Oh yeah, player list of the first testing week was published today:
Goalies:
Janne Juvonen, Pelicans
Joonas Korpisalo, Jokerit
Eetu Laurikainen, JYP
Richard Ullberg, SaiPa
Defencemen:
Henri Auvinen, JYP
Mikko Lehtonen, TPS
Petteri Lindbohm, Jokerit
Esa Lindell, Jokerit
Ville Pokka, Kärpät
Otso Rantakari, Jokerit
Rasmus Ristolainen, TPS
Roni Rukajärvi, Kärpät
Aleksi Salonen, JYP
Niklas Tikkinen, Blues
Mikko Vainonen, HIFK
Joonas Valkonen, Blues
Forwards:
Miro Aaltonen, Blues
Joel Armia, Ässät
Aleksander Barkov, Tappara
Markus Granlund, HIFK
Henrik Haapala, Tappara
Markus Hännikäinen, Jokerit
Juuso Ikonen, Blues
Henri Ikonen, KalPa
Toni Kallela, KalPa
Eetu Karvinen, HIFK
Rasmus Kulmala, TPS
Matti Lamberg, Kärpät
Artturi Lehkonen, TPS
Robert Leino, HPK
Samu Markkula, JYP
Nico Nyberg, Blues
Saku Salminen, Jokerit
Miikka Salomäki, Kärpät
Teuvo Teräväinen, Jokerit
I'm obviously rooting for Matias Pulli, I really hope he has a breakthrough season. Naturally he needs to grow a bit, stay healthy for a change and develop nicely, but in a perfect scenario he could offer some nice offensive support from the backend.
The team still doesn't have a full-time head coach if I'm not mistaken...
From previous page:
Quote:
Alle 20-vuotiaiden nuorten maajoukkuetta vuosien 1995 ja 1996 MM-kisat vastuuvalmentaneen 58-vuotiaan Rindellin pesti on päätoiminen. Tämä mahdollistaa myös paremman seurakierroksen, joka Rindellin osalta tulee pääosin kohdistumaan nuorten pelaajien kasvualustana toimivaan Mestikseen.
- Mestiksessä tehdään hienoa kasvatustyötä nuorten pelaajien osalta. On tärkeä säilyttää hyvät yhteydet siellä toimiviin valmentajiin, kuin myös kaikkien muidenkin pelaajien seuravalmentajiin. Päätoimisuuden myötä pystyn keskittymään myös enemmän pelaajatarkkailuun, Rindell kertoo.
Rindell isn't necessarily the sexiest choice, but I'm happy. As long as he has some kind of playing system, he will be an improvement to Helminen. Plus, he has slightly more head coaching experience:http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=84795
Huh. Come to think of it, I usually shake my head at people who simply pop a question instead of going back a page or two first.
Though I did visit the FIHA site and they still mentioned Helminen there...
Anyway, happy to have a) a professional coach and b) one who is full-time. I suppose that's where the advantages of this move end. His system isn't the most modern (but I guess that still beats no system) and while being nice didn't quite work in SM-liiga, it might prompt a good response from younger players, especially in a short tournament format. We shall see.
Huh. Come to think of it, I usually shake my head at people who simply pop a question instead of going back a page or two first.
Though I did visit the FIHA site and they still mentioned Helminen there...
Anyway, happy to have a) a professional coach and b) one who is full-time. I suppose that's where the advantages of this move end. His system isn't the most modern (but I guess that still beats no system) and while being nice didn't quite work in SM-liiga, it might prompt a good response from younger players, especially in a short tournament format. We shall see.
Goalies:
Janne Juvonen, Pelicans (-94)
Richard Ullberg, SaiPa (-93)
Defensemen:
Mikko Lehtonen, TPS (-94)
Petteri Lindbohm, Jokerit (-93)
Esa Lindell Jokerit (-94)
Olli Määttä, London Knights (-94)
Ville Pokka, Kärpät (-94)
Rasmus Ristolainen, TPS (-94)
Aleksi Salonen, JYP-Akatemia (-93)
Joonas Valkonen, Blues (-93)
Forwards:
Miro Aaltonen, Blues (-93)
Joel Armia, Ässät (-93)
Aleksander Barkov, Tappara (-95)
Markus Granlund, HIFK (-93)
Markus Hännikäinen, Jokerit (-93)
Juuso Ikonen, Blues (-95)
Toni Kallela, KalPa (-93)
Matti Lamberg, Jokerit (-93)
Artturi Lehkonen, KalPa (-95)
Heikki Liedes, Tri-City Storm (-93)
Nico Nyberg, Blues (-93)
Saku Salminen, Jokerit (-94)
Miikka Salomäki, Kärpät (-93)
Teuvo Teräväinen, Jokerit (-94)
Vainonen not making the roster is a bit surprising, if he decides to move to CHL for next season this would be the only chance to test him before the WJC's.
Another round of lottery:
Ma.Granlund - Barkov - Teräväinen
Lehkonen - Salomäki - Armia
Hännikäinen - Aaltonen - J.Ikonen/Kallela
Liedes/Nyberg - Salminen - Lamberg
Goalies:
Janne Juvonen, Pelicans (-94)
Richard Ullberg, SaiPa (-93)
Defensemen:
Mikko Lehtonen, TPS (-94)
Petteri Lindbohm, Jokerit (-93)
Esa Lindell Jokerit (-94)
Olli Määttä, London Knights (-94)
Ville Pokka, Kärpät (-94)
Rasmus Ristolainen, TPS (-94)
Aleksi Salonen, JYP-Akatemia (-93)
Joonas Valkonen, Blues (-93)
Forwards:
Miro Aaltonen, Blues (-93)
Joel Armia, Ässät (-93)
Aleksander Barkov, Tappara (-95)
Markus Granlund, HIFK (-93)
Markus Hännikäinen, Jokerit (-93)
Juuso Ikonen, Blues (-95)
Toni Kallela, KalPa (-93)
Matti Lamberg, Jokerit (-93)
Artturi Lehkonen, KalPa (-95)
Heikki Liedes, Tri-City Storm (-93)
Nico Nyberg, Blues (-93)
Saku Salminen, Jokerit (-94)
Miikka Salomäki, Kärpät (-93)
Teuvo Teräväinen, Jokerit (-94)
Vainonen not making the roster is a bit surprising, if he decides to move to CHL for next season this would be the only chance to test him before the WJC's.
Another round of lottery:
Ma.Granlund - Barkov - Teräväinen
Lehkonen - Salomäki - Armia
Hännikäinen - Aaltonen - J.Ikonen/Kallela
Liedes/Nyberg - Salminen - Lamberg
Of course injuries might mess things up, but I believe that this team could be better than last year, especially if the goaltending works out. The big improvement is that there are better defensemen available. It’s obvious that loosing Mi.Granlund, Pulkkinen and Donskoi hurts, but luckily Armia, Ma.Granlund and Salomäki are proven players at this level. Also, Teräväinen is an excellent addition to the top-6 and Barkov will hopefully be ready for a clearly bigger role than last year. Lehkonen and J.Ikonen are the wild cards and might add some scoring potential to the roster if they keep developing nicely during the next 6 months.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YARR123
Any info about Lamberg? All I know is that he made a surprise contract with Jokerit, and that he has very unimpressive stats and is small.
Lamberg’s biggest asset is his skating and speed, he can fly on the ice. His speed and continuous movement might make him a useful checking line winger for this team, let’s see how it goes. Offensively he’s not the most creativity guy and his passing game is nothing special. His height is not a problem but adding some upper body strength might be beneficial.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jesui
Why would you put three probaply best playmakers in the first line?
That was just one of the possible line combos I was thinking about. Barkov and Teräväinen know each other and played together this season, the same goes for Salomäki and Armia. Building the team around these offensive pairs might be one of the more likeable scenarios for the new head coach. Barkov and Teräväinen could use an older, more experienced player on their line, so I was thinking about either Ma.Granlund or Aaltonen. This left Lehkonen as one of the better alternatives for Salomäki and Armia.
There are plenty of options for line combos and it’s possible that the new head coach is going to test several of them. Seeing how the cooperation between Teräväinen and Armia would work might be one of the more interesting ones.
That was just one of the possible line combos I was thinking about. Barkov and Teräväinen know each other and played together this season, the same goes for Salomäki and Armia. Building the team around these offensive pairs might be one of the more likeable scenarios for the new head coach. Barkov and Teräväinen could use an older, more experienced player on their line, so I was thinking about either Ma.Granlund or Aaltonen. This left Lehkonen as one of the better alternatives for Salomäki and Armia.
Yeah, i'm sorry but based on the the U-20 and U-18 WJCs, that line would just keep passing the pouck to each other and no one would shoot. "Vastuunpakoilijat" would be an appropriate name. Barkov and Teräväinen didn't play together at the U-18 WJC (though they did last year) until maybe the end of bronze medal game. It's better to have him or Barkov center Armia. Last WJC already showed that Salomäki can't supply Armia, have him on wing either with Barkov or Teuvo.
Slightly of topic, but since Barkov, Lehkonen and Ristolainen will be in Lake Placid, it means they won't be at the Ian Hlinka tournament. Meaning that when Finland sucks there as usual, we can once again use that as an excuse when the Canadians start talking about the "best-on-best" U-18 tournament.
Yeah, i'm sorry but based on the the U-20 and U-18 WJCs, that line would just keep passing the pouck to each other and no one would shoot. "Vastuunpakoilijat" would be an appropriate name. Barkov and Teräväinen didn't play together at the U-18 WJC (though they did last year) until maybe the end of bronze medal game. It's better to have him or Barkov center Armia. Last WJC already showed that Salomäki can't supply Armia, have him on wing either with Barkov or Teuvo.
Teräväinen with Armia might work really well. Like I said, it would be interesting to see how the cooperation between those two would work.
When looking at the big picture there are pros and cons with almost everything, not sure if there’s a perfect solution available. The options are plentiful, let’s see what pleases the new head coach the most. Barkov and Teräväinen started the bronze game together, so the changes were made during the semi-final game against Sweden. They had a positive experience at Hlinka, so it’s not necessarily the worst option to try to build on that. We have to remember that Barkov wasn’t 100% at WU18C’s.
Of course something like this might be an option as well:
Teräväinen - Barkov - Armia
Salomäki - Ma.Granlund - Lehkonen/J.Ikonen
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jussi
Slightly of topic, but since Barkov, Lehkonen and Ristolainen will be in Lake Placid, it means they won't be at the Ian Hlinka tournament. Meaning that when Finland sucks there as usual, we can once again use that as an excuse when the Canadians start talking about the "best-on-best" U-18 tournament.
Ristolainen is a 94’ so he’s ineligible for U18.
Preliminary schedule for Finland at Lake Placid:
Aug. 6 - USA blue
Aug. 7 - Sweden
Aug. 8 - USA
Aug. 10 - Sweden
Aug. 11 - USA
Hlinka starts on August 13th so theoretically Barkov, Lehkonen and J.Ikonen are available, especially if they skip the last game against USA. But yeah, it seems highly unlikely that they’d put them through a tough schedule like that.
Teräväinen with Armia might work really well. Like I said, it would be interesting to see how the cooperation between those two would work.
When looking at the big picture there are pros and cons with almost everything, not sure if there’s a perfect solution available. The options are plentiful, let’s see what pleases the new head coach the most. Barkov and Teräväinen started the bronze game together, so the changes were made during the semi-final game against Sweden. They had a positive experience at Hlinka, so it’s not necessarily the worst option to try to build on that. We have to remember that Barkov wasn’t 100% at WU18C’s.
Of course something like this might be an option as well:
Teräväinen - Barkov - Armia
Salomäki - Ma.Granlund - Lehkonen/J.Ikonen
I'd try Salomäki-TT/Barkov-Armia and Granlund-Barkov/TT-Lehkonen. I was not impressed with Ikonen at all at the U-18 WJC, seems far too small/weak and he was more a burden to his linemates.
I was not impressed with Ikonen at all at the U-18 WJC, seems far too small/weak and he was more a burden to his linemates.
It was disappointing how Juuso Ikonen looked at the WU18C’s, nothing was going his way and he definitely looked worn out after a long play-off run. He played much better in SM-liiga. Also, he conveniently rested the less important Denmark game, was it really a flu or perhaps something else?
He’s a youngster and players at his age sometimes develop rapidly. Joel Armia didn’t play at the WU18C’s as a U17 player, but 8 months later he was at the WJC’s and had already made a name for himself in SM-liiga. Lehkonen and J.Ikonen are the wild cards for this team, it’s harder to predict what their level of play will be in 6 months from now.
Where's Henritius? I know he was injured a while back, but he's been back in training already.
I'm pretty confident this years team is going to be stronger than last year. Sure we lost Granlund and Pulkkinen, but I feel especially Pulkkinen should be easily replaceable since he was quite unimpressive and Granlund wasn't at his best either. We're going to have much deeper team and not have to rely on couple guys to wins us all games. Also the dmen will be older and more experienced.
Expecting big things from Armia and Teuvo, should be our top producers at this tournament.
I'd say the upcoming tournament is shaping up better than the last one. Sure, we lost The Stamp, but have Teräväinen coming in who should be adequate replacement. We also have Barkov ready to take a bigger role. There's no direct replacement for Pulkkinen, but it's not like we'll be completely devoid of bona fide go-to-guy considering Armia will still be there.
Our d-core is technically the same as last year, only a year older and that much stronger. Plus we have some great talent coming up in this department as well.
Goalies... well. This is Finland. Duh.
Off the ice, things are likewise looking better as well. Rindell may not be anyone's first pick for the job, but he's still an upgrade from total rookie Helminen. Him being full time is also nice. European soil and big ice also play in our favor.
I'm bored so I started thinking about balancing the first three lines by dropping some of the "big three" centreman to the 3rd. Something along the lines of:
Lehkonen-Barkov-(Aaltonen?) (Can Aaltonen play wing?)
Granlund-Salomäki-Armia
Hännikäinen-Teräväinen-J.Ikonen
Grinder-Grinder-Grinder
Then play the 3 scoring lines about equally. None of the lines would even be liable defensively. On the other hand like someone mentioned, Ikonen didn't impress at the u-18's so the whole thing could crumble to lack of offensive players there. I don't know. Just throwing something out there. Don't judge me too harshly.
Pity our team looks so small on the offence yet again.
I'm bored so I started thinking about balancing the first three lines by dropping some of the "big three" centreman to the 3rd. Something along the lines of:
Lehkonen-Barkov-(Aaltonen?) (Can Aaltonen play wing?)
Granlund-Salomäki-Armia
Hännikäinen-Teräväinen-J.Ikonen
Grinder-Grinder-Grinder
Then play the 3 scoring lines about equally. None of the lines would even be liable defensively. On the other hand like someone mentioned, Ikonen didn't impress at the u-18's so the whole thing could crumble to lack of offensive players there. I don't know. Just throwing something out there. Don't judge me too harshly.
Pity our team looks so small on the offence yet again.
I hope that if Salomäki plays in one of the top two lines, he's on the wing. Barkov and Teräväinen have much better vision and playmaking skills, thus making them better suited for a scoring line center position. I think Salomäki should play on the wing anyway, since he's more of a grinder type with some scoring ability.
I hope that if Salomäki plays in one of the top two lines, he's on the wing. Barkov and Teräväinen have much better vision and playmaking skills, thus making them better suited for a scoring line center position. I think Salomäki should play on the wing anyway, since he's more of a grinder type with some scoring ability.
I like Salomäki's two way game, he's not stupid/ bad positionally and as a centreman he would have the biggest responsibilities in his own end. So while not bringing a whole lot offence, he would be able to use his strengths the best in C. He's also strong on the puck so he would be able to rush it up the ice etc.
Having depth and skill at center has been proven to be extremely valuable and vital for any team going for success.
I like Salomäki's two way game, he's not stupid/ bad positionally and as a centreman he would have the biggest responsibilities in his own end. So while not bringing a whole lot offence, he would be able to use his strengths the best in C. He's also strong on the puck so he would be able to rush it up the ice etc.
Having depth and skill at center has been proven to be extremely valuable and vital for any team going for success.
Hmm...You seem to have very different view to Salomäki's game than most of the people who see him play regulary. Salomäki plays best as a winger, period. Even in last year WJC Salomäki got little wasted because Helminen used him as a center. Now there's Barkov, Teräväinen and Granlund to play first to third center. Use Salomäki on the wing where is able to use his strenghts best and bring his unique talent to this team.
Hmm...You seem to have very different view to Salomäki's game than most of the people who see him play regulary. Salomäki plays best as a winger, period. Even in last year WJC Salomäki got little wasted because Helminen used him as a center. Now there's Barkov, Teräväinen and Granlund to play first to third center. Use Salomäki on the wing where is able to use his strenghts best and bring his unique talent to this team.
Granlund would be absolute garbage as a center in the smaller rink. Even his brother struggled in every WJC against physical and athletic teams. Too weak, and not fast enough. I have my doubts about using Teräväinen as a center in the WJC as well.
IMO the center forwards need to bring the two-way game and while Salomäki would be better of as a winger for personal game (dunno, but if you are an expert I believe you), the team would benefit from him as the 2nd/3rd center more.
BTW is this the year the WJC is in Russia?!? If that's the case, MaG and Teuvo might be just fine I'm so used to it being NA size rink.
"Vastuunpakoilijat" would be an appropriate name. Barkov and Teräväinen didn't play together at the U-18 WJC (though they did last year) until maybe the end of bronze medal game. It's better to have him or Barkov center Armia. Last WJC already showed that Salomäki can't supply Armia, have him on wing either with Barkov or Teuvo.
