WC: Team Finland 2025

[just a hockey fan]

The more I see what Finns say about their teams and players at any level, the more I start to think that there has to be a market for therapists in Finland. All the extra negativity/hate every time can't possibly be just because someone's favorite player wasn't fit/selected/simply good enough. So much weird hatred towards everything when it's really not even needed (let alone deserved since it's just hockey at the end of the day).

(Before someone gets too mad and proves me right, I'm not fully serious but still makes me laugh how little positivity there is usually and how people aren't ready to give the teams a fair chance before judging)

 

[Eye of Ra]

The more I see what Finns say about their teams and players at any level, the more I start to think that there has to be a market for therapists in Finland. All the extra negativity/hate every time can't possibly be just because someone's favorite player wasn't fit/selected/simply good enough. So much weird hatred towards everything when it's really not even needed (let alone deserved since it's just hockey at the end of the day).

Swedes and finns are the most negative people on earth. Im sure you noticed how Swedes are too in our threads.

 

[just a hockey fan]

Swedes and finns are the most negative people on earth. Im sure you noticed how Swedes are too in our threads.

Haha yeah I know, at times it's fun but also makes you wonder why not try to tone it down a bit.

 

[Sanf]

Yay, Matinpalo. Interesting to see that both late additions, Vittasmäki and Koppanen got cut.

Overall, I'm happy with this selection. No so-called "stupid" cuts no one saw coming.

Vittasmäki probably was the easy cut in favour of Matinpalo because Vittasmäki spend so little time with the team.

Koppanen who might be the last standing Finnish player in NHL from the 2016 draft . Well not likely or that realistic, but who would have guessed that there is slim chance that it could be the case.

I think the team is fine and as good as we realisticly could get. I would have had few different preferences, but those are not really difference making changes. So I´m totally fine with the team. Saros is the only sure thing to Olympics and quite many have atleast outside chance if having amazing tournament.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Im pissed off Tikka was cut. Would be nice to see his physical play in WC.

 

[FiLe]

Why did Thompson get cut ? Wtf

Because he didn't actually look that good.

Same shit every year. Can't have more than 3 talented d-man, rest have to be shit with the puck.

I count five who can give good passes. Lehtonen, Leppänen, Saarijärvi, obviously, but Salo and Sund don't have hands of stone either. I was personally more concerned about the quality of stay-at-home D, but with Matinpalo added alongside Rissanen and Seppälä, we should be fine.

It's a very even group - three ODs, two jack-of-all-stats, and three DDs.

I think the team is fine and as good as we realisticly could get.

This. It's a very evenly built group, with no real shortages or overabudance for this type of player or that. Sure, ideally we'd have some bigger names for certain roles, but it's not Pennanen's fault that they're not available.

 

[illone84]

Same shit every year. Can't have more than 3 talented d-man, rest have to be shit with the puck.

Erholtz and Järvinen made it

Replace with Helenius and Lehkonen lol

The more I see what Finns say about their teams and players at any level, the more I start to think that there has to be a market for therapists in Finland. All the extra negativity/hate every time can't possibly be just because someone's favorite player wasn't fit/selected/simply good enough. So much weird hatred towards everything when it's really not even needed (let alone deserved since it's just hockey at the end of the day).

(Before someone gets too mad and proves me right, I'm not fully serious but still makes me laugh how little positivity there is usually and how people aren't ready to give the teams a fair chance before judging)

Finland is the happiest country in the world

 

[SantosHalper]

The more I see what Finns say about their teams and players at any level, the more I start to think that there has to be a market for therapists in Finland. All the extra negativity/hate every time can't possibly be just because someone's favorite player wasn't fit/selected/simply good enough. So much weird hatred towards everything when it's really not even needed (let alone deserved since it's just hockey at the end of the day).

(Before someone gets too mad and proves me right, I'm not fully serious but still makes me laugh how little positivity there is usually and how people aren't ready to give the teams a fair chance before judging)

Those are factory settings in every Finn.

In Finland we will pay 100, so that our neighbour doesn't get 50.

The joy of loss is the best joy. (Weird way to translate vahingonilo on paras ilo but close enough, i guess)

Yup, we are different breed.

 

[SantosHalper]

Finland is the happiest country in the world

 

[FiLe]

The joy of loss is the best joy. (Weird way to translate vahingonilo on paras ilo but close enough, i guess)

Ask a Finn to spell "joy", they'll go, "S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-E-U-D-E".


Also, I've heard people say that it's paradoxical for Finland to be the happiest country in the world because we have higher than average suicide rates. I say that's logical - we're the happiest country in the world because there's only happy people left after the sad ones kill themselves.

 

[kudla]

Can anyone summarize for me what kind of team is Finland sending this year? Who from NHL?

 

[FiLe]

Can anyone summarize for me what kind of team is Finland sending this year?

A bunch of scrubs.

Who from NHL?

Losers who didn't make the playoffs or were eliminated early.

Sorry, trying to stay on topic here. You can find the roster on post #136.

 

[FloridaPanthersFan84]

Where's Samuel Helenius injured or AHL playoffs? And why Lehkonen isn't there too.
Maybe this team is enough good to make quarterfinals but winning a medal needs lots of luck

If Finland will not make quarterfinals then there¨s no other option than fire Pennanen.
Yeah yeah yeah training games and EHT games are what they are.

But losing 8-2 for Switzerland is freaking pathetic no matter was it practice game or not.

 

[FinPanda]

Didn't Lehtinen say they can still add NHL'ers? So Lehkonen could be joining

 

[JabbaJabba]

View attachment 1029414

That man clearly can't handle the amount of happiness he's feeling.

To me the team is not that bad. Problem is behind the bench as I have very little faith in Pennanen. I think Jalonen would be able to do all kinds of magic with this roster.

 

[FinPanda]

Pennanen has been veery bad as a coach, I don't have high hopes for this team either. It's not the worst roster we have iced but the players will get way less help from the coaching.

 

[Sanf]

I'm curiois who is the coach that people would want? I don't see many candidates. Foreign one?

 

[kthx]

I'm curiois who is the coach that people would want? I don't see many candidates. Foreign one?

I wouldn't personally like a foreign one. Jalonen is the concensus #1, and will always be. Would probably consider OJ or Helminen at this point personally. Maybe even Marjamäki.

OJ or Helminen would spark the team the most imo.

 

[Sanf]

I wouldn't personally like a foreign one. Jalonen is the concensus #1, and will always be. Would probably consider OJ or Helminen at this point personally. Maybe even Marjamäki.

OJ or Helminen would spark the team the most imo.

Yeah sure Jalonen, but I´m not sure if he ever coaches Finnish NT again. Not much to win and more money to be made elsewhere.

OJ is a wild card. No preasure three year with Jukurit that brought some regular season success. Timrå year with ended up bit sour. Not yet single playoff series win. HIFK will be the real test. I have still questions.

Helminen had great season. But outside of that he had even trouble getting jobs. And I´m fairly certain that most in here just wanted to keep him out of any NT work. I don´t know. Like Jokinen I have questions about Helminen too.

edit. And to be clear only missing the qfinals should make Pennanen unemployed. People seem to forgot how many questioned Jalonen too in his early years. EHT Jukka.

 

[SantosHalper]

People either have bad memory or this is a case of "what have you done for me lately".

First coach since Erkka W to coach U20 national team to B2B medals and only coach of the 3(others Erkka & Jortikka) to win those medals on North American ice.

Pennanen is good coach. Proven tournament coach and JJ's hand picked successor, Pennanen was Jukka's assistant in 2016 WJC and in 2019 WHC and both tournaments ended with gold medals on their necks.

 

[kthx]

People either have bad memory or this is a case of "what have you done for me lately".
View attachment 1029883
First coach since Erkka W to coach U20 national team to B2B medals and only coach of the 3(others Erkka & Jortikka) to win those medals on North American ice.

Pennanen is good coach. Proven tournament coach and JJ's hand picked successor, Pennanen was Jukka's assistant in 2016 WJC and in 2019 WHC and both tournaments ended with gold medals on their necks.

For sure. Alot of things did go right in the last two Finnish wins. Stars aligned pretty damn nicely.

 

[FiLe]

I'd say the coach with the lowest odds to succeed Pennanen is Jussi Tapola. Whenever that is.

And methinks people are far too eager to call for coaches' heads. Sure, sometimes they turn out to be duds (like Marjamäki), but you can't say that in their inaugural season. In 2009 we got a coach whose first WHC ended in a QF exit. Then he snubbed one of the NHL's top scorers at the time from the olympics, and ticked off tons of our other top shelf NHLers by trying to micromanage them. The bronze medal from those games barely gave him breathing room. And once the 2010 WHC ended in another QF exit, people were so ready to get rid of him.

I say it's a good thing they didn't.

 

[Jukurit]

The most surprising thing to me is that all 3 Ässät players (Hämeenaho, Erholtz, Järvinen) made the team. Järvinen WHC debutant at the ripe age of 37. Respect!

 

[just a hockey fan]

The most surprising thing to me is that all 3 Ässät players (Hämeenaho, Erholtz, Järvinen) made the team. Järvinen WHC debutant at the ripe age of 37. Respect!

Well from what I saw from some of the games recently, Hämeenaho definitely deserved to get selected, he was one of the more dangerous forwards and was unlucky to not get more goals/points.

 

[Eye of Ra]

I wouldn't personally like a foreign one. Jalonen is the concensus #1, and will always be. Would probably consider OJ or Helminen at this point personally. Maybe even Marjamäki.

OJ or Helminen would spark the team the most imo.

Did not Doug Shedden do a good job?