WC: Finland 2024 roster talk

[Mestaruus]

Now that Finland has nothing to play for except for their pride, it's great that Canada was able to beat the Czechs. By beating Finland, SUI wants to avoid USA, so we don't get some lazy or boring hockey game. Because SUI will play hard, I feel like Finland will answer to that and we'll get a real game.

 

[Lambo]

Against Sweden in the QF I feel much different though. For that game I think that this team just doesn't have what it takes. We'll beat them once out of 8 games or something, maybe that will be that 12.5% game. My expectations were low in 2019, but still much higher than they are for this team.

In 2019 Sweden was quite confused. Not comparable to the well-oiled machine that Sweden is at this World Cup.

 

[Sanf]

This is tough tournament to watch. Feels like some of the tournaments when I was kid when we just weren´t in it.

Granlund lost it slightly. I haven´t seen frustration in Jalonen in years.. maybe in decades. Maybe the "we may succeed with any team" has changed "we will succeed with any team". And the preasure of that shows?

Lehtonen has been surprisingly weak. And Kaski and Saarijärvi has not been puck moving.. just mistake prone. Säteri has been shaky. But it is difficult with that kind of defence.

In offense I don´t even know who would I blame that he is not producing as expected?

 

[Bruce Granville]

Just imagine Finland added Saros, Aho, Rantanen, Lehkonen, Teravainen…
What happened to Tolvanen? He could have made it early enough.

 

[Lambo]

Just imagine Finland added Saros, Aho, Rantanen, Lehkonen, Teravainen…
What happened to Tolvanen? He could have made it early enough.

Jalonen thought that he could develop a well-coordinated, perfectly coordinated team. Unfortunately he didn't make it. The lesson is that you should never close the door for such world-class players. You could really use them now.

 

[FiLe]

Just imagine Finland added Saros, Aho, Rantanen, Lehkonen, Teravainen…
What happened to Tolvanen? He could have made it early enough.

Contract running out happened to Tolvanen. The same applies to Teräväinen.

Saros declined, no reason provided. Should Jalonen have left a spot or two open for second-round dropouts? In hindsight, it's easy to say yes, but we don't know if he already knew that those players will decline.

This team's biggest weakness is the lack of quality wingers. Our top-six is full of popguns. On paper at least, centers, defense and goalies should be fine. But if we lack the firepower to bury the puck, or even generate some prime chances, the frustration may spread throughout the entire lineup.

 

[FinPanda]

This will end ugly against Sweden.

 

[Mestaruus]

This will end ugly against Sweden.

I agree, expectations have never been so low during Jalonen era. In this tournament we're basically something like Latvia usually is against top countries in most tournaments. There's some kind of small chance to beat a top country, but not impossible or we can hang with the top countries for a while and make the game close, but in the end usually the better team wins, which is not our team. That's just the way it is. For the other teams, their best individuals shine in these situations that matter, because they have that top talent that we don't have. We had only Granlund pretty much and that was that. Much respect for Granlund for joining the team, unlike some other spineless players like Haula for example.

This team also lacks team spirit to find that extra gear, a gear which sort of Kukkonen was talking about after the game. In the recent history Jalonen's teams have been the ones winning third periods consistently, but not now. When Granlund was hit and fell agains the boards, no one went to pay back for doing that to our only star caliber player. Lack of team spirit also. Okay, Innala isn't capable of physical fighting, but what about the others? Granlund had to take it in his own hands and then he did an unexpected mistake that will cost him.

As we all know, Granlund won't be playing in the Sweden game, because it would be wrong if a player gets away with that just because of his star player status (Evgeni Malkin), so I guess we'll have to start thinking about some desperate plans without him. I don't know if lines even matter at this point, but there's not much time to do some big changes, which would benefit Sweden even more, so I'd go with this. Oksanen and Puustinen are familiar in those spots with those players. Helenius can try to mimic Granny a bit (don't give our U18 captain captaincy now though lol, although in some way that would be justified with the lack of team spirit which in my opinion we currently have).

Ahti Oksanen - Oliver Kapanen - Jesse Puljujärvi
Jere Innala - Helenius - Iiro Pakarinen
Juha Jääskä - Arttu Hyry - Puustinen
Saku Mäenalanen - Hannes Björninen - Pekka Jormakka


Out: Patrik Puistola, Granlund

 

[ijuka]

Would have been great if Finland had gotten knocked out after this performance.

But oh well, now Granlund getting suspended and Finland losing like 0-6 to Sweden might be good enough as well.

 

[Mestaruus]

What's taking them so long with the Granlund suspension announcement I wonder.

 

[EK47]

What's taking them so long with the Granlund suspension announcement I wonder.

One game. Too bad as a swede I would much rather have faced a more complete Finland.

IIHF - Mikael Granlund suspended

 

[king89]

Russia are behind this

 

[Eye of Ra]

Instead of game suspension why not just give him a fine?

 

[FinPanda]

I miss Anttila. He brought so much leadership for the team and scored massive goals. He wasn't the best on the ice but I believe now he was incrdible leader off the ice.

 

[king89]

We always gets f**k over in this tournament. Always have to fight against more then just the team on the ice.

 

[FiLe]

I miss Anttila.

There's a lot to miss about Anttila as he was 2-3 years ago. However, his wheels completely fell off the last season; he was already in the wrong place with the 2023 team.

 

[EK47]

Tell me if I’m completely out to lunch here but it feels like there has been a slow aging and decline of your euro core with less replacements coming up the ranks as a result of young guys leaving earlier for NA?

 

[FinPanda]

Tell me if I’m completely out to lunch here but it feels like there has been a slow aging and decline of your euro core with less replacements coming up the ranks as a result of young guys leaving earlier for NA?

Yeah our best young players play in North America.

 

[king89]

If we win tomorrow it will be a bigger upset than our win against Sweden in 2019. How crazy is that lol.

 

[gritdash60]

A lot of people trashing Granlund, and for what he did is fair, but for his game also. This dude had 60 points in the worst team in the NHL last season. In this tournament he has been tasked to play with players who last scored 2 points in a game when they were 13year old. And i don't think it's fair.

I have not decided if im going to watch the asskicking that will happen tomorrow or just check the score later.

 

[Jussi]

Tell me if I’m completely out to lunch here but it feels like there has been a slow aging and decline of your euro core with less replacements coming up the ranks as a result of young guys leaving earlier for NA?

There was also the stat that of the 13 Finnish forwards who recorded over 40 points in Sweden or Switzerland, non are here. Declined or injured mostly.

 

[Mestaruus]

Instead of game suspension why not just give him a fine?

That would be some Russia & Evgeni Malkin stuff.

I miss Anttila. He brought so much leadership for the team and scored massive goals. He wasn't the best on the ice but I believe now he was incrdible leader off the ice.

I want Kukkonen to be hired as Pennanen's team leader having some peptalks or motivational talks to the team when needed. He's very good in the MTV3 studio, but he would be even more useful serving the NT.

If we win tomorrow it will be a bigger upset than our win against Sweden in 2019. How crazy is that lol.

Agreed.

A lot of people trashing Granlund, and for what he did is fair, but for his game also. This dude had 60 points in the worst team in the NHL last season. In this tournament he has been tasked to play with players who last scored 2 points in a game when they were 13year old. And i don't think it's fair.

I have not decided if im going to watch the asskicking that will happen tomorrow or just check the score later.

Who is trashing him? I have read this thread for a while and I haven't noticed anything like that.

 

[FinPanda]

Granlund did a stupid thing but I still like him as a player a lot. Just a crap tournament for him, he'll do better @ 4 nations and olympics, I'm sure of that.

 

[Sanf]

Tell me if I’m completely out to lunch here but it feels like there has been a slow aging and decline of your euro core with less replacements coming up the ranks as a result of young guys leaving earlier for NA?

Yeah in some ways this was inevitable. Many from the Jalonen core/usuals aren´t young. Anttila (38), Ohtamaa (36), Hartikainen (34), Pesonen (35), Sallinen (33), Koivisto (33)... And they have won a lot and we have had two home tournaments in a row.

Young drafted players usually takes first chance on contract (for many in all honesty it may be the only chance). Or if youngish player shows promise in this level he is taken to NA (Matinpalo etc.). We have had record number of players in minors these past few years.

 

[Mestaruus]

This is in Finnish, but it's quite interesting what odds Veikkaus (sports betting monopoly in Finland basically) gave for Sweden's win, 74%. At 6:05 they talk about that:

YouTube

"I can't really see who will score a goal against Sweden from this team." So funny but sort of true.

In terms of more tradititonal betting values, it's:

Sweden wins: 1.54
Finland wins: 5.60

Bet 1 euro for Finland, gain +4.6€, bet 1 euro for Sweden, gain 0.54€.