As part of hockey's "Big 6" nations, Finland has emerged as a major talent producer in recent years. That was particularly highlighted by the likes of Patik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi, who dominated last year's World Junior Championship and went second and fourth overall, respectively, in this summer's entry draft.
Modelling the success of its World Junior team, Finland's World Cup squad brings a young, up-and-coming team to the tournament, full of offensive potential. Just three players on the Finnish roster stand older than 32, including captain Mikko Koivu of the Minnesota Wild, as well as Nashville Predators' goalie Pekka Rinne.
The young legs will be put to work early, as Finland's first game comes Sept. 18 against the Team North America under-23 squad. Here are three players worthy of your attention once the tournament opens.
Patrik Laine
Laine is talented, he's cocky, and he was the best player in last year's draft, if you were to ask his opinion. As Finland's answer to hockey superstar Alex Ovechkin, this Finnish sniper broke out last season, rising up the draft rankings to be taken second overall by the Winnipeg Jets.
Featured alongside Puljujarvi and World Cup teammate Sebastian Aho at the World Juniors, the trio dominated. Laine finished the tournament with 13 points through seven games. Held in Helsinki, Laine was a major contributor in leading the Finnish juniors to their second gold medal in three years. At the World Cup, he'll get a chance to repeat that performance, and an opportunity to do so live to a North American audience.
Teuvo Teravainen
A year ago, Teuvo Teravainen was the talk of the hockey world, the next young talent ready to step into Chicago's winner circle. Though he put up decent production, posting 35 points through 78 games, things didn't quite go as planned. As it happened, Teravainen was sacrificed to Carolina, a move which allowed the Blackhawks to do away with the salary cap burden of Bryan Bickell.
Regardless, Teravainen will get a chance to redeem himself, not only with the Hurricanes, but he will also be looked upon to provide part of the offensive spark for Finland. He'll do so surrounded by the likes of the aforementioned Laine, as well as other key pieces like Florida's Aleksander Barkov and St. Louis' Jori Lehtera.
Pekka Rinne
Nashville's franchise goaltender had a rare down season last year. Though Rinne still posted a respectable 34-21-9 record through 66 games, his save percentage saw a major dip, down to .908, the second-lowest showing of his NHL career. Things didn't get better in the playoffs - his save percentage actually fell to .906 - and more than a dozen goalies showed a better postseason performance.
But there's no doubt the veteran goalie can bounce back. Surely you don't end up part of the annual discussion surrounding the Vezina Trophy by accident. But, if things do go astray, Finland has a nice, overqualified second-stringer in Boston's Tuukka Rask, who brings playoff success and a Stanley Cup ring to the table.
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