The Kids Can Play! Observations From Team Finland Versus Team Canada

Christopher Ralph – THW’s Flames, Draft and Prospect Correspondent

Fortunate enough to land lower bowl seats in the Saddledome for last night’s tilt between Finland and Team Canada in a pre-WJC tournament game, I thought I’d reflect back on the game with observations from my point of view – some obvious and some maybe not so obvious. This will also highlight specific players to watch from these respective teams throughout this year’s World Junior Championships (U20s).

{Click on players name for link for more detailed profile where applicable.}

Part 1

Joni "Ortsa" Ortio {Photo Courtesy Of Ortio}

Team Finland

*Netminder (and hometown Flames prospect) Joni “Ortsa” Ortio, who I recently had a fantastic interview with, was solid and sometimes spectacular in a 3-zip loss. The three goals he allowed, he basically had no chance on – a screened pinpoint blast from Alex Pietrangelo, a Taylor Hall one-timer courtesy of a beautiful feed from Calgary Hitmen forward Brandon Kozun, and a Brandon MacMillan nifty deke. In my opinion, “Ortsa” deserved the player of the game for Finland. He denied the ever-dangerous Hall who snuck in all alone on two separate occasions.

*Toni Rajala, Brandon Wheat Kings forward and Edmonton Oiler 2009 4^th round selection, displayed his brilliant offensive instincts, puck-handling ability and quickness. He was very creative and was actually named Finland’s player of the game, although I thought “Ortsa” was slightly more deserving as noted above.

Toni Rajala {Wikimedia Creative Commons}

*Centering Rajala’s line was 2010 draft-eligible prospect Mikael Granlund, who is projected to contend as a top 10 selection next June. Although they failed to score, Granlund’s line threatened Canada offensively throughout the night. Granlund displayed great puck skills, skating ability and quickness, and didn’t shy away from physical play.

*Finland Captain Jyri Niemi, a 2008 Islanders 3^rd round selection, finally got a chance to display his cannon of a slapshot on a couple of occasions on the powerplay in the 3^rd period. The Saskatoon Blades blueliner is having a good season in the Dub and will hopefully man the point on a Tavares-led Islander powerplay in the coming years.

*Other Finland players who stood out to me were:

- Sami Vatanen: the diminutive rearguard was not spectacular, but very solid. His highlight was a nice rush, taking the puck to the net and creating a scoring opportunity. He was also in the middle of a not so pleasant Cormier and Della Rovere sandwich, but was not afraid of the physical play.

- Joonas Nattinen: the good-sized, two-way forward displayed glimpses of promise that bode well for the Montreal Canadiens third round selection from this summer’s draft.

- Joonas Rask: The feisty forward who is the younger brother of Bruins goaltender Tuuka Rask has been twice passed over in the NHL draft. He has an awkward, sort of hunched over skating style, but gets to where he needs to be. He seems to be always around the play and is not afraid to mix it up.

*Stay tuned for an update on Team Canada as well as other players to watch at this year’s WJC U20 tournament…

Christopher Ralph, aka "The Hockey Spy", is a freelance hockey writer from Calgary via Newfoundland. His own blog at The Hockey Spy covers hockey in general with a focus on prospects and the NHL Entry Draft. He also covers the Chicago Blackhawks Paint It Blackhawks. Click here for more of his THW articles, focusing on the Calgary Flames, prospects and the draft. "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be." - Wayne Gretzky

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