The head coach of the Lions emphasizes the importance of preparation in advance in the NHL’s four-nation tournament.
16:07•Updated 16:16
The Finnish men’s national team for the four-nation NHL tournament to be played in February was announced on Wednesday evening.
The Lions’ team consists of the expected names, but there were also a couple of slightly surprising selections.
Of the defenders, the one representing the Buffalo Sabers and playing the season Henri Jokiharjua not selected.
Instead, Toronto, who suffered from a knee injury for a long time, was included in the team Jani Hakanpääwho has only played two matches this season.
Hakanpää is currently on the injured list, Jokiharju has 19 games behind him and his plus-minus statistic is two points plus.
Lions head coach Antti Pennanen according to the selection of defenders, size and the ability to defend were emphasized. In a short tournament, the defense must be iron.
– Even though we don’t have many NHL defenders, we still have a good defense. It has players who are used to playing against top strikers. In the tournament, you will be up against top attackers in every chain, says Pennanen.
– Our pack is big and strong to defend. Character has also been taken into account, they are very tough players.
In addition to Hakanpää, the defenders of the Lions Esa Lindell, Niko Mikkola and Rasmus Ristolainen are over 190 centimeters tall.
Laine gives her all
Also a striker known for his hard shot Patrick Laine was included in the team, even though he was sidelined from the league for a long time while in the treatment program and injured.
Pennanen emphasizes Laine’s potential and previous displays in the Leijonien shirt.
– It is undeniably clear that the performances of recent years are not necessarily convincing, but we know what Patrik can be at his best.
– When we talked with him, we all got a common impression that this is a couple of months away, and that he will give everything to be in the best possible shape for the tournament.
Among the NHL forwards left from the team were, for example, the Carolina Hurricanes Jesperi Kotkaniemiwho has recorded 3+10=13 surfaces in 25 matches this season.
– We won’t go into detail here about the reasons for each player, but many of the players left out would be able to play in the tournament just fine, Pennanen commented.
According to Pennanen, the Lions’ attack is skillful and has enough skills for overpowering and underpowering as well as options for different players on the field.
– And also alternatives if there are unfortunate changes or injuries. Our attack is quite versatile.
Preparation is emphasized
The four-nation tournament will be played from the 13th to the 21st. February. The last games of the NHL regular season before the tournament will be played on February 9, and the series will practically continue immediately after the national team selection.
The preparation time is therefore on the cards, and there are only 3–4 matches in the tournament. Pennanen is aware of the challenges of tournament coaching and emphasizes the importance of preparation in advance.
– You also have to be able to do advance work with the players, so that when the event starts, we have a pretty clear idea of what is going to happen. Those two days at the tournament place are not enough, but there are some meetings before that.
In the tournament, Pennanen jumps into the North American NHL environment as a European coach. He takes on the challenges of a small rink with confidence.
– Of course, even in this situation there are challenges, but also opportunities. There is also something similar that North Americans might not see in our playing.
Finland and Sweden released their teams on Wednesday, the United States and Canada released theirs the night before Thursday, Finnish time.
The star players of the North Americans are in a tough class, and in the United States there are also the top players of the NHL Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger.
– It was already known in advance that we would be playing against top teams. Certainly Canada and the USA are the toughest, says Pennanen.
Corrected at 4:15 p.m.: Hakanpää is currently playing in Toronto, not Dallas.