First opponent of Switzerland in this world, Fionlande has the ambition to climb at least on the 3rd step of the podium behind the two ultra-favorites Canadian and American. The team of Marco Bayer is therefore warned: it will be necessary to enter the tournament very quickly to avoid a disappointment.
Ever-competitive Finland last won this tournament in 2019, coming within a whisker of beating Canada in the 2022 final in Edmonton. The Finns have won five gold medals in total at the world junior championships, since 1987, and became a legitimate annual contender in the mid-2010s.
This year’s team isn’t as star-studded as its predecessors. But as we have seen recently at all levels of the IIHF, Finland is always an opponent to be taken very seriously.
Not as many stars, but the potential is there
In the front, Joakim Kemell – Nashville’s 2022 first-round pick (17th overall) and the tournament’s second-highest scorer in August (4+12=16) – is back with his blazing speed and fearsome one-shot shots.
Brad Lambertwho is competing in a junior world championship for the third time and holds the 2021 bronze and 2022 silver, aspires to leave on a high. The 19-year-old Winnipeg Jets prospect has scored just two goals in 12 World Junior Championship appearances and sat out the August final.
The returns of Ville Koivunen (Karpat) et d’Oliver Kapanen (KalPa) should score important goals. In defense, Aleksi Heimosalmi (Assat) is the leader of… the attack! He scored one point per game in Edmonton and will lead the power play in Moncton.
There is a lot of intrigue around how the very talented Aron Kiviharju, 16, a product of TPS Turku, will do well on his maiden voyage to this worlds. Eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, he has already appeared in six Liiga games this year and produced 12 assists in 13 games with the TPS U20 team.
We don’t know yet if Aku Koskenvuo (Harvard) or Jani Lampinen (Kiekko-Espoo) will be the number one keeper. But if we remember the skill with which Juha Jatkola took over from Levi Merilainen in Edmonton, the Finns should be ready to win another medal, regardless of the goaltender. But first, they’ll have to battle USA for top spot in Group B.