MONCTON – It is often said of professional athletes that the best in their discipline are distinguished by full control of their emotions.
As the saying “Never too high, never too low” suggests, there is no point in getting too carried away in sport, after success as well as in failure.
Analyze for a few moments the body language of Oliver Kapanen in his post-match comments on Monday and Tuesday; you will see that there is nothing very different.
Yet his first appearance in front of reporters came minutes after one of Finland’s most embarrassing losses in the past 15 World Juniors.
The other, just twenty hours later, came just after he was named player of the match in a much more edgy display from his country, a 5-2 win against Slovakia.
Surely, the 19-year-old center isn’t the most talkative or outspoken player in the Canadiens’ prospect pool.
So aside from his veteran status from the tournament’s most recent edition in August, there must be a good explanation for Tomi Lamsa appointing him to inherit the responsibility of wearing the ‘C’ for the Scandinavian training.
“Oliver is a tireless worker. Its engine never stops. He may not be the leader who speaks the most, but his actions speak volumes,” Lamsa said during an interview with RDS.ca, after his club’s first victory in the competition.
“He’s a really good guy. He treats everyone the same, and leads by example at all times. You couldn’t ask for a better teammate to have around you,” confirmed forward Brad Lambert, the Winnipeg Jets’ first-round pick last July.
Discreet like many of his curtain-raiser teammates, Kapanen pivoted a trio on Tuesday completed on the left by Ville Koivunen, and on the right by Joakim Kemell.
Kapanen and Kemell, in particular, combined their efforts to stun the Slovak defense, especially from a second period dominated 3-0.
Creativity… but also a bit of everything
Most Habs fans will remember the skillful maneuver Kapanen served to a Slovak defender to gain speed behind the net and execute a classic turnstile-type goal, making it 3-1.
However, it was near the cage of Finnish goalkeeper Aku Koskenvuo that the game began to unfold.
Despite his presence close to his defenders in support at the time of the zone exit, the No. 27 offered himself as an option on the wing in neutral territory.
Upon receiving the puck, the 6-foot-1 forward challenged his cover on the offensive blue line, and it was thanks to a nice mix of balance on skates and power that he made fun of it. , before succeeding in an action that is far from foreign to the Kapanen family.
“It was improvised. But I think maybe it was a nod to my cousin [Kasperi] “, he confided to us with a smirk.
In 2016, at this same World Juniors, Kasperi Kapanen had threaded the golden goal in the same way, allowing Finland to overthrow Russia in overtime in the final.
A goal of such creativity goes to show that the 64th overall pick in the 2021 draft is slowly but surely gaining confidence in his ability to make great offensive plays against the best in his age group.
During the 2021-2022 season, it had been difficult for him to store up this crucial confidence, relegated to a secondary role with KalPa, in the SM-Liiga.
He had also not been helped by the fact of having evolved within four different squads, both in SM-Liiga and in Mestis, the second division circuit.
At mid-season, a year later, we are more aware of the qualities identified by the former CH staff.
“Basically, Oliver has a great sense of the game. It helps him to be successful. He wins his battles, does very well on face-offs. I expect the rest of his tournament to look like this,” insisted the Finnish instructor.
After 31 games in this league, which still prioritizes defensive play, Kapanen has scored seven goals and added six assists for a total of 13 points.
Something to remind people of his existence who might have stopped being enthusiastic about him, compared to other future CH players.
Laine had gone to bat for him
Kapanen was not a choice made by the staff headed by Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes.
However, Kapanen readily admits that the man who insisted on being selected once the second round was over is still employed by the Montreal organization.
« Hannu Laine [NDLR : qui épie les espoirs finlandais pour le club, en plus d’avoir vu son mandat s’agrandir à l’ensemble de l’Europe sous Hughes] spoke to me a few times during the season. I knew he liked my style of play,” he recalled.
Was the veteran scout of 22 seasons with the Canadiens the one who campaigned for him to be claimed?
“I believe so,” he revealed.
Since Kasperi Kapanen’s heroic net six years ago, the Finns have finished on the top step of the podium only once more, in 2019.
In Edmonton five months ago, Kapanen and his compatriots had to settle for the bitter taste of money, dropping the flag to Team Canada Junior.
After the unexpected misstep against Switzerland, is Finland back on the right track?
Oliver Kapanen hopes so, and recalls that the round robin serves, among other things, to make adjustments.
“We have re-emphasized some important details that had escaped us. I think it paid off, but basically, we already had all the motivation to bounce back, ”he illustrated.
To see now if the Finns, always tough when the stakes are high, will be able to use Monday’s poor performance as an example of the danger that awaits them, if they were to dare to once again move away from the elaborate game plan. by Lasma.
We will see Finland (1-1-0) in action Thursday, in Group B, during a duel against Latvia (0-1-0), at the Center Avenir in Moncton.