The World Junior Classic is nearly upon us and as such it is time for the media to take a look at each roster and see what we can expect out of the various teams.  This article will break down the Finland roster and tell you what you can expect from each player hoping to bring the trophy to the land of thousand lakes.
 
Ville Sato-Maki - C
The Vancouver Whalers center looks to have more success in the WJC than he had in the SMJHL this season.  Coming off a 55 point season for the Whalers, Sato-Maki is at his best when facilitating in the offensive zone.  Solid passing and puck handling skills will help Sato-Maki make a difference on the scoreboard while his speed and athleticism will help him establish consistent play.  A well rounded player, Sato-Maki will look to have a solid two way game.
 
Valtteri Pulkkinen – LW
This Maine Timber winger is coming off of an incredible season where he amassed 109 points and 147 hits.  Almost certain to slot into a starring role on Team Finland, Pulkkinen will be looking to use his offensively skilled brand of hockey to help the Finns surpass expectations in the WJC tournament.  Outside of his obvious offensive skill he is also well rounded defensively.  The Finns will need Pulkkinen to be on top of his game if they hope to make a deep run.
 
Marko Kivimaki – D
The San Diego Tidal D man is a well rounded player who can make contributions on both offense and defense.  They are coming off a season where he scored 42 points, look for Kivimaki to make contributions to play an unflashy but effective defensive game and transition the puck up the ice well.
 
Hip Hurts – D
The Nevada Battleborn defender just came off his sophomore season where he played more minutes than he did as a rookie but scored less points.  Hip Hurts will likely be looking to get on the scoresheet more often in this WJC tournament and get back to the offensive defenseman role that they are more known for.  Strong, athletic, and skilled, Hip Hurts will be an interesting player to keep an eye on in this tournament.
 
Paul Charron – RW
The Colorado Raptors winger just wrapped up their fourth professional season where he scored 66 points in 66 games.  Charron is a solid, smart, well rounded player.  Teams know what they are going to get when they deploy Charron on the ice and his consistent play will be an asset to the Finns in this tournament.  A strong and athletic dangler with great awareness, Charron will be an exciting player to watch.
 
Hamper Linthome - C
The big bodies Newfoundland Berserkers centerman enters the WJC tournament coming off of a solid sophomore season where they scored 64 points.  Linthome is a solid attacking threat with athleticism.  They are decent defensively, but very good on the faceoff dot, winning nearly 58% of the faceoffs they took this season.  Look for Linthome to contribute to the Finns’ possession time and score some points along the way.
 
No This is Patrik – D
The Kelowna Knights defender No This is Patrik is more of a defensive defender than many of the other D men on this list but his speed and athleticism still allows him to make contributions in the offensive end.  Speed, strength, and defensive prowess make NTP a solid option to put on the ice when the Finns need to clear the puck out of their defensive zone.
 
Jaquavion Tavius – D
The Ottawa Highlanders defender had a solid rookie campaign with 36 points, 148 blocked shots and a 16 +/-.  Tavius isn’t the biggest defender at 5’11” and 190lbs but is strong and is good at checking.  Tavius is a solid two way defender who hasn’t found a way to show incredible skill in any one area but is solid at every aspect of the game.  The young jack of all trades defender will be a fun one to watch in this tournament.
 
Matthias – D
The massive 6’6” 270lb defender just had an incredible year for the St. Louis Scarecrows.  Matthias contributed to the Scarecrows’ success in a huge way by scoring 52 points and playing great defense while averaging nearly 24 minutes a night.  A smart defender who finds themselves in position to break up the play as well as a skilled puck handler and passer, Matthias should be a difference maker on defense for the Finnish team.  Matthias will be one of the best athletes on the team too.
 
Jon-Isaac Forty-One – G
Jon-Isaac Fort-One of the Kelowna Knights is the first half of the Finnish goalie tandem that we will see in this year’s WJC tournament.  In his sophomore season in Kelowna JIFO played in 36 games and won 10 of those.  He had a goal against average of 3.71 and a save percentage of .892.  It is no secret that the Kelowna Knights had their struggles this year as a team going through a rebuild, and JIFO had to face an average of 30.58 shots per game.  I expect to see JIFO have better performances in this tournament than he did in Kelowna last season.
 
Boogan McGillicuddy – RW
Boogan McGillicuddy just had a great rookie campaign for the St. Louis Scarecrows.  Scoring 74 points in the 66 games played and amassing 155 hits, Boogan is a dynamic player who brings speed, strength, and skill with him onto the ice.  More offensive than defensive but physical and athletic, Boogan should make contributions to the Finns’ successes in the tournament.
 
The Puck – C
The Maine Timber centerman may be small in stature at 5’1” and 150lbs but TP is a very solid addition to the Finnish team.  Scoring 56 points in their third year in the J, The Puck also plays above their weight class on defense amassing nearly 100 hits this past season.  They have a winning faceoff percentage at nearly 54%.  The Finnish team will look for TP to make more contributions in the offensive zone than defensive, but their prowess at the faceoff dot will also be a reason to keep them on the ice.
 
Jimmy Twoshoes – D
The rookie D man coming out of Yukon, Jimmy Twoshoes is an undersized but speedy technical defender and facilitator.  Twoshoes isn’t the most comfortable with laying hits but they are solid at stick checking and turning plays down the ice with a great passing ability and blazing speed.  Twoshoes will be a fun one to watch in this tournament.
 
Lucas Dill – G
The other half of the Finnish goalie tandem is Detroit’s rookie goaltender Lucas Dill.  In his first year in the J Lucas played in 26 games of which he won 13.  The young netminder faced an average of 32.38 shots per games and had a save percentage of .895.  Dill allowed in a goals against average of 3.81.  Dill has shows promise as a rookie but I expect Jon-Isaac Forty-One to step into the starting role.  Lucas Dill should get some looks during his first WJC tournament and I expect to see the talented youngster make the most of his opportunities.
 
Dee Centerman IV, Jr. – C
Dee Centerman IV, Jr. was picked up by the St. Louis Scarecrows towards the end of the season and played in 12 games for the club.  Dee accumulated 12 points during that time which comes as a little bit of a surprise considering their skillset leans more towards being a defensive specialist.  Centerman IV, Jr. also had a winning faceoff percentage at 52.1%.  Centerman IV, Jr. will likely slot into a defensive specialist role for the Finnish team and kill penalties with efficiency.
 
Cain Pooyak – RW
A seven year veteran of the J, the Great Falls Grizzlies’ right winger accumulated 26 points in 66 games played last season.  Pooyak is has some skill with stick handling and has an accurate shot, but has just not seemed to be able to pull it all together so far in their career.  What they will bring to the Finnish locker room is veteran leadership and depth.
 
Chairy Styles – RW
The Detroit Falcons’ wingman Chairy Styles is coming off of their fourth season in the Motor City.  They scored 49 points, one off of their season high of 50.  A speedy and agile offensive minded forward, Chairy Styles will likely make their impact on the Finnish scoresheet by playing as in a supporting role that helps the Finns remain offensively dangerous up and down their lineup.
 
Jeremy Louchard – LW
A player with international hockey experience for Seden and Canada, wingman Jeremy Louchard will likely be a depth player for the Finns.  He has put up around a half a point per game in each of their World Junior Classic appearances.  Fast, strong, and smart in the offensive zone, Louchard will likely add some stability to the offensive production of the Finnish team.
 
Brock Jameson – C
The 6’5” centerman was selected by the Quebec City Citadels in the fourth round of season 77 but appears to have not played in Quebec this season.  A jack of all trades but master of none player, Brock will likely round out the lineup as a depth player or someone who can be plugged in to fill a hole somewhere in the lineup.
 
Bohdi Echo – D
Coming off of a solid performance in their third season as an Ottawa Highlander, Bohdi Echo will be looking to put another good performance on the ice for Team Finland in the World Junior Classic.  They scored 35 points and racked up 100 hits in their most recent season in Ottawa.  Another offensive minded defenseman, Echo should fit right into the Finnish scheme and could contribute to the rush on any defensive pairing.
 
The Finnish team will certainly be wanting to finish the tournament better than 9th place like they did last time.  In the last tournament the Finns had the second least goals for with 35 goals scored in the 12 game “season.”  The Finns seem to be wanting to remedy this by putting together a roster that skews towards offense.  With 12 players on loan from other nations and 8 Finnish players, the roster will be poised to make strides in the right direction this tournament.



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