IIHF World ChampionshipDiscuss International Tournaments like the WJC, Olympics, and World Cup, as they take place, or discuss past tournaments. performances.
EHT 2012-13 [CZE/FIN/RUS/SWE] • 2nd Stage • Channel One Cup (Dec. 13-16)
Swedens roster isnt that bad, there is several of Swedens best players there. There is no excuses to fail yet again.
In the other hand, for Finland too, this would've been solid EHT squad.. Maybe 10 years ago or so. When the times were darker. I bet the teams can actually do pretty well if they found their work ethics, but I'd rather see just better squads on paper.
If I weren't a Swede, I'd read at least half of the team as complete nonamers. The defense is just that bad imo, too.
I would be surprised if everybody brought their actual A-team. It's EHT after all. Home teams try to have the best rroster to win at home. Others do tryouts.
That most certainly isn't the case this year since there's two rounds in SM-liiga between this tournament and Christmas.
Err... we have quite a bit of heavy hitters in KHL. They're getting a two weeks' downtime with this schedule.
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Have to say though... now that I look at it more closely, I don't even see that many weaksauce calls in there.
Goalies have definitely both deserved a look. They're nothing than a sign of depth we have on this department.
Defense, well... Laakso and Eronen are even WHC contenders, good to have them here. Näkyvä definitely deserves a look based on what he's done thus far. Ohtamaa has been a solid DD. Lepistö, Kukkonen are NT staples. Mäenpää semi-staple, Jalonen sauna buddy. Melart is the only one that really doesn't make sense no how.
Forwards. Lehterä, Kiiskinen, Pihlström, Enlund and Aaltonen are all solid NT material on a good day. Ramstedt has been slowing down from early fall, but still has earned his chance based on that. Sallinen has been very solid two-way player for HPK. Kähkönen, Koho... meh. Guess they do the basics well enough. Huhtala, Kuusela and Lahti are those out of forwards that seem to have no justification whatsoever.
All right, maybe it's unusual to have this borderline cases in one roster, but the thing is, most of those guys should be able to handle themselves. Some of them will no doubt have sore backsides coming back, but hey, it's the only way to see what cloth they're made of. Even the staples have gone through those motions once in the time.
Forwards. Lehterä, Kiiskinen, Pihlström, Enlund and Aaltonen are all solid NT material on a good day. Ramstedt has been slowing down from early fall, but still has earned his chance based on that. Sallinen has been very solid two-way player for HPK. Kähkönen, Koho... meh. Guess they do the basics well enough. Huhtala, Kuusela and Lahti are those out of forwards that seem to have no justification whatsoever.
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I can justify Kuusela for being pretty good player for long time.. I dont see him as WHC contender (he just aint) but he deserves NT games under hes belt and deserved to be sauna buddy of NT-inside-crew.. Deserves the possibility to tell hes kids "When I was in national team". And deserves the chance to call hes old enemy from Juniors or school and tell him "Could we meet around xmas, have a talk and make peace.. Oh sorry, i forgot im in NATIONAL TEAM that time."
I can justify Kuusela for being pretty good player for long time.. I dont see him as WHC contender (he just aint) but he deserves NT games under hes belt and deserved to be sauna buddy of NT-inside-crew.. Deserves the possibility to tell hes kids "When I was in national team". And deserves the chance to call hes old enemy from Juniors or school and tell him "Could we meet around xmas, have a talk and make peace.. Oh sorry, i forgot im in NATIONAL TEAM that time."
This is a good way to do it.
Fine, I'll rephrase... he doesn't appear to have much gameplay-based justification. His recent showings aren't much beyond decent and like you put it yourself, he's never been exactly a WHC contender either.
He does have a great personality though, no argument there.
Finland's team is an army of rubbish. There are absolutely no one who could be a star player in NHL or even in national team. The only semi-interesting names are Osala, Aaltonen and Lehterä. I would like to see Aaltonen one more time in EHT, if he wont score at all then it is a goodbye for him. No use unfortunately. His season in KHL this year has not been extraordinary either I think? Osala could be 4th line winger in WC but there are better options than him too.
This is propably a E or F team Finland can build up from european players.
The only reason why I could watch Moscow EHT is because of team Russia if Ovy, Malkin, Datsyuk etc. will be in the team.
Finland's team is an army of rubbish. There are absolutely no one who could be a star player in NHL or even in national team. The only semi-interesting names are Osala, Aaltonen and Lehterä. I would like to see Aaltonen one more time in EHT, if he wont score at all then it is a goodbye for him. No use unfortunately. His season in KHL this year has not been extraordinary either I think? Osala could be 4th line winger in WC but there are better options than him too.
This is propably a E or F team Finland can build up from european players.
The only reason why I could watch Moscow EHT is because of team Russia if Ovy, Malkin, Datsyuk etc. will be in the team.
I regret being honest and paying 50€ for leijonapaketti. Well, its not that bad when you atleast get all world championship games for the price too and U20, but they should put somekind of teams for these tournaments if they don't even air them free..
G: Ondřej Pavelec (Lahti), Alexandr Salák (Färjestad)
D: Roman Polák (HC Vítkovice Steel), Jakub Kindl (HC ČSOB POjišťovna Pardubice), Lukáš Krajíček (Dynamo Minsk), Martin Škoula (HC Lev Praha), Jakub Nakládal (Spartak Moskva, KHL), Filip Novák (Dynamo Moskva), Zdeněk Kutlák (Ambri-Piotta)
F: Tomáš Plekanec (Rytíři Kladno), Aleš Hemský, David Krejčí (both HC ČSOB Pojišťovna Pardubice), Martin Hanzal (HC MOUNTFIELD České Budějovice), Michal Frolík (Piráti Chomutov), Vladimír Sobotka (HC Slavia Praha), Jakub Voráček (HC Lev Praha), Tomáš Rolinek (Ufa), Petr Nedvěd (Bílí Tygři Liberec), Martin Růžička (HC Oceláři Třinec), Michal Vondrka (Slovan Bratislava), Petr Koukal (Nižněkamsk,), Jakub Petružálek (Chabarovsk), Jakub Svoboda (HC Kometa Brno)
oooh yeaaaaah what a team
I love our goalies
and Polak, Hanzal, Plekanec, Krejci, Hemsky, Voracek ... this will be cool tournament
if NHL will start these players will play instead of guys from NHL:
Jakub Štěpánek (HC Lev Praha), Lukáš Galvas (HC Oceláři Třinec), Jakub Krejčík, Ondřej Němec (both HC Lev Praha), Jakub Klepiš, Petr Vrána (both HC Lev Praha), Milan Gulaš, Jan Kovář (both HC Škoda Plzeň), David Květoň, Jakub Orsava (both HC Oceláři Třinec), Lukáš Pech (HC Energie Karlovy Vary), Antonín Honejsek (PSG Zlín)
Finland's team is an army of rubbish. There are absolutely no one who could be a star player in NHL or even in national team. The only semi-interesting names are Osala, Aaltonen and Lehterä. I would like to see Aaltonen one more time in EHT, if he wont score at all then it is a goodbye for him. No use unfortunately. His season in KHL this year has not been extraordinary either I think? Osala could be 4th line winger in WC but there are better options than him too.
This is propably a E or F team Finland can build up from european players.
The only reason why I could watch Moscow EHT is because of team Russia if Ovy, Malkin, Datsyuk etc. will be in the team.
Aaltonen has had more than enough chances in the national team, if you ask me. He's not even playing in the KHL anymore, first he was fired and then never showed up for practice with his new team. So now he's playing in Sweden and if I remember correctly, has only scored one goal so far. So what are they rewarding him for? The national team has no use for him now, and probably not in the future, either.
You're right for the most part about there not being any players with huge potential, but I'd say that Ortio may be an NHL goalie someday. He's talented and definitely not too old yet.
Bilyaletdinov told the media (Sport-Express.ru) he will wait with he's release of the squad until thursday evening because of the NHL CBA Talks in the USA.
Datsyuk told RIA Novosti that he got an invitation.
what a team 
