WJC: Team Finland 2018 U20 WJC Roster Talk

Lempo

Recovering Future Considerations Truther
Feb 23, 2014
27,726
86,699
It's the only proper way for making a Finnish hockey youngster interview.
 

FiLe

Mr. Know-It-Nothing
Oct 9, 2009
7,030
1,419
Lineup for tonight's game vs. the Czechs:


Luukkonen (Lehtinen)

Heiskanen - Välimäki
Juolevi - Jokiharju
Vaakanainen - Kotkansalo
Salo - E.Räsänen

Tolvanen - Kuokkanen - Vesalainen
Koivula - A.Räsänen - Heponiemi
Kupari - Ikonen - Innala
Jääskä - Koppanen - Tuulola
Luostarinen
 

JJTT

Registered User
Jan 18, 2013
7,776
1,359
Oulu
Lineup for tonights game.

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
30 Lassi Lehtinen

13 Kristian Vesalainen - 9 Janne Kuokkanen - 20 Eeli Tolvanen
6 Juuso Välimäki - 2 Miro Heiskanen

32 Aleksi Heponiemi - 22 Aapeli Räsänen - 12 Otto Koivula
7 Olli Juolevi - 28 Henri Jokiharju

33 Jere Innala - 27 Joni Ikonen - 34 Rasmus Kupari
36 Kasper Kotkansalo - 23 Urho Vaakanainen

3 Juha Jääskä - 15 Joona Koppanen - 19 Eetu Tuulola
4 Robin Salo - 5 Eemeli Räsänen
29 Eetu Luostarinen

Not playing Moilanen, Nurmi, Turkulainen, Laavainen

Edit too slow..
 

DoingItCoolKiwi

Registered User
May 23, 2017
3,742
2,993
That could very well be the lineup for the tournament. Turkulainen not making it would be pretty surprising, but I have nothing else to complain about
 

Canada4Gold

Registered User
Dec 22, 2010
43,054
9,239
8 D making the team? You would think one of them would be cut, no?

Teams do sometimes choose to go the 12 F, 8 D route. Finland did it in the 2014 tournament for instance. The Czechs did it last year.

It would be a surprise, but the team who do it are usually European teams who like to run with 4 full lines and D pairings. Leaves you without any spares however which is more worrisome if a forward gets hurt as 4 forward lines is typical everywhere unlike a lot of teams doing 3 D pairings. Finland has 8 really solid D however so at least they wouldn't be doing it to keep some scrub.
 

Conspiracy Theorist

Registered User
Jan 30, 2016
5,818
2,056
Can they roll 4 defensive pairs in juniors? Not that it matters, Finland has the depth for it. Are they streaming tonight's game?
 

FiLe

Mr. Know-It-Nothing
Oct 9, 2009
7,030
1,419
The rule is 20 skaters + 3 goalies (with two dressed), and that's it. So a team can have 20 d-men and zero forwards if they so desire.

But I think that 8D thing is simply because Ahokas wants all the info he can have before he has to decide who to cut.
 

Tormentor

Registered User
Dec 27, 2007
2,056
45
Too Far
Moilanen, Nurmi, Turkulainen and Laavainen.. Cuts?

That could very well be the lineup for the tournament.

Laavainen seems like a likely cut, but I wouldn't be so sure about the forwards. From all the forwards on this team, Nurmi has received clearly the most ice time in short handed situations in Liiga. As long as he's healthy, it would be a surprise to see him gone considering what Ahokas talked a while back about top-6/bottom-6. Moilanen is also a good fit for that checking like role with penalty kill duties and he has a lot of experience playing with Koppanen, so my guess is that he's still an option as well. It's possible that tonight's line-up is more about Ahokas wanting to see more from Innala, Jääskä, Tuulola, Kupari etc...
 

JetsFan815

Replacement Level Poster
Jan 16, 2012
19,703
25,811
Lineup for tonights game.

1 Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
30 Lassi Lehtinen

13 Kristian Vesalainen - 9 Janne Kuokkanen - 20 Eeli Tolvanen
6 Juuso Välimäki - 2 Miro Heiskanen

32 Aleksi Heponiemi - 22 Aapeli Räsänen - 12 Otto Koivula
7 Olli Juolevi - 28 Henri Jokiharju

33 Jere Innala - 27 Joni Ikonen - 34 Rasmus Kupari
36 Kasper Kotkansalo - 23 Urho Vaakanainen

3 Juha Jääskä - 15 Joona Koppanen - 19 Eetu Tuulola
4 Robin Salo - 5 Eemeli Räsänen
29 Eetu Luostarinen

Not playing Moilanen, Nurmi, Turkulainen, Laavainen

Edit too slow..

Man the Center depth is not good on this lineup. Wingers will have to drive the bus on this team
 

Ippenator

Registered User
Jan 6, 2016
5,670
4,440
Espoo
Man the Center depth is not good on this lineup. Wingers will have to drive the bus on this team
True, but also not as meaningful thing as North Americans seem to think constantly. Finland has in fact never had that many good centers after all. We have still managed to achieve great success at international tournaments despite of that.

The North American center dependancy and admiration is honestly sometimes even a bit amusing.
 

Boonk

Registered User
Oct 10, 2017
2,931
3,965
this is the best team in the tournament

on paper
Not even close, that center depth is brutal and the bottom 6 is slightly above average, the only thing that makes this team in contention for best roster on paper is that defense they have.
 

Ainec

Panetta was not racist
Jun 20, 2009
21,784
6,431
Not even close, that center depth is brutal and the bottom 6 is slightly above average, the only thing that makes this team in contention for best roster on paper is that defense they have.

tolvanen
heponiemi
vesalainen
kuokkanen
rasanen

they have a ton of 19 year olds, what makes USA better on paper?
 

Boonk

Registered User
Oct 10, 2017
2,931
3,965
tolvanen
heponiemi
vesalainen
kuokkanen
rasanen

they have a ton of 19 year olds, what makes USA better on paper?
Their defense can match Finlands forwards easily, and their goaltenders already have experience at the U20 International level. They can also roll bottom 6 lines that can easily outmatch the Fins' bottom 6.
 

Ainec

Panetta was not racist
Jun 20, 2009
21,784
6,431
Their defense can match Finlands forwards easily, and their goaltenders already have experience at the U20 International level. They can also roll bottom 6 lines that can easily outmatch the Fins' bottom 6.

i do like USA's 3rd line, but I don't see USA having the overall better talent up front

defense.. well that goes to Finland

but again this is all on paper, doesn't mean anything. Plus it's small ice
 

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