WJC: Team Finland 2018 U20 WJC Roster Talk

[jvr32]

In my opinion the biggest problem was center-play. Especially Kuokkanen and Ikonen failed miserably. I would move Räsänen to the 1st line, Kuokkanen to 2nd and Ikonen 3rd. If Ikonen can't do better, you may have to try Kupari at C.

I agree to a degree. Kuokkanen is more like an ideal #2C more than a #1C, a role he's playing now. I'm not sure if you can count on him producing in tough situations. Also his puck distribution game has never impressed me. And Ikonen shows a lot of same signs that typical perimeter players show, he's afraid of going to tough areas and his skating is bad and not fast in a straight line as well, just look at how Victor Mete blew past him purely with his skating despite both not having a long shift in the first game. Räsänen has never had impressive offensive numbers outside international junior tournaments, and that might finally show up in this tournament.

So most concerned I'm about the middle 6 forwards. I don't see a lot of potential to produce there. Especially with Ikonen, Kupari and Innala in. Maybe Ahokas should shuffle the lines already, but his options are limited, and it's his own fault. I'd move Heponiemi to the first line to the place of Vesalainen, not that he's bad but his style would be better alongside Ikonen, him and Koivula would do the dirty work in the second line. I can't help but think that the someone from the omissions of Turkulainen, Somppi, Luostarinen and Kotkaniemi were a big mistake and it will show on the scoreboard this tournament. Not in the next game against Denmark though. The coach's stuck-up style favoring his guys will bite him in the ass.

 

[MarVell]

I’m sorry, but this team is just bad. There’s no chance they medal this year.
Pretty much everyone on the team has been a dissapointment to me.

 

[JetsFan815]

Vesalainen's usage on the PP pisses me off so much. That PP is ice cold and they have him hanging out in front of the net, has the Finland coach watched Vesalainen's goals in the Liiga on the PP? He can snipe. He should be on one of the halfwalls on the opposite side of Tolvanen. Get someone else to be the body in front of the net

 

[FinPanda]

Typical Finnish team, goal scoring and powerplay are the biggest problems.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

We have 6'7 tall dman in reserve players and his shot is bomb.
Maybe it's time to bring this guy on the powerplay. Yes i'm talking Eemeli Räsänen.
Our powerplay lacks shooting threat.

 

[FinPanda]

We have 6'7 tall dman in reserve players and his shot is bomb.
Maybe it's time to bring this guy on the powerplay. Yes i'm talking Eemeli Räsänen.
Our powerplay lacks shooting threat.

Our defensemen are not the problem. No need for Räsänen.

 

[ijuka]

A bit of a disaster showing to be honest. That game doesn't give me a whole lot of faith. Especially the goalie situation is looking very dire at this point in time. But there also were still some coordination issues and inability to coherently generate scoring chances. Another big issue I noted is the lack of net front presence.

If Finland tries playing like this vs USA there's no way it'll end in anything but a disappointment.

 

[Scott Malkinson]

We have 6'7 tall dman in reserve players and his shot is bomb.
Maybe it's time to bring this guy on the powerplay. Yes i'm talking Eemeli Räsänen.
Our powerplay lacks shooting threat.

Yes please.

 

[ijuka]

We have 6'7 tall dman in reserve players and his shot is bomb.
Maybe it's time to bring this guy on the powerplay. Yes i'm talking Eemeli Räsänen.
Our powerplay lacks shooting threat.

Agreed, I'd like to see him too.

Something needs to be done with the offense, it is too one dimensional.

 

[Hockeyisl1fe]

Our powerplay doesn't lack shooting talent, it lacks everything else though. Just too static and shooting is forced. Also the center situation is indeed bad. Kuokkanen seems like he would be better on the wing. I think cutting Luostarinen was a big mistake, he would've been perfect for that 3c role. Räsänen with Tolvanen/Vesalainen (he is not an ideal 1c, but his wingers would compensate and they've been playing great together before) and Luostarinen centering Kuokkanen/Kupari = immediatly more scoring depth.

 

[Opak]

PP looked better, but it's still godawful. PK was pretty bad too, it only took the Danes a few seconds to capitalize on their only PP opportunity.

Like I posted previously, that "top line" has to be broken up, it just doesn't work. Build one line around Tolvanen/Heponiemi, another around Vesalainen. Absolutely no idea what to do with Kuokkanen, the guy just doesn't fit into this team at all.

 

[FiLe]

The good news is that while our biggest weakness was wholly exposed (or more like a staple weakness, scoring effeciency), we still did get a good and relatively painless win. So we're where we were expected to be, but not in a way that allows the management to insist to themselves that all is good.

The bad news is that there isn't much room for flexibility in that roster. Everything works if the players execute their intended roles as expected, but if they don't, there are no easy fixes like "let's try this guy here" or "swap these two and see if it wakes 'em up". Though I must say, even with a highly flexible roster we rarely see total shuffling of the deck in short tournaments like these, so that washes the notion a bit.

It's still early days, but if something easy were to be done, one could try playing some musical chairs with the centre lane. Like this:

Vesalainen - Räsänen - Tolvanen
Heponiemi - Kuokkanen - Koivula
Innanen - Ikonen - Kupari

Put Räsänen into his "chemistry spot" with those familiar wingers and give Kuokkanen a new start.

From there, we could move on to adjusting the PP units. Another thing that's a bit silly is how we have this defense stacked with skill, but it goes woefully underutilized on special teams, given that our 1PP still runs on four forwards. There's a rather decent explanation though, which is the lack of right-handed shots. Our D has only one in Jokiharju. And the current forwards' top-six only has Ikonen. Which is the likely explanation why Räsänen is in that 1st PP unit instead of another d-man. Kinda makes me miss Turkulainen, he's a righty and would have made a nice "shuffle piece", so to speak.

But it's too late for that. Gotta work with what we've got. Here's what one could do with the special teams:

1PP - Vesalainen - Räsänen - Tolvanen - Heiskanen - Välimäki
2PP - Heponiemi - Kuokkanen - Koivula - Juolevi - Jokiharju

Back to basics. If running the front-loaded PP doesn't work, there's no reason to hang ourselves to it. And neither unit is a complete lefty mess, since we have a righty in both units in Räsänen and Jokiharju. Räsänen isn't really a shooter though, but he'd still have the suitable handedness for feeding Tolvanen.

I'm mostly just musing here, of course. I don't expect anything drastic to happen any time soon, since, as I said, early days. But if they do have a plan B for the PP units, it is a high time to utilize that. Early days or no, we haven't lacked opportunities in these two games, and the percentage is horrible. Ahokas, I don't ask you to do what I laid out here, but good god, man, do *something*.

 

[kelsier]

Not at all happy with the performance. When you have the domination of the ice the entire 60 minute you should absolutely get more than 4 goals done.

Nothing really about the team to be delighted about. Kupari atleast seemed like he really wanted to play hard and I'd rather have seen him on PP than a few other guys. Can't but agree what people are saying about Kuokkanen. You'd never guess he'd have even skated on a smaller ice. Heponiemi has been quiet also with little showings compared to what he was advertised.

If they don't figure it out, the team will bleed vs USA.

 

[Hockeyisl1fe]

And why isn't Tuulola playing? He is a kind of winger this team badly needs: plays hard and goes to the net. Why someone like Innala is playing instead of him ffs? He provides nothing to this team.

 

[Hockeyisl1fe]

On a positive note: Koivula was great again, I love how strong he is on the puck. Välimäki looks like a real deal too.

 

[BB88]

Our defensemen are not the problem. No need for Räsänen.

We don't have a right shot threat on the powerplay and the pp looks pathetic, especially the 5-3.

They could give him a shot for a game and see what happens.

 

[FinPanda]

We don't have a right shot threat on the powerplay and the pp looks pathetic, especially the 5-3.

They could give him a shot for a game and see what happens.

Jokiharju? He has 2 goals already.

 

[BB88]

Jokiharju? He has 2 goals already.

Those haven't been bombs from the point.

 

[Flameshomer]

Valimaki scored a bomb from the point in today's game.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Valimaki scored a bomb from the point in today's game.

Yes he did but it wasn't powerplay goal.
Finland's coaching staff must figure out those powerplay issues.

When Finland's powerplay has been brutal trash two straight games ( Canada and Denmark) now
what it'll be in Slovakia and USA games then.

If we can't fix those powerplay issues now
this Team Finland will face early exit in the tournament after quarterfinal.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

On a positive note: Koivula was great again, I love how strong he is on the puck. Välimäki looks like a real deal too.

Without his idiotic penalty Denmark wouldn't have even scored a goal.
Thanks a lot indeed.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Linus Nyman,he was the player i forgot from my line up,he should def. be playing in these games.
- so many great players were left out from our 2018 team,its sickening.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

We don't have a right shot threat on the powerplay and the pp looks pathetic, especially the 5-3.

They could give him a shot for a game and see what happens.

I agree you 100%, minus the could,i would choose the word should

Eemeli Räsänen,RHD,Kingston Frontenacs best PP player
great passer,with heavy righthanded bomb from the blue line.

7+34 PP points in his OHL career so far (1 season+28 games into 2nd),
you would think we would use that kind of player in our line-up,but oh no,
Ahokas thinks players like; Salo,Vaakanainen&Kotkansalo are far better.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

We desperatly need ERäsänen.

Our top 6 D should be:
Heiskanen-ERäsänen
Välimäki-Jokiharju

Juolevi has been horrible,can't pass,can't skate,
hasn't done anything right.

 

[TeddyBare]

We desperatly need ERäsänen.

Our top 6 D should be:
Heiskanen-ERäsänen
Välimäki-Jokiharju

Juolevi has been horrible,can't pass,can't skate,
hasn't done anything right.

LOL
He has the best transition numbers of any d-man on Finland through 2 games.
Plus his entry denials are second best

Plus his primary shot contributions 5 on 5 are really solid.