Finland's preliminary World Championship roster includes 10 players from North America (NHL/AHL) with a combined 2,570 NHL games, according to multiple reports. Aleksander Barkov will play his first game of the season on Thursday after recovering from a knee injury that sidelined him for nearly 11 months. The injury occurred in September during training camp, causing him to miss the entire NHL season and the Olympics.
Barkov was rested against the Czech Republic to avoid playing back-to-back days due to his recovery, according to head coach Antti Pennanen. Barkov expressed positive feelings from his last game and emphasized his commitment to giving 100 percent in every game, according to a press conference. Finland's roster decisions have been affected by injuries.
Now I'm giving demonstrations!
Henrik Borgström will not be available for the World Championship, Pennanen confirmed. Aku Räty suffered a leg injury in the match against Sweden and is likely to miss the tournament, according to Pennanen. Rasmus Ristolainen will also not be available, Pennanen said.
Rasmus Rissanen and Juho Lammikko will miss the World Championship due to injuries, according to multiple reports. Anton Lundell will play in the World Championship after a five-year absence, according to multiple reports. Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice initially opposed Lundell's participation but changed his mind after learning the injury was not serious, Lundell said.
He is a classic tweener in Finnish hockey.
Lundell noted that once Maurice heard the injury was fine, he became really positive about the World Championships. Teuvo Teräväinen, Henri Jokiharju, Joonas Korpisalo, and Nikolas Matinpalo will join Finland's World Championship team, according to multiple reports. Janne Kuokkanen has never played in a senior international tournament despite strong performances abroad.
According to Ilta-Sanomat, Kuokkanen described his long-standing dream of playing for the national team. Topias Vilén is at risk of being cut from the final roster, according to analyst Topi Nättinen, who described him as a "classic tweener" in Finnish hockey. Finland's final World Championship roster includes three goaltenders, eight defensemen, and 14 forwards, according to multiple reports.
It was great to play. I've been waiting a long time to play in the men's national team.
The team will be finalized after the second round of NHL playoffs, Pennanen said. In pre-tournament action, Finland lost to Latvia 2-1 in overtime in their first friendly, then defeated the Czech Republic 3-2 in an EHT match in Ängelholm. Finland also defeated Sweden 5-1 in the final EHT match before the World Championship.
Justus Annunen made his senior national team debut in a 4-5 shootout loss to Switzerland. Annunen expressed his excitement about finally playing for the men's national team, according to a post-game interview. Finland's goaltending trio for the World Championship will be Joonas Korpisalo, Justus Annunen, and Harri Säteri, according to multiple reports.
Their skills stand out. It's going to be great fun to play with them.
Säteri is the only player born in the 1980s in Finland's roster. Pennanen praised the performances of Urho Vaakanainen, Ville Heinola, and Jesse Puljujärvi in the EHT match against Switzerland. Pennanen acknowledged the result was not what they wanted but saw some good in the game, while emphasizing the need for more consistency as it only gets more difficult.
Finland's preliminary roster for the EHT tournament in Czech Republic includes six SHL players, according to multiple reports. Kim Saarinen joined the national team camp instead of going to North America after his season ended. Sweden's roster includes Lucas Raymond and Mattias Ekholm, according to multiple reports.
Nils Höglander will miss the World Championship due to injury, according to multiple reports. Sweden rested Lucas Raymond, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Albert Johansson, Ivar Stenberg, and Viggo Björck in the final pre-tournament match against Finland, according to head coach Sam Hallam. Hallam stated that Stenberg and Björck were rested due to high workload, not necessarily indicating they are selected for the World Championship.
According to SVT Sport, Lucas Raymond described the skills of his teammates as outstanding. Switzerland will be reinforced by NHL stars Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, Nino Niederreiter, Roman Josi, and Pius Suter for the World Championship, according to multiple reports. Germany expects defenseman Moritz Seider and goaltender Philipp Grubauer to join the team, according to multiple reports.
Germany's Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stützle will miss the World Championship due to injuries. Pennanen described the team as experienced and ready to succeed, with a lot of different expertise and players very committed to the national team.