The Finnish World Junior Championship (WJC) team achieved the impossible yesterday. They defeated the defending gold-medal United States team in overtime of the quarterfinals. The Finns rallied from down 2-1 in the second period to take a 3-2 lead, but the U.S.A.’s Ryker Lee tied it up with 1:33 left to go after the U.S. benched its goalie for an extra man.
Related: 3 Takeaways From USA’s 4-3 Overtime Loss to Finland in 2026 World Juniors
The overtime period didn’t last long, though, as at 2:11 in the period, Finnish defenseman Arttu Välilä knocked in the game-winning goal to send the U.S.A. home.
Petteri Rimpinen Comes Through in the Clutch
Getting back Finnish goaltender Petteri Rimpinen for the 2026 WJC was a godsend. “Showtime” was a part of the 2025 WJC roster, and he was second in the entire tournament with a .933 save percentage. The Los Angeles Kings also drafted him in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Draft.
This year, he’s been iffy in net. He has just a .876 save percentage (SV%). While most of the damage came from a 7-4 loss to Canada, the point stands.
Against Team U.S.A., he was elite. He saved 28 of 31 shots, including some great shots from up close. Even with the U.S.A. having defenseman Cole Hutson back in Minnesota, Rimpinen quieted the home crowd.
Versus Team Sweden, he’ll have to do it again. Swedish goaltender Love Härenstam has a .903 SV% in net, so Rimpinen may need to win the game on his own.
Coming Out Party for Leo Tuuva
The World Junior Championship gives opportunities for unsung heroes to break out in front of a national audience. For the Finns, that is Leo Tuuva.
Tuuva plays for Lukko’s under-20 team out of the Finnish Liiga. Last season, Tuuva was the star of the team, with 18 goals and 33 assists in just 39 games, but he was a relative unknown in the U.S., and in the 2025-26 season, he has just three goals and six assists in 23 games.
Against the U.S.A., Tuuva showed out in front of a national audience. He had a goal and an assist, and his assist was a crazy find from the back of the net to Joona Saarelainen. The 19-year-old showed great offensive instincts, and he could be getting NHL Draft coverage soon.
Emil Hemming Has to Regain His Scoring Touch
While the Finnish team has had several pleasant surprises, such as Tuuva, winger Emil Hemming (Dallas Stars) has been a non-factor at times.
Hemming has incredible offensive instincts, arguably the best on the team. There’s a reason why the Dallas Stars selected him in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft. He has eight goals and a jaw-dropping 20 assists with the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts in 2025-26. He’s also one of the few returning members of Finland’s 2024-25 team, scoring a goal and notching three assists through seven games.
Early on, it looked like Hemming’s star was shining brightly, as he scored three goals in the first two games of the tournament. However, he hasn’t been showing up as of late. He hasn’t scored a point since Finland’s overtime loss to Czechia.
His three goals are second on the team to Roope Vesterinen, who has four goals, but Vesterinen needed just nine shots to achieve four, while Hemming needed 21 shots to achieve three.
The hope is that Hemming will improve his scoring touch come the semifinal game and potentially the final. Finland hasn’t necessarily needed it. They’re second in the tournament in scoring efficiency, getting a goal on 15.33% of their shots. However, Hemming contributing as he did earlier in the tournament would go a long way in getting Finland their first gold medal since 2019.
Up Next for Finland
The Finns will take on Sweden in the semifinals on Jan. 4.
