Team Finland made a spectacular run to the silver medal at the 2025 World Junior Championship behind Petteri Rimpinen’s goaltending and timely scoring. The Nordic nation returns to the World Juniors with expectations to medal. Still, it might be more difficult without their top offensive star, Konsta Helenius, who remains with the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Finland is always a scrappy team, so expect a solid effort from the team skating in blue and white at the 2026 World Juniors. Here are the top players to watch over the next two weeks in Minnesota. The Finns are matched in Group B alongside Team Canada, Team Czechia, Team Latvia, and Team Denmark.
Petteri Rimpinen
Rimpinen nearly helped Finland steal a gold medal, but a 4-3 loss to the Americans sealed their fate with silver. He was spectacular during last year’s tournament with a 5-2-0 record, a 2.34 goals-against average (GAA), and a .915 save percentage (SV%).
The 19-year-old plays for Kiekko-Espoo in Ligga, Finland’s top league, where he has posted an 8-9-6 record, a 2.79 GAA, and a .894 SV%. Rimpinen was selected as an overager in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings.
Emil Hemming
Emil Hemming returns to Finland’s squad at the 2026 World Juniors after posting a one-goal, three-assist stat line over seven games at the 2025 tournament in Ottawa, Canada. The Finns will be relying on Hemming as a critical component to drive their offense over the next few weeks.
The Dallas Stars first-rounder is in the middle of his second North American pro season after starting the 2025-26 campaign with five games for the Texas Stars in the AHL. The 19-year-old winger has scored eight goals and 28 points in 17 games for the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Aatos Koivu
A newcomer to Team Finland’s roster in 2025, Aatos Koivu will get the opportunity to prove to the world why he was worth a third-round selection by the Montreal Canadiens (besides the fact that his father, Saku Koivu, is a Canadiens legend).
The 19-year-old forward plays for TPS Turku in Liiga, where he has seven points in 30 games. Koivu has basically matched his season total from the 2024-25 campaign, where he recorded eight points in 32 games for TPS.
Juho Piiparinen
A projected first-round talent at the 2026 NHL Draft, Juho Piiparinen will try to improve his draft stock over the next few weeks in America. The 17-year-old defender competes for Tappara Tampere in Liiga, where he has three assists through 26 games (with a plus-8 rating) in his first taste of playing against older competition.
Piiparinen skated for Finland at the 2025 Under-18 World Juniors in Allen, Texas. He recorded three points in six games, but Finland left without any additional carry-on luggage after a disappointing 7-2 loss to rival Sweden in the Quarterfinals in April.
Oliver Suvanto
Another potential first-round selection at the 2026 NHL Draft, Oliver Suvanto, joins his Tappara teammate for the 2026 World Juniors. The 17-year-old center also earned his first call-up to the big club, contributing seven points in 30 games.
Suvanto was also a member of the Finnish contingent in Dallas last spring. He scored three goals and six points over six games in his first action at the Under-18 tournament.
Related: 2026 NHL Draft-Eligible Prospects to Watch at the WJC
These certainly aren’t all of the names you will hear on the World Juniors broadcasts between Dec. 26 and Jan. 6. However, they are the essential ones called out for Finland as one of hockey’s best tournaments drops the puck for another year of intense competition between the best under-20 hockey players on the planet.
