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MarlinManiac4 · 03-10-2020, 03:45 PM

1752 words

Im very proud to announce the players who will represent the great nation of Finland in the upcoming WJC.

Quick note: All TPE totals are of their last eligible STHS build, not what they may be now.

Starting with the First line Forwards:

@Fitted2106 ©Michael Fitted, Center 425 TPE- Fitted is entering his final WJC as a call up to the SHL is imminent. Captain of last years squad, Fitted will once again lead the team on the ice and in the locker room. Fitted is a 2 way center who is not who focuses on keeping the puck away from defenders and setting up his teammates. He's also a talented shooter though, and is not afraid to take what the goalie gives him to put one away for his team. The final WJC for Fitted is sure to be an emotional one, and you can bet he wants to lead the team back to glory before he goes.

@dankoa (A)Kaarlo Kekkonen, Left Wing 425 TPE- Kekkonen is another two way forward who really has knack for being at the right place at the right time in order to use his special scoring talent to his advantage. Kaarlo was one of the top scorers in the SMJHL last season and looks to make his final season with the junior national squad a special one. Named as an assistant captain, the younger players will be looking at him and following his lead.

@Zombiewolf Jaska Seppala, Right Wing 282 TPE- Like Kekkonen, Seppala specializes in putting the puck in the net. After being drafted by Kelowna this past season, Seppala has improved greatly from his first international appearence in last years WJC, and looks to put those talents to use on the Finnish top line. More of a Finesse player, he tends to not rely on physical strength, but smart positioning to do his damage in the offensive zone.

2nd Line Forwards:

@grantrjt Grant Thurber, Center 247 TPE- Thurber, of the newly crowned SMJHL champion Anaheim Outlaws, looks to provide a steady presence in the center of the 2nd line. Thurber is a player with very few actual weak spots, but also without any great strengths. He is an average skater with average strength, plays solid, but unspectacular defense, and takes a balanced approach on offense. While others rely on taking advantage of a few gifted skills to cover for their weaker ones, Thurber relies on consistency in all areas to get the job done.

@KenitohMenara Santtu Rasanen, Left Wing 235 TPE- Rasanen joined in the middle of the season as an UDFA, and has proven himself to be an up and coming star. After playing well for the Armada in his first SMJHL season, Rasanen looks to make his big debut on the international stage. He will be doing so by playing on the wing and not at his usual position of center in order to give the top 6 the additional quality it needs to compete with other squads. Rasanen is an extremely smart player who uses his solid skating skill to position himself extraordinarily well on the defensive end given his lack of experience. He is not afraid to mix it up on offense as well, providing a balanced approach between shooting and finding his teammates with a pass. A forward with a lot of potential, we'll be hearing his name a lot more in the years to come.

@Jeremy Icecreams Antti Antinen, Right Wing 220 TPE- Antinnen is a first year rookie making his 2nd appearance at the WJC. After a middling rookie season with the Kelowna Knights, Antinnen decided to call it quits and retire from the SMJHL. However, after persuasion from Finnish management, Antinnen has decided to not yet retire on the international stage and suit up for Finland once again. Antinnen brings a lot of scoring talent to the 2nd line and looks to be the guy Rasanen and Thurber will turn to when they need to get off a heavy shot.

3rd Line Forwards:

@Zeddez Ebenezer Virtanen, Center 232 TPE- Virtanen just played his 3rd season for the Kelowna Knights and has failed to deliver on his early promise, as he has shown little to no improvement. That said, he still provides a decent shot, and tends to be fairly defensively responsible as well. He will center the 3rd line and hope to help provide some secondary scoring.

@jtp Jukka Jokinen, Left Wing 215 TPE- Jokinen has not announced his retirement from the SMJHL, but has seemd to show no desire to catch on with a team. He will still suit up for Finland however and this will be his final year of eligibility to play in juniors. We expect to hear a more formal retirement soon after the tournament concludes. Jokinen is a big bodied power forward, that focuses on using it to keep possesion of the puck and out muscle defenders to screen the goalie and attempt to tip in a shot when he does not posses the puck.

@bobbybye88 Miro Slapskinnenen, Right Wing 199 TPE- Miro was one of the top prospects in last years SMJHL draft, but due to unknown reasons, has failed to live up to expectations. His development seemed to stagnate partway through the season. As a result, after spending time on Finlands 2nd forward line last season, he has earned a demotion to the 3rd line for this years edition of the WJC. Miro's game focuses on him being able to take advantage of a nice hard wrist shot that had scouts drooling over the potential of last year. It may not have developed as expected, but it still is an asset on the 3rd line.

4th Line Forwards:

@CKT Vile Virta, Center 167 TPE- A somewhat solid shot is the only really measurable skill for what can only be described as a warm body manning the bottom line. Virta isnt a total disaster on the defensive side, but would be considered solidly below average.

@finn_tatti25 Cupa Kaako, Left wing 172 TPE- Kaako is another forward who has not played for a SMJHL team in the past few seasons. This is also his last year of eligibility. Unlike other players of this caliber though, his scoring ability is truly on a high level. In almost Happy Gilmore like fashion, he absolutely rips shots at the quality of a pretty good forward. However, he has some of the worst puck possession skills of any forward we have ever seen compete at this level, as well as an incredibly short shelf life on the ice before he is out of breath and needs to skate to the bench. He will likely only be used in specialty situations, if much at all.

@temetius Huume Koira, Right Wing 155 TPE- A definition of a warm body. All of his skills range from below average to maybe slightly below average. Has never really shown any promise, but he was the last forward to show up to camp, so made the team.

Defense

1st Pairing:

@"Smalinowski7" Jukka Timonen, Defense 270 TPE- Timonen went into last seasons WJC as a highly touted prospect ready to be drafted into the SMJHL and he delivered on expectations in a big way over the course of his first year. His improvement has been rapid and now projects as a potentially top 10 pick in the upcoming SHL entry draft. Timonen features a great sense for positioning himself in both the defensive and offensive zones as well as an incredibly heavy slap-shot that strikes fear into opposing goaltenders. We expect this player to be relied on heavily during this tournament and will be a key cog in determining the overall success of the team.

@MarlinManiac4 (A)Bradley Barkov, Defense 268 TPE- Like Timonen, Barkov was a highly touted prospect in last years SMJHL draft and became the highest drafted Finnish player in the S53 class when he was selected #14 overall by the Colorado Raptors. Barkov's calling card is smart defense combined with solid puck possession skills that allow him to feed his teammates from the point. Many analysts feel his chemistry with his blue line partner Timonen may allow Finland to feature greater offensive punch then they did in last seasons WJC. Named as an assistant captain for this years squad, Barkov's future is a bright one.

2nd Pairing:

@anttilahest Antti Halonen, Defense 155 TPE- Halonen was another disappointing prospect who never caught on with a SMJHL team. As a player he focuses on play average defense, which will have to be enough, as he brings only mediocre other skills to the table.

@druchainzz1314 Anders Klinkhammer, Defense 155 TPE- one of several Finnish S54 prospects, Klinkhammer was the only one to show up to camp. He hasnt shown much improvement and it is questionable how much potential is really there as of now. He hasnt yet shown a desire to improve, but coaches hope they can change his attitude in the coming weeks. Klinkhammer brings average defense with a solid slap-shot that can be dangerous if the goalie is screened.

3rd Pairing:

@yoinkman Emil Harmaajarvi, Defense 155 TPE- an S53 prospect, Emil never managed to catch on with a SMJHL team. seemingly a low potential player, he will likely be counted on as little as possible in the upcoming tournament

@TintedVisor Samuel Mains, Defense 155 TPE- Another S53 prospect who never showed up. He is part of a 3rd pairing that should see less ice time.

Goalies:

Starter:

@Jearim White Goodman, Goalie 425 TPE- Goodman is an elite goalie at the junior level, and will be heavily relied on to steal Finland as many games as possible with a weak defensive core in front of him. Goodman has proven over his time with the Whalers that he has that kind of potential in him. This will be Goodman's last WJC, as all reports have him getting called up to the SHL this offseason.

Backup:

@prettyburn Olli saarinen Jr., Goalie 350 TPE- Saarinen was a product of the S51 draft class and has proven himself to be one of the better goalie prospects in the game today. He will primarily serve in a back-up role this tournament while being groomed to become the junior squads starter for next years edition of the WJC, which makes Finland's future in goal very bright.

dankoa · 03-10-2020, 04:14 PM

st4rface · 03-10-2020, 04:25 PM

Good luck, boys!

nykonax · 03-10-2020, 05:46 PM

Geaux finland

Fitted2106 · 03-10-2020, 06:38 PM

WINLAND

juke · 03-10-2020, 08:01 PM

that's one hype 1D pairing

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