The under-20 national ice hockey team will soon head to the World Cup. A year ago, Nuoret Leijonat played in the bronze medal match.
Konsta Helenius plays for Buffalo Sabres’ farm team Rochester Americans. The Tappara school is one of the most important players in Finland at the World Junior Championships. PDO
- Head coach Lauri Mikkola selects about two field players from North American leagues for the U20 World Cup team, which is exceptional.
- Playing in North America develops young Finnish players, but it takes them away from domestic leagues, which is not only good for Finnish hockey.
- Nuoret Leijonat dreams of the brightest medals in the games starting on Boxing Day.
The head coach Lauri Mikkola the staff will select approximately two field players from the North American leagues for the Young Lions World Cup team. That’s an extraordinary amount.
The situation is not necessarily optimal for the team management in terms of player monitoring.
– It’s not as easy as observing players in the Finnish league. But yes, we have the right licenses to see the games. Of course, you don’t see that many games live, says Mikkola.
– I have taken one trip to North America and met players there. However, watching live brings so many more dimensions compared to watching the game on the screen.
Does this even make competition choices difficult, for example in borderline cases?
– Well, I don’t know if it makes it difficult. You have to find the points, which is why a player is selected for the team. And find the good sides of the players in the same way as when watching live.
Out of Finland
The head coach of the Finnish under-20 national team is Lauri Mikkola. Kimmo Brandt / Compic / AOP
In Mikkola’s opinion, the fact that there are plenty of young Finnish players playing puck in North America is a twofold issue.
– Yes, that matters. Those players are always out of the domestic leagues. There are a lot of good players there, and when they are in the domestic leagues, they clearly raise the level of the leagues. It is not a good thing for Suomi-kiek that the players are already abroad at a young age.
However, there is also the famous other side of the coin.
– But then again, for certain players, their development and player path, playing abroad at a young age suits well. For some, it’s like this, says Mikkola.
Good preparedness
HPK’s Jesse Kiiskinen is playing a sharp season and is leaving for the under-20 World Cup tournament in Ottawa. AOP / TOMI NATRI
The U20 World Cup tournament is a very prestigious sporting event in the United States and Canada. The countries go to the tournament with the best possible team, only those who claim a permanent NHL playing spot are left out.
The halls are full in Canada, and the media and fans follow the events of the tournament much more closely than, for example, in Finland.
Playing in North American leagues prepares young Finns well for these fast-paced prestigious tournament games.
– The day to day they play there, they are those narrow rink legalities that happen throughout every series there. There are no big differences in gameplay there, it does help them.
Players from NHL organizations
Emil Hemming throws kicks in last winter’s World Cup match against the United States. The forward is a contract player of the Dallas Stars and plays for the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League. AOP / TOMI NATRI
Finland will receive returnees who are already playing in North America under NHL contracts, but whose place of play is still in the farm or junior league.
Such players include Konsta Helenius of the Buffalo Sabres, Emil Hemming of the Dallas Stars and Kasper Halttunen of the San Jose Sharks.
The bosses of the NHL teams are mostly positive about the journey of their young players to the World Cup.
– Our general manager is responsible for those negotiations with the NHL teams Kimmo Oikarinen. What I have understood in previous years as well, the discussion has been good and open in that direction. It’s a normal activity, and every year it happens on behalf of different countries.
– In general, the NHL organizations have seen that it is good for the player’s development to participate in that tournament and bear responsibility for one’s country, says Mikkola.
A tough goal
Kimmo Oikarinen is the general manager of the youth and women’s national teams. TIMO KUNNARI
The opening game of the Finnish tournament is the fiercest possible. The Young Lions will face Canada on December 26.
In last year’s tournament, Finland was fourth. It’s a good ranking from today’s Finnish junior national team, although many remember the rough 5-8 loss to the Czech Republic in the bronze medal game.
Mikkola and the management team leave for success in the capital of Canada.
– Of course, we are going with great goals. The clearest thing in the mind is always what we are going towards. In the WC tournament, that is of course everyone’s goal. Piece by piece we build and go towards the brightest.
Is the World Cup realistic this year?
– It is realism, but it requires successes and such a good cycle. We have a lot of good players in the team, and so do others, of course. Decisive matches are played there with the best-of-one system. Many things can happen there. Unity and team spirit play a big role in this tournament.
The United States is the defending age group world champion.