (0-2-2, minus-1, 2 PM) aren't anything to write home about. Although I will defer to your remarks in the post directly above re: Manelius' play, and leadership qualities.

Virtanen has two games played in the SM-Liiga, and 13 in the Mestis. He's 1-6-7 in 10 games in the Nuorten SM-Liiga, certainly no better than Hakanpää at that level.

He's the biggest but imo not that physical. According to what I've heard Rissanen is the most physical of the finnish U20 guys. Also my view on his draft number is that he's a project player, meaning he's got ways to go.

I'll defer to your opinion of Hakanpää's physicality, since I'm sure you've gotten to see him play a lot more often than I have over here in the States. I know that his 31 PIM with Suomi U20 is a bit misleading, because 25 of those minutes were for one cross-check to the face that he delivered on a SapKo player...

And I agree that Rissanen is the more physical of the two players, but then again, Rissanen is playing in the best junior league in the world in the Western Hockey League. They have the most travel, and play the longest schedule, of any of the three Canadian major junior leagues, and aggressiveness/physicality is highly prized in that league... especially from defensemen.

I like Rissanen a great deal, and think Carolina got a steal taking him 178th overall in 2009.

If Hakanpää ends up being cut, I can understand why that would happen... but I feel that by being the last 18-year-old defenseman on Finland's roster, he's established himself as the best of his age group. Plus he has international experience skating for Finland in last year's U18's. Maybe he's a victim of a numbers game here, but Hakanpää seems -- on the surface, anyway -- to be pretty deserving of a spot.

 

[YARR123]

Not true; Hakanpää has as many games played (8) for Suomi U20 in the Mestis as any of the other players. Plus, Blues Espoo has a pretty solid and well-balanced defense, led by a veteran with NHL experience (Jere Karalahti) and featuring some decent younger veterans (Oskari Korpikari and Ville Varakas). It's hardly a mark against Hakanpää that he's been unable to crack that lineup at age 18.

Manelius, for example, has five games played in the SM-Liiga. He might be a regular for Kiekko-Vantää (21 GP), but his numbers there (0-2-2, minus-1, 2 PM) aren't anything to write home about. Although I will defer to your remarks in the post directly above re: Manelius' play, and leadership qualities.

Virtanen has two games played in the SM-Liiga, and 13 in the Mestis. He's 1-6-7 in 10 games in the Nuorten SM-Liiga, certainly no better than Hakanpää at that level.



I'll defer to your opinion of Hakanpää's physicality, since I'm sure you've gotten to see him play a lot more often than I have over here in the States. I know that his 31 PIM with Suomi U20 is a bit misleading, because 25 of those minutes were for one cross-check to the face that he delivered on a SapKo player...

And I agree that Rissanen is the more physical of the two players, but then again, Rissanen is playing in the best junior league in the world in the Western Hockey League. They have the most travel, and play the longest schedule, of any of the three Canadian major junior leagues, and aggressiveness/physicality is highly prized in that league... especially from defensemen.

I like Rissanen a great deal, and think Carolina got a steal taking him 178th overall in 2009.

If Hakanpää ends up being cut, I can understand why that would happen... but I feel that by being the last 18-year-old defenseman on Finland's roster, he's established himself as the best of his age group. Plus he has international experience skating for Finland in last year's U18's. Maybe he's a victim of a numbers game here, but Hakanpää seems -- on the surface, anyway -- to be pretty deserving of a spot.

On the surface, maybe yes, but watching his game, he's still on a lower level than the other defencemen. I just don't see him playing that solid against top competition. He still has to add some roughness to his game and be able to move faster and more smoothly to excell at this level IMO.

 

[FiLe]

Perhonen is untested and bit of a wildcard. His development is clearly looking upwards at the moment and he's playing with good self-confidence. He could be the 2nd Finn drafted next summer, first one being Armia.

He could, like any prospect of age could, but if we're talking about real odds here, I'd say it's going to be Gibson.

 

[JALJesus]

What about the final finland team? they have dropped one goalie and one defender, are they gonna drop any forwards? I tried to find information on the finhockey.fi but I don't understand the language. If they drop any forwards which players are in the dangerzone? I'm really looking forwards to Finlands first game ( almost as much I look forward to the Swedens first game), I have high expectations especially on two finnish forwards.

The first: Teemu Pulkkinen

He has great abilities to be a NHL- star, almost better than Granlund in my opinion. He is natural goal scoorer and what I have heard and seen his skating have get much better this season. Pulkkinen has also a great hockeysense so it doesn't matter so much even if he does not get to play with Granlund. I think Pulkkinen has all chances to score most goals in this WJC.

The second: Mika Partanen

This big forward has in my opinion a great mix of a skill and powerforward. He has smooth hands and a good shoot. He also scates very smoothly and is a good tackler.
What I have heard has he been injured, but not so badly that he would miss the WJC. Partanen is maybe little addicted to play with good team-mates, if the finish coach puts him to play with some good guys and on powerplay I don't see any obstacle to his success in this upcoming WJC.

What do you guys think of theese two players and of their chances to be successful in the WJC?

 

[The Saw Is the Law]

What you guys think about Määttä? If any 16-year old D-man could be in WJC he must be damn beast.

If he makes it. He is only 16 year old player in tournament. 2012 draft eligible.

 

[FiLe]

If any 16-year old D-man could be in WJC he must be damn beast.

Considering the last Finnish D-man to make the U20 worlds at 16 was Janne Niinimaa, this sentence is hilarious in a myriad of ways.

 

[urho]

Considering the last Finnish D-man to make the U20 worlds at 16 was Janne Niinimaa, this sentence is hilarious in a myriad of ways.

Janne Niinimaa was one of the better defencemen in the game for a long time. It's actually sad that he's "aki berg" today because he was really good back in the day. He just went down faster than almost anyone I know.

 

[ThinMcWhistle]

Considering the last Finnish D-man to make the U20 worlds at 16 was Janne Niinimaa, this sentence is hilarious in a myriad of ways.

Niinimaa used to be a beast, that is until he turned into a little girl..

In his prime he was one of the best defensemen this country has ever produced.