Matias Vanhanen plays puck in the Canadian junior league and sister Sanni Vanhanen at Ohio University. As children, the siblings always had tough home games going on.
Matias Vanhanen is one of Finland’s most important players in the World Cup tournament. AOP
Matias Vanhanen, 18, has scored 0+5 power points in four World Cup games. The attacker was born in 2007 and, due to his age, will be able to participate in the World Youth Championship next year as well.
Finland’s head coach Lauri Mikkola praises the player effusively in a story on the International Hockey Federation’s website.
– He is like a young hockey professor. He has a computer between his ears and uses it sensibly. Matias is not the biggest player, but he is still good in duels. He’s got a strong bat, so to speak, and he’s a good dude.
A hockey family
Sanni Vanhanen squeezes the puck past Swedish goalkeeper Emma Söderberg at the World Cup in April. AOP
The core player of the Young Lions comes from a real puck family.
Sisko Sanni Vanhanen played a couple of seasons in HIFK’s women’s league team, from which she moved to Brynäs for one season.
For this season, Sanni moved to the other side of the Atlantic to the Ohio State University team.
It works, because the Finn has scored 10+8 points in 18 games in Ohio.
Father of the elderly Juha-Matti Vanhanen played a lot in the 1st division and Mesti, as well as in Italy and Austria.
– We are a hockey family, says Matias.
Hard games
Matias admits that the Vanhanen family used to play a lot of hard yard games.
– There really were. That’s probably why we’re both at this level, when so much was played there at the time.
Dad often had a coach’s jacket on.
– Yes, instructions came from there. He was always a bit like a coach for me and my sister. The level of demand has always been tough for us. A lot of training has been done in the yard, and that’s probably the result.
At this point in your career, who has the better skills, you or your sister?
– Well, I have to say that my sister still has it. He has an Olympic medal and a World Cup medal. But that’s what we’re going to get here, so that you can get ahead little by little.
The 20-year-old Sanni already has an Olympic bronze medal from 2022 in his trophy cabinet. The cabinet also contains, among other things, three World Cup medals and a bronze medal from the under-18 World Cup, as well as a selection for the tournament’s all-star field.
Lots of calls
During the season, the elderly are in contact with each other a lot. Matias plays in the Canadian Junior League for the Everett Silvertips team.
– After all, it is a bit of a strange situation that both play in North America. But I think it’s great. Now we are on the same continent and we can be in contact a lot, talk a lot and watch each other’s games.
Are you in contact a lot during the season?
– Yes, we are. Messages are posted every day. After the games, we ask how it went and watch each other’s highlights, Matias says.
My sister can’t come
Jenniina Nylund (left) and Sanni Vanhanen in a discussion at the Women’s World Cup in 2024. Sanni Vanhanen will not be able to watch her brother’s games at the World Cup in Minnesota due to her school schedule. AOP
With these prospects, Sanni Vanhanen won’t be able to cheer for his little brother’s World Cup games in Minneapolis.
– After Christmas, he flew back here to the Yankees. But they have school starting over there in Ohio and he has to go there. He is not coming to watch my games here in Minneapolis, says Matias.
Small town
Matias Vanhanen fights for the puck in the preliminary series match against the Czech Republic. AOP
Matias has scored as many as 44 power points in 31 matches in the Silvertips shirt this season.
The Everett Silvertips are an American junior ice hockey club from the city of Everett, Washington. The Silvertips play in the Western Hockey League, which is part of the Canadian Hockey League.
– It has been a really positive start to this season. I got to play with Julius Miettinen. Very fast puck is played there. That’s the difference with Finland, they go hard there. Individual skill is also something that stands out.
– It’s a slightly smaller city where we live. But it’s just fine that it’s not New York. Then you can focus on hockey in peace.
Vanhanen plays in the World Cup with number 37. It has caused a bit of surprise in the World Cup.
– I admired Patrice Bergeron as a child. That’s probably why I chose this number, the player says.