World Juniors - Finland Wins Gold

With three gold medals in the past six seasons, Finland is staking claim to elite status at the world juniors and a combination of talent and trust is making it happen. We also may have a bit of a 2019 draft debate on our hands.

This is getting to be a bit of a habit. Finland won its third world juniors in six years, beating Team USA 3-2 in a whirlwind game that saw 2019 draft prospect Kappo Kakko net the winner at the side of the net with a minute and a half to go in regulation. Though expectations weren’t high for Finland coming into the tournament (though getting defensemen Henri Jokiharju and Urho Vaakanainen from the NHL was a big boost), this team isn’t interested in being underdogs anymore – even if coach Jussi Ahokas has used the term with the media.

“The big thing for us was to win it in a small rink,” Ahokas said. “We hadn’t done that before and now we’ve done it. That’s big for Finnish hockey. Of course, you always need great players, but it was how we got together, how the team worked, how well our leaders played. We were really tight.”

Finland has been perplexing during their great run; if they don’t win gold, they don’t even come close and in 2017, the team had to play in the relegation series, collapsing one year after winning gold. For Jokiharju, there isn’t much mystery to unravel.

“Win the right games, it’s as simple as that,” he said. “The trust never fell with our team. The group games weren’t that good, but who cares? We won the right games – first Canada, then Switzerland, now USA. We’re the best in the world.”

Indeed, Finland lost to the Americans in the group stage, and to the Swedes, but there was an underlying confidence that crested at the right time – namely, the quarterfinal shocker over Canada. The seeds for that upset had been planted in exhibition play, when Finland beat Canada, however.

“We got the confidence when we played the pre-tournament game here against Canada,” said defenseman Oskari Laaksonen. “Everybody opened up, like ‘OK, we can beat the Canadian team, we can beat anybody.’ The group stage was pretty tough for us, we just charged to the Canada game and it was flow after that, everybody was working hard.”

Most important in the gold-medal game was Finland’s willingness and ability to match the speed and physicality of the Americans. Team USA did a great job confounding Russia in the semis, but the Finns were prepared for their final assignment.

“Playing the US and Canada, those North American teams play so fast,” Jokiharju said. “You have to match the pace and be even faster.”

It also helped that Finland got a balanced effort from its forward group. Of course, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was tremendous in net, but it would all have been for nothing had Kakko not popped in his own rebound for the game-winner. Kakko, who now opens up a serious debate over whether he or incumbent Jack Hughes should go first overall in the 2019 draft (which will be held in Vancouver, coincidentally), was particularly good all night and had a meaty role on the team’s second line. While Canada searches for answers as to where things went wrong, it’s hard not to look at the play of Kakko and 2020 draft prospect Anton Lundell as an argument for upside over age.

“We let him play,” Ahokas said. “He had the confidence, we gave him the role and that was the biggest thing. He’s a future superstar.”

And like another Finnish star, Patrik Laine, Kakko already has a gold medal from the world juniors. He’ll return to TPS Turku in Finland’s top league now, but it’s fair to say he already has his signature game for the season.

“It’s an incredible feeling to get that kind of goal,” Kakko said.

Toni Utunen and Aarne Talvitie celebrate

 Perhaps Finland's biggest win was at the Quarter Final stage against the hosts and favourites, Canada. But Canada found out the hard way in the quarterfinal, that by playing tight defensive hockey doesn't work with modern day speed players, losing to Finland in overtime 2-1 in a game that saw the Canadians take just 24 shots on net.

While this may not have been the most talented Canadian entry at the world juniors, this team should have gone further – the depth up front was solid and there was plenty of skill on the blueline, but particularly against Finland, that skill didn’t seem to be sprung.

There were exceptions, of course: Ian Mitchell got Canada’s only goal when he jumped up and took a Barrett Hayton feed in the second period. And, crushingly, Noah Dobson had a huge chance at the side of the net in overtime, only to have his stick snap in his hands. Otherwise, there was a lot of chipping the puck out of their own zone, which was disheartening to see, given how well players like Dobson, Mitchell and Ty Smith can skate with the puck.

“I guess it just kinda happened,” Mitchell said. “We had a pretty skilled group back there. After that first goal, I don’t know if we pulled up a bit, or what it was. Maybe there wasn’t a lot of positions to jump; I’m not sure.”

Give full marks to Finland for playing a solid game: they outshot Canada on home ice and got a huge performance in net from Buffalo Sabres pick Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. And a ‘D’ corps led by NHLers Henri Jokiharju (Chicago) and Urho Vaakanainen (Boston) kept the dangerous Canadians at bay.

“They’re a good checking team,” Mitchell said. “They were keeping us to the outside, we didn’t get a lot of inside looks. Their gaps were tight and they were tight in their ‘D’ zone coverage, too.”

But Canada should have won this game. Even without the bad luck of Dobson’s stick breaking, even without Maxime Comtois’ failed penalty shot, this was a winnable game. The Canadians just couldn’t get enough pressure to crack the Finns and they had the talent to do it.

I believe they played too safe. Owen Tippett (Florida) was aggressive in his rushes, but he didn’t have a lot of company. Chip-and-chase hockey is dead and while it’s not a sexy storyline, coaching matters a ton in this tournament and Canada didn’t get any. Most disappointingly, coach Tim Hunter didn’t want to address these faults after the game. For example, Canada scored just once in the New Year’s Eve loss to Russia and once against the Finns. Could he think of anything the team could have done differently on offense?

“I wish I could,” he said. “I’m not going to reflect on what went wrong. That’s over, we’re moving on.”

Well, no, you’re not: Canada’s tournament is over. When asked about the lack of defensive activation, he cited Dobson’s chance in overtime and left it at that. Where’s the accountability here? Comtois – who was a bewildering candidate for that penalty was shot – stood in front of the media forever, answering questions in both English and French. Michael DiPietro, who was great in net, didn’t shy away from the press, either. They’re the teenagers, Hunter is the adult, let’s not forget.

In the end, Finland went on to meet Switzerland in a surprising semifinal matchup. The Finns overcame adversity in the game and used the penalty-kill as motivation.

“We killed those penalties really well and, in those moments, we turned it around,” Jokiharju said. “We stick together all the time on the ice and it was a huge win for us.”

The fact Nashville’s Eeli Tolvanen set up the tying goal after a slow offensive start to his tournament was huge for Finland and Tolvanen was excellent all game. The Finns believed they hadn’t been getting the bounces early in the world juniors, but they got them against Canada. The fact they cashed in two of them – with Vancouver prospect Toni Utunen getting the overtime winner on a shot that hit Cody Glass’ stick – was the difference in the game.



Kaapo Kakko

While the Finns are focused on the present at the world juniors, the play of right winger Kaapo Kakko has also offered a tantalizing view of the future. Of course, based on his trajectory, the 2019 draft prospect may not be available for the next world juniors – his NHL team may want him their lineup instead.

This has always been the Jack Hughes draft, but Kakko, who first came onto the radar at last year’s world under-18s, is looking like a very strong No. 2.

“Kaapo is a skilled player,” said Finland coach Jussi Ahokas. “Really good in the corners, sees the game really well, passes well and he’s got really good character. He’s going to be a great NHL player, he has all the capacity.”

In the win over Canada in the quarterfinal, Kakko’s line with Eeli Tolvanen (Nashville) and center Anton Lundell (a 2020 draft prospect due to a late birthday) was very effective and had some dominant possession shifts. It will be fun to see what that trio can produce in the semifinal against Switzerland, as the spotlight will undoubtedly get brighter.

The question now becomes one of potential. Because of his smarts and size, Kakko could easily be a center in the NHL and he has begun to play down the middle with TPS Turku in the Liiga. At the world juniors, he’s been back on right wing and that’s fine by him for now.

“I feel more comfortable on the wing but I can play center,” Kakko said through translator and teammate Aarne Talvitie. “I think I get more offensive opportunities as a winger, so in this tournament I like it more on the wing.”

But a big winger that can play center? It sounds like the Jesperi Kotkaniemi story from 2018, when Montreal grabbed that Finnish kid third overall. On the other hand, Kakko – who played on Kotkaniemi’s wing at the world under-18s last year – has even more offensive potential than his buddy. Consider this: at the same age, Kakko is putting up better offensive numbers in Finland’s top league than Patrik Laine did in his draft year. Now, is that a lot to put on a kid? Perhaps, but let’s not forget that Laine was once an unknown as well. Kakko himself is looking at the big picture.

“Of course it’s a good thing,” he said. “Points don’t mean everything and there’s still a long way to go, but I’m proud of myself. I’ve been playing well and got into the team pretty quickly. I’m familiar with the guys and how they play, so it’s been good so far.”

Growing up in Turku, Kakko would go to TPS games and watch players like future Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen and Colorado star Mikko Rantanen, the latter of whom has been a model for Kakko thanks to the way the Avs right winger protects the puck. But Kakko’s No. 1 fave right now is Toronto’s Auston Matthews.

“He’s a good stickhandler, good with the puck, a great offensive player and especially a smart player with the puck,” Kakko said. “That’s what I like about him.”

Matthews of course, went first overall the year Laine went second and it’s kinda fun that another Finn could go right after another American center this year. If Kakko continues to play as well as he has this season, inevitably there will be some folks wondering if he should go ahead of Hughes (personally, I don’t think a team can pass on Hughes, but much like Laine, Kakko is a helluva consolation prize).

“I don’t make the choices,” Kakko said. “He’s an awesome player, but I’m confident that I’m a great player too and I have a great opportunity here.”