The silver medalists from the 2025 World Junior Championship (WJC), Finland, announced its 25-man roster for this year’s tournament. There wasn’t much of a surprise about who was included on the roster, as they will be bringing back 11 players from last year’s team and should have one of the deepest overall rosters again. So who is representing Finland at the 2026 WJC?
Finland Forwards
Emil Hemming, Joki Atte, Onni Kalto, Aatos Koivu, Jasper Kuhta, Julius Miettinen, Kasper Pikkarainen, Heikki Ruohonen, Joona Saarelainen, Oliver Suvanto, Leo Tuuva, Matias Vanhanen, Roope Vesterinen, Max Westergård
The biggest surprise and disappointment for the Finns is the fact that Konsta Helenius is not on the roster this year (as of now). There were doubts that the Buffalo Sabres would let him play in the tournament after how well he has looked in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Rochester Americans. While he leaves a big hole at the top end of the forward group, Finland is still deep enough to have the firepower to fill that void.
With four players returning from last year, a player who will likely be looked to for a bit more production is Emil Hemming (Dallas Stars). Hemming is the leading point scorer of any returner, and with the Finns not having Helenius, Jesse Kiiskinen (Detroit Red Wings), or Jesse Nurmi (New York Islanders), he will need to step up. He has had a great start this season with the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and will certainly be looking to help push the Finns towards a gold medal.
Other notables in the forward group include Julius Miettinen (Seattle Kraken), who will need to take a step up in production this year, along with 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Oliver Suvanto. Suvanto has had a solid start in Liiga and, with a strong showing at the tournament, could elevate his draft stock even more.
Finland Defensemen
Lasse Boelius, Mitja Jokinen, Aron Kiviharju, Daniel Nieminen, Niklas Nykyri, Juho Piiparinen, Veeti Väisänen, Arttu Välilä
With half of their defensive unit returning, led by Aron Kiviharju (Minnesota Wild), the Finnish defensive group should be one of the strongest in the tournament. The group may not end up putting up the most points in the offensive zone, but it is overall strong defensively. If they can play like they did last year, mixed with the goaltending they will get from Petteri Rimpinen, there is a good chance that Finland will have success again in the tournament.
There is also another draft-eligible player on the backend for Finland, with Juho Piiparinen being a potential first-round pick at the 2026 Draft.
Finland Goaltenders
Patrik Kerkola, Petteri Rimpinen, Kim Saarinen
Having Petteri Rimpinen (Los Angeles Kings) returning this year for the Finns puts them at an advantage against most teams in the tournament at the goaltender position. After being named the tournament’s best goaltender last year, Rimpinen will undoubtedly be watched carefully and will have some lofty expectations bestowed upon him.
Related: Guide to the 2026 World Junior Championship
If, for some reason, anything were to happen to Rimpinen, the Finns do have a strong enough backup in Kim Saarinen (Seattle Kraken). Saarinen is one of the 11 returners, along with Rimpinen, but did not play in a single game in last year’s tournament. His win-loss record this season in Liiga has not been the greatest and does not indicate how well he has played, but he is a goaltender who, if needed, could hold down the fort.
Another Strong Roster for Finland
While not having the likes of Helenius (who could still end up playing), Kiiskinen, and Nurmi hurt the Finns’ offensive side, they have, yet again, a strong roster that should very easily put them right in the thick of things. They should challenge Canada and Czechia for one of the top spots in Group B this year.
