I’m saying that’s what it looks like coming into the tournament. Too early to make many conclusions from the games so far.
The goaltending is some of the best at the tournament. Sweden likely doesn’t have a goaltender that’ll be drafted this year and USA likely doesn’t have one that’ll be drafted in the first 3 rounds. Canada’s goaltending is probably the other good group. Czechia’s top goalie might be as strong as the best for Sweden and USA but nothing special. That’s it for goaltending.
Helenius playing at this tournament is big for Finland. He’s a legitimate star. Might be the highest pick for 2024 to play this year. Kiviharju has a chance to surprise. Players like Hemming and Vaisanen are very experienced at big IIHF tournaments compared to most of the players for the big four nations.
I agree with you about some of the bad roster decisions. I would’ve picked both Muhonen and Soini. They are two of my favorite Finn draft prospects for 2024. But I still think this is one of the best Finnish teams at one of these major IIHF junior tournaments in a number of years compared to the big four (since it became a big 4 with Russia being banned) and I don’t think any of the other big four nations are that strong, so Finland should believe this is their year.