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Finnish WJC review

Written by: Pekka Lampinen on 01/22/2004

In the spring of 2002 the opinions on the Finnish national junior team were clear: the team fought valiantly and didn't lose because of personal mistakes, but the 1984-born age group didn't have the talent to do better than reach the fourth place in the U-18 World Championships. This winter the same talent pool faced the same prejudices, which appeared all the clearer with Kari Lehtonen, Joni Pitkänen, Tuomo Ruutu and Mikko Koivu all leaving junior hockey behind permanently. The situation was made worse by the careers of Jaakko Viljanen, Joni Lappalainen and Tuukka Pulliainen not progressing as hoped for over the last eighteen months, a total of 23 points in eight games simply faded away. As much as the young players would have to liked to prove the critics wrong, the happy ending to the 2004 WJC tournament was reached with the same strengths and weaknesses as one and a half years ago.

A sheer lack of talent is a rather merciful way to lose. While the fans would tear their hair out after each wasted scoring opportunity, in the end there would only be pride and happiness for the team's achievements, with the blame going to players who don't even exist. This tournament was a triumph of the North American teams, among which Team Finland took its place with its style of play, attitude and the medals hanging from their necks. Despite the defeat, the semifinal against the United States will go down in history as an exemplary way to wear the lion jersey in a battle against superior talent.

Of all the skaters, only six forwards remained on the same line throughout the tournament, but for the most part the lineup looked like this:

Nokelainen-Filppula-Bergenheim
Töykkälä-Immonen-Marjamäki
Tukonen-Kontiola-Oksa
Petrell-Piispanen-Nurmi

Kalteva-Lepistö
Jalasvaara-Kantee
Salmela-Varakas

Goalies:

Mikael Vuorio, Jukurit (drafted by FLA, 196th overall 2002)
L, 6'0"/180

Vuorio is a medium-sized goalie with a fair amount of standup left in his butterfly style of play. He didn't have the talent to challenge Toivonen, so Vuorio was only counted on in the so-called unimportant game. He was shaky at first and could have caught Ukraine's sole goal but handled the rest commendably, meeting expectations.

Hannu Toivonen, Providence Bruins (drafted by BOS, 29th overall 2002)
L, 6'3"/205

Taking a break from his AHL duties to join the team, Toivonen made sure with his arrival that the long line of strong Finnish netminders which spans a decade unbroken would continue. A good performance throughout the tournament set the stepping stone for the team high enough to reach the gold, the rest was up to the skaters. The big, acrobatic butterfly goalie can only take blame for his poor rebound control. He was very possibly the third best goalie in the tournament behind Montoya and Halak.

Defensemen:

Sami Lepistö, Jokerit (2004 opt-in)
L, 6'0"/175

The best defenseman in the tournament. Lepistö has taken enormous steps in his development since last season and was the team's most valuable player together with Toivonen and Filppula. Great opening passes and quarterbacking, excellent if not that explosive skating and a top quality one-timer presented a threat to the opposing team not that much short of Joni Pitkänen's abilities. The 6'0” defenseman laid hits in his own end and kept mistakes to a minimum.

Janne Jalasvaara, Blues (undrafted)
L, 6'0"/195

A WJC veteran and an assistant captain, Jalasvaara was the biggest disappointment in the defense corps as he played worse than last year. He laid big hits eagerly despite his smallish stature, sometimes taking himself out of position. All his three penalties were very dangerous to the team. Jalasvaara never had the kind of offensive abilities the team would have needed and he couldn't even play at his normal level with the puck. Despite all this, he was not a decisive liability but a decent two-way defenseman.

Mikko Kalteva, Jokerit (drafted by COL, 107th overall)
L, 6'3"/200

Kalteva's slowness was an issue before the tournament, but the team's biggest defenseman turned out to be most reliable. He was hardly ever caught out of position and had no more trouble than any defenseman is due. Also known for his decent offensive skills, his puckhandling did look uneasy and he couldn't produce, so he focused even more on defending as the tournament progressed. In overall, only one or two Finnish defensemen can reach a defensive performance this solid each year.

Anssi Salmela, Tappara (undrafted)
L, 6'0"/188

After an absolutely horrendous start in the game against Canada, Salmela quickly picked up his game not to plunge the team into distress as certain defensemen did last year. An offensive, non-physical defenseman by nature, he played powerplay throughout the tournament demonstrating his capable slapshot. Unfortunately, he couldn't improve the unit all that much and ended up with only passable production. Salmela kept his mistakes at a level tolerable enough to justify his spot on the team, but he was still one of the worse defensemen.

Ville Varakas, HIFK (undrafted)
L, 6'0/195

Varakas started the tournament as a depth defenseman and even though all six defensemen got their fair share of icetime after Korpikari's injury, that was as far as the smallish physical defenseman's talent would take him. The team's second most productive blueliner got his points by participating in the offense, but his skills set limits to that. He was too careless with the puck and directly responsible for the goal that sank the team in the semifinals. In the defense he skated hard, took the body and blocked shots drawing comparisons to Jyri Marttinen's performance two years ago, but in overall Varakas didn't compare to him.

Kevin Kantee, Jokerit (drafted by CHI, 188th overall 2002)
L, 6'2"/192

One of the defensemen who could really be counted on to make it through one shift after another, Kantee showed good all-around skills. His physical play, skating, hockey sense and puckhandling were all above average, making him a most valuable part of the team. Certain flashiness would have been needed on powerplay, though.

Oskari Korpikari, Kärpät (drafted by MTL, 217th overall)
L, 6'2"/200

A member of the solid core with Lepistö, Kalteva and Kantee, Korpikari did everything he could to help the goalie with his strength and good positioning whenever he was on the ice. His shoulder injury in the game against Ukraine cut his tournament short, but fortunately his loss didn't prove as devastating to the team as it could have.

Forwards:

Sean Bergenheim, Jokerit (drafted by NYI, 22nd overall 2002)
L, 5'11"/200

A huge disappointment. Bergenheim battled flu right prior to the tournament and never quite got in shape. Although his great speed allowed him to draw penalties and fly right to the crease, it was all squandered by his abysmal finishing. Multiple breakaways and at least a dozen top quality scoring opportunities lost is a total matched by no one in the recent Finnish WJC history. A point per game plus something extra against Ukraine would have been a fair expectation, but one assist in six games is something from a completely different reality. With commendable finishing Bergenheim alone could have lifted Finland to the final. An assistant captain this year, his third straight bronze makes him one of only three active Finnish players (the others being Kari Lehtonen and Tuomo Ruutu) with three WJC medals.

Valtteri Filppula, Jokerit (drafted by DET, 95th overall 2002)
L, 6'0"/183

A tournament all-star forward, Filppula was all that and the team's savior. With exceptional stickhandling and the hockey sense to match, he proved to be a playmaker equaled only by the best. Flawless skating helped him be the team's best finisher as well. Last year he was still physically unfit for the WJC, but now he seemed surprisingly strong in the corners, holding opponents bigger than him at bay. Although counterattacks often took the first line by surprise, Filppula himself played a good defensive game. If Bergenheim had played at his normal level, Filppula's numbers would have seen considerable improvement still.

Arsi Piispanen, Jokerit (drafted by CBJ, 138th overall 2003)
R, 6'3"/175

Piispanen earned a spot in the squad thanks to his great chemistry with Petrell and Tukonen last fall. As expected, the fourth line was not an answer to the team's scoring problems and it was soon dismantled. Piispanen, all inches and no pounds, remained in a small role as planned. He couldn't create much offense - or anything clearly visible, for that matter. The experience was still invaluable for Piispanen, who is at this point the best option to center the first line next year thanks to his raw talent and stickhandling.

Tommi Oksa, Jokerit (undrafted)
R, 5'11"/183

Oksa is a typical Finnish junior player, a swift skater with a great work ethic but no real talent. He can handle the puck but when the time comes for the finishing touch, his hands freeze. In the opening game against Canada he couldn't even hold on to the puck but improved his game soon like the rest of the team. Oksa assumed the role of an agitator, seeking trouble more often than necessary. Still, he is not ruthless enough to make a career out of it. In the bronze game he finally managed to overcome his problems in the offense. It was as if the entire team had scored that game-winning goal.

Jyri Junnila, Kärpät (undrafted)
R, 5'8"/175

The smallest forward on the team with the skills to match the size started the tournament as the thirteenth forward. Despite that Junnila was Finland's best player against Switzerland, he soon found himself on the bench again. He could be effective against certain teams when he could utilize his talent, but the bigger and stronger opponents would take him out with little effort.

Lennart Petrell, HIFK (undrafted)
R, 6'3"/200

The most undisciplined player on the team, Petrell caused confusion among both friends and foes. He laid a lot of hits, one of which was ugly enough to take both Michal Barinka and himself out for two games. He created a fair number of scoring opportunities on the fourth line but was also responsible for too many and too serious turnovers. He is a fairly good skater for a 6'3" player but lacks fluency and has trouble keeping up with a fast transition game. The coaching staff surely knew what to expect as they picked him on the team, but they may have been better off without him. What Petrell provided were already some of the stronger aspects of the team.

Joni Töykkälä, Blues (undrafted)
L, 6'0"/175

Töykkälä had the honor to be the captain of the team just like when the age group was still fighting for the U-18 World Championship even though he doesn't have the talent to be one of the key players. His numbers do look rather good with the priceless opening goals against the Czech Republic and Russia as well as the team's second best plus/minus rating to boot. Still, the main impression the smallish and very fast winger gave was that all he could do in the offense was to handle the puck - together with tenacity, those qualities do make him what a captain is supposed to be, a typical member of the team. Töykkälä ruined his finest hour as he wasted the perfect opportunity to tie the game against the United States by blindly challenging Montoya alone on a 2-on-0 breakaway.

Teemu Nurmi, Tappara (undrafted)
R, 6'1"/192

One of the few pleasant surprises among the forwards, Nurmi did what he could with third and fourth line icetime. His average qualities probably cost him a chance to be picked in last year's entry draft, but now the complete package proved effective. He has yet to mold his game to suit his abilities and his 6'1" frame at a level this high. Next year we may see him looking more like what he will one day become, probably with a Christmas card from the team that will draft him in his pocket.

Jarkko A. Immonen, Blues (drafted by DAL, 110th overall 2002)
L, 6'0"/195

Immonen failed to put his playmaking abilities to good use, leaving his wingers Töykkälä and Marjamäki to create their own scoring opportunities most of the time. In his defense, Immonen's performance wasn't particularly disappointing, better finishing would have left him with a good number of assists. Domination against Ukraine contrary to stronger opponents revealed the problems in his game: The lack of quickness in legs, hands and mind alike. He was also perhaps the least tenacious forward on the team. Despite all that, his importance in the offense was never in question thanks to his great skill. Immonen should also make better use of his 195 pounds.

Lauri Tukonen, Blues (2004 eligible)
R, 6'2"/197

The youngest Finnish skater in the WJC since over a decade, Tukonen never had a clear role planned for him. "Let's just release him and see what happens" may have been the intention as Tukonen is certainly the right player for that. His skating, stickhandling and strength made in intriguing combination used both in a checking role and on powerplay. Surprisingly, he cut down on the number of hits compared to club team performances, perhaps to focus more on the puck, and that he did, to the extent that he would rarely deal a good pass as he charged for the net with his head down. More experience and routine should help with that. With admirable strength for a player of his age, he dominated in the corners against most defensemen.

Petri Kontiola, Tappara (undrafted)
R, 6'0"/188

Kontiola was one of the lesser known players on the team but still not a surprise pick. He turned out to be a most reliable two-way center over last fall. Although at times it seemed that his attempts in the offense didn't make the least bit of sense, he was always there to lead the line's defense, taking good care of his territory. His talent isn't up for the challenge of production at this level, he would often just blindly deke his way past one opponent and lose the puck to the second. A draft pick may remain but a wish for him as his upside resembles that of players who struggle to make the big league.

Petteri Nokelainen, SaiPa (2004 eligible)
R, 6'1"/188

At first the two caged youngsters Tukonen and Nokelainen looked completely alike, two fast and strong wingers wreaking havoc everywhere. Closer examination revealed that, oversimplified, Tukonen was the one with the offense and Nokelainen with the defense. Nokelainen had the chance to play with Filppula and Bergenheim, which offered him more offensive opportunities than expected. It was certainly not all for the good of the rookie, as his surprisingly mature defensive game and effective grinding helped the two older stars a lot. He did lose his powerplay time to Tukonen, but soon became the team's go-to-guy when the penalty box was manned by a teammate. His puck skills were still too undeveloped to be effective at this level, but once he is no longer handicapped by his age, the numbers will be there.

Masi Marjamäki, Moose Jaw Warriors (drafted by BOS, 66th overall 2003)
L, 6'2"/200

The team's Canadian import player has refined his game into the mold of a maple leaf. Marjamäki was an instant fan favorite with his big hits and straightforward offensive game. A lot of the blame for his average numbers go to his linemates, but Marjamäki himself was also a disappointing finisher, although less so than most of the team. Still, he hit the net when it counted, saving the team in the quarterfinal by tying the game twice against Russia. He may be the team's best forward next year.

Copyright 2004 Hockey’s Future. Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.

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