Young Lions: World Cup program and settings

What is it about?

Christmas the traditional hockey carnival of the time, i.e. the World Youth Hockey Championships, will be played this time in Minnesota, USA.

The tournament, which starts on Boxing Day in the passionate puck market area of ​​St. Paul and Minneapolis, will be played in the usual style with ten teams in two groups.

The reigning doubles champion, the United States, and Canada, who missed the quarterfinals the last two years, are again among the championship favorites. Last year’s silver medalist Finland will enter the 2006 World Championship from the very same starting point as a year ago.

The Young Lions are among the medal candidates along with Sweden and the Czech Republic. The Finnish team has surprise potential, but among the favorites Lauri Mikkolan the coached group is not included this time either.

Will the sensation repeat itself?

Last In the World Cup tournament played in Ottawa in 2011, Nuoret Leijonat, piloted by Mikkola, came close to beating the giant sensation.

Advancing to the World Cup final was a wild trick considering the starting points. On the way to the final, Nuoret Leijonat defeated Slovakia in the quarter-final and Sweden in the semi-final thriller.

In the World Cup final, the big favorite against the United States, the Young Lions already seemed to be rolling to become champions in a show-stopping style. However, the fiery United States, bursting with tempo skills, turned the final around and rolled to the second consecutive world championship.

The sensational silver was, however, a good indication of how Nuoret Leijonat can succeed in the small rink’s World Cup.

Finland grew into a balanced and tenacious team, which, with the exception of the World Cup final, was able to gather its lines after difficult periods and play patiently without emotions taking over.

In addition to discipline and mature tactics, the Young Lions’ strongest competitive advantage a year ago was their goalkeeping. Petteri Rimpinen was arguably the best goalkeeper of the tournament, keeping the team up in difficult moments. Without Rimpinen’s super tournament, the Young Lions’ journey would have been boring already.

In this winter’s WC tournament, the same rules apply.

Without a world-class goalkeeper, the chances of success for the Young Lions are slim. Finland must also be able to play a tactically mature puck control game without becoming unnecessarily passive.

Last year’s tournament in a small rink was a playful step in the right direction from Finland after the bad years. Mikkola and his adjutants made the game more proactive, braver and faster.

The same thing awaits this time too, when the tournament is played in a small rink. A year ago, Nuoret Leijonat showed what can happen when the best aspects of Finland’s team-based way of playing and tempo sticks shake hands.

Who are leading?

Young 11 players were named to the Lions World Cup camp team, who also participated in the World Cup a year ago.

NHL club Buffalo Sabres’ center promise From Konsta Helenius was not named to the preliminary camp squad, but can still join the World Cup squad. If Helenius is included, there will be 12 silver team players in the group.

These players also form the core of the Young Lions.

The goalkeeper department is the strongest part of the team. Rimpinen is the number one option, but he is playing a strong league season in HPK Kim Saarinen able to challenge Rimpinen. If Rimpinen is not able to play at his best level, Saarinen can very well “rob” the position of first keeper.

In defense, the captain Aron Kiviharju and Daniel Nieminen are the main continuations from last year’s tournament. Kiviharju already showed his solid leadership last winter by improving his grips the further the WC tournament progressed.

Tapparan is only 17 years old Juho Piiparinen and Ässien is 18 years old Lasse Boelius can occupy a surprisingly large screen on the World Cup ice. Strong puck leadership is expected from someone who is playing a breakthrough season in Luko Arttu Väilälä and from someone playing in his second World Cup tournament Taken from Väisän.

The attack features five players from last year’s team.

The hardest expectations are directed at the player who is already playing in his third World Cup tournament to Emil Hemming.

The 19-year-old winger played five games in the early season for the Dallas Stars’ AHL team before returning to the OHL’s Barrie Colts. In the OHL, Hemming has put up a lot of power with an average of 1.65 points.

In addition to Hemming, decisive power is expected from Frölunda’s pace machine Max WestergårdiltaLock Leo from Tuuva and From Atte JoTPS:n From Aatos KoivuTapparan Oliver from Suvanno and from the WHL’s Everett Silvertips power duo From Julius Mietti and From Matias Vanhas. Harvard Center Heikki Ruohonen brings reliability and size to the mid lane.

The fate of the number one striker?

Major the question before the tournament is aimed at Konsta Helenius, the most important attacker of the Young Lions. The coaching staff of the Young Lions is feverishly waiting for news from Buffalo.

Buffalo’s number one reservation for summer 2024 already played through the color straight in the second season, when he cooled off in the under-18, under-20 and adult World Championships during the same season.

Helenius, 19, was the silver team’s number one center and most important game leader last winter. The same role would await in this tournament as well, but the Sabers’ organization has not yet made a final decision on whether Helenius will be allowed in the games.

Helenius has played strongly this season in the AHL with almost a point per game (25 shots 9+14=23). Once again, the Sabers, who started their season miserably, may still raise the Finnish center to the NHL side, which would torpedo the competition journey.

If there is no NHL call-up and the Sabers allow Helenius to play in the last World Cup of his career, one forward will drop out of the Young Lions’ World Cup camp group.

Helenius’ joining the team would significantly raise expectations for the Young Lions’ World Cup career.