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U18: Team Finland 2018 U18 WJC Roster Talk

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pckstpr31 said:
Where were you able to watch it/do you know if an archived game will be available anywhere?
Click to expand...

Slovakia vs Finland game was live broadcast in YLE TV2 channel today afternoon.
Usyally YLE shows hockey games in YLE areena service but it's possible those are geo-blocked which means those games are available only in Finland.

PS try IIHF's youtube or vimeo profiles there should be some highlights of Slovakia vs Finland game.,
 
Finland's roster vs France
1 Jere Huhtamaa

30 Jasper Patrikainen
1:
15 Niklas Nordgren - 9 Jesperi Kotkaniemi - 33 Kaapo Kakko
37 Toni Utunen - 6 Lassi Thomson
2:
24 Sampo Ranta - 27 Kristian Tanus - 19 Lenni Killinen
2 Santeri Salmela - 29 Kim Nousiainen
3:
34 Arttu Nevasaari - 22 Anton Lundell - 12 Leevi Aaltonen
20 Mikko Kokkonen - 36 Anttoni Honka
4:
13 Konsta Hirvonen - 23 Ville Petman - 21 Jesse Moilanen
 
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After 2 periods Finland leads vs France 3-0.
Finland goals 1-0 Kaapo Kakko 2-0 Ville Petman 3-0 Konsta Hirvonen.

Kaapo Kakko has 2 points ( 1 goal+ 1 assist)
Finland has been a bit undisciplined especially Kotkaniemi has taken 2 idiotic penalties.
Also Kotkaniemi is trying to do too much by himself.

Kaapo Kakko's 1-0 goal was beauty.
Kakko showed great puck protection skills and stayed well in the puck when he skated around France's net and put puck in empty net. That goal reminded Kasperi Kapanen's overtime goal vs Russia in 2016 world junior gold medal game.
 
Finland's roster vs Russia today
Maalilla:
31 Justus Annunen
Varalla:
1 Jere Huhtamaa
1:
15 Niklas Nordgren - 9 Jesperi Kotkaniemi - 33 Kaapo Kakko
37 Toni Utunen - 6 Lassi Thomson
2:
24 Sampo Ranta - 27 Kristian Tanus - 19 Lenni Killinen
2 Santeri Salmela - 29 Kim Nousiainen
3:
34 Arttu Nevasaari - 22 Anton Lundell - 12 Leevi Aaltonen
25 Peetro Seppälä - 36 Anttoni Honka
4:
13 Konsta Hirvonen - 23 Ville Petman - 21 Jesse Moilanen
20 Mikko Kokkonen
 
I'm not sure what to think about Kotkaniemi. At a certain time he can be playing good hockey and be making the right decisions, then the next he seems like a tunnel-visioned forward waiting for the perfect timing to release. Kakko was open several times on the powerplay at the right wall while Kotkaniemi was driving towards the net from the left and every single time he shot (and failed) where Kakko might have had an easy job to one-time at a half empty net. Kakko on the other hand has been outstanding in every game, scoring or not and even the Russians couldn't keep him at bay. He's the real deal. I've also been impressed by Lundell. Looks like a big guy for his age (just turned 16) and seems to have an excellent hockey IQ and really smooth hands. You can never have too many centers. Speed isn't there yet but it will come over time. Could be one of the youngest players in the team? He's entrusted of playing both PK and PP.

Looks like an excellent team. Not that confident about defence core and there were some mistakes that lead to goals against. Not that you can blame defence alone. Nordgren who scored two goals, also messed up close to the blueline and pawed the way to a Russian for a breakaway. The forwards looks excellent and while there's the clear first line, the others can score as well. Nevermind for once, Finland was able to come back from being two goals behind and win the game even without going for the OT.
 
Interesting to see how the forward group ends up with Kupari. Killinen is the obvious choice to move out of the lineup, but we'll see.

Really like this team overall, if they can clean up the defensive brainfarts and score on the PP, could be a gold medal contender, though Canada has looked scary good so far.
 
Kupari ninjas Killinen spot as expected and Lenni drops Nevasaari from 3rd line to extra. Kokkonen and Thomson switch places.

lineup vs Czech

1:
15 Niklas Nordgren - 9 Jesperi Kotkaniemi - 33 Kaapo Kakko
37 Toni Utunen - 20 Mikko Kokkonen
2:
10 Rasmus Kupari - 27 Kristian Tanus - 24 Sampo Ranta
2 Santeri Salmela - 29 Kim Nousiainen
3:
19 Lenni Killinen - 22 Anton Lundell - 12 Leevi Aaltonen
25 Peetro Seppälä - 36 Anttoni Honka
4:
13 Konsta Hirvonen - 23 Ville Petman - 21 Jesse Moilanen
6 Lassi Thomson
13. Forward:
34 Arttu Nevasaari

Goalie:
Justus Annunen
Backup:
Jasper Patrikainen
 
Year/2 years ago I didn't have have high hopes for this group in this tournament. But they have played some great hockey. They can actually make it 4 Final appearances in 4 years. Already medal games 4 years in a row with a group which was not supposed to be good. The team is fast, skilled and they do anything to win. I can see them making the finals once again. It would be just awesome. If this group can make it, I think any Finnish group can. This team is very young too and some of them can play in the next years tournament too. Very nice times to follow Finnish junior hockey, really fun to watch this team play hockey. Very good coaching, really likeable coach helps ofc. Seems to be very good with kids.

Not very excited about U20 teams recent international games, but Finnish ice hockey association do very good job preparing the teams for the U18 world championship tournaments. When you do it 4 years in a row after that awful 10-0 QF loss 5 years ago, it shows something. No one wants to see it again.
 
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FinPanda said:
Year/2 years ago I didn't have have high hopes for this group in this tournament. But they have played some great hockey. They can actually make it 4 Final appearances in 4 years. Already medal games 4 years in a row with a group which was not supposed to be good. The team is fast, skilled and they do anything to win. I can see them making the finals once again. It would be just awesome. If this group can make it, I think any Finnish group can. This team is very young too and some of them can play in the next years tournament too. Very nice times to follow Finnish junior hockey, really fun to watch this team play hockey. Very good coaching, really likeable coach helps ofc. Seems to be very good with kids.

Not very excited about U20 teams recent international games, but Finnish ice hockey association do very good job preparing the teams for the U18 world championship tournaments. When you do it 4 years in a row after that awful 10-0 QF loss 5 years ago, it shows something. No one wants to see it again.
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I agree. I just wonder why there's so little talk about the team. Even this thread is a whole 2 pages long in it's entity. I myself enjoy watching the U20 WJCs the most out of these annual tournaments, but the U18s WJHC comes right after (if not talking about the best vs best hockey). Guess it's about being more interested in the future of the Finnish hockey than the Finnish hockey today, especially when our young guys are mostly not even that close to peaking in the NHL. Sure I watch the men's world championships as well, but if I miss a game or two I don't really even care all that much, unless it's of course the knock out rounds. Especially now when we already got to "enjoy" the Olympics I can't get myself to feel to enthusiastic despite of knowing we'll have Aho, Teräväinen and Granlund on the board.

They've seemed to put together a pretty good team this time around and there's plenty of offensive talent. I'm not completely sold on how our defense can handle the best countries but we'll get to that on Saturday I suppose. Kakko and Lundell have been particularly good in these games (considering that they're not even draft eligible) where one is an under aged and the other double. Yeah I remember the 0-10 defeat pretty well and that is just not going to happen this time around, no matter if we lose or not. The team actually was able to win the group stage which I guess alone is pretty rare feat. Usually we don't get the easiest opponent in the Q-finals. I do hope you are right and the coaching and the preparations have improved along with the general quality of the team.

It's do or die time come Saturday and if we get a win over the Swedes, we're in for a medal already. Hopefully we got this one and see these kids play for the gold. It'd be ecstatic.
 
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FinPanda said:
Year/2 years ago I didn't have have high hopes for this group in this tournament. But they have played some great hockey. They can actually make it 4 Final appearances in 4 years. Already medal games 4 years in a row with a group which was not supposed to be good. The team is fast, skilled and they do anything to win. I can see them making the finals once again. It would be just awesome. If this group can make it, I think any Finnish group can. This team is very young too and some of them can play in the next years tournament too. Very nice times to follow Finnish junior hockey, really fun to watch this team play hockey. Very good coaching, really likeable coach helps ofc. Seems to be very good with kids.

Not very excited about U20 teams recent international games, but Finnish ice hockey association do very good job preparing the teams for the U18 world championship tournaments. When you do it 4 years in a row after that awful 10-0 QF loss 5 years ago, it shows something. No one wants to see it again.
Click to expand...
They did it! What a team.
 
Go young Lions, yay!

I can''t believe we just completely zeroed Sweden. That just never frigging happens and usually if things look really good, like Finland being 4 goals ahead going into the third, someone named Mats or Peter Pan would come sweep the team off the table.

What a team, cannot wait for tomorrow!
 
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Our boys has played one heck of a tournament so far. Great individuals makes the great team, Nordgren, Kakko, Kotkaniemi, Lundell, Tanus, Honka, Utunen. I see lot of similarities with 2016 U20 gold medal team and this team, they all enjoy this great game and they dont any fear mistakes.

Tommi Niemelä is definitely one of the most promising new finnish coaches. I hope that they sign him to replace Jussi Ahokas after the next U20 world championships.
 
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Tommi Niemelä comes across as an exuberantly positive dude whose laid back communicative style creates an optimal relaxed atmosphere for a team to play confident, relatively freewheeling hockey through individual strengths. Yet, he gives a bit goofy if not Pejorative Slured impression time to time in interviews, not a "troglodyte" kind but rather just slightly mentally handicapped one. He is nicknamed "hölö", if I understood correctly and that is quite telling not only about his uninhibitedly talkative personality but also about frivolous and nonsensical nature of lots of his babbling.

Could he get more serious and get a "more serious" job as the head coach of the U20 team? Maybe but somehow his naturally goofy style suits better to these adolescents who are also still goofing in the energy tempest of late puberty.
 
Awesome team with excellent coaching staff and of course really good players.
Finland clearly was best team of entire tournament.

When tournament record is 7 wins in 7 games there's no question was that gold medal well deserved.
Tommi Niemelä should replace Jussi Ahokas in Finland's U20 team when Ahokas has done his job with U20 head coach.

3 yrs ago MTV3 showed Leijonatie2000 document which was filmed 2015 pohjola camp.
At the end of that document coach Niemelä said U18 world champions 2018 are now selected.
Did coach Niemelä really knew in that moment Finland will win U18 WJC gold medal in Chealyabinsk defeating USA in gold medal game.

Congrats Finland for U18 WJC gold.
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS.
 
I still can't believe this team won gold. The most unlikely team to win gold won it. And they beat the USA, I can't remember any other Finnish team winning a tournament when they have played against USA/Canada in the final. Awesome team, very talented and one of the best coached Finnish teams I've seen. Congrats!
 
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FinPanda said:
I still can't believe this team won gold. The most unlikely team to win gold won it. And they beat the USA, I can't remember any other Finnish team winning a tournament when they have played against USA/Canada. Awesome team, very talented and one of the best coached Finnish teams I've seen. Congrats!
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U20 WJC in Mälmö 2014 Finland wins Canada in semifinal
U20 WJC in Helsinki 2016 Finland wins Canada in quarterfinal
U18 WJC in North Dakota 2016 Finland wins USA in semifinal
 
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