A way to early look at Finland’s Potential 2026 Olympic Roster
Finland's lineup for the 2026 Winter Olympics is looking to be a very scary team. Although guys like Tuukka Rask probably won’t return for these Olympics because he’ll potentially be retired, Finland will still be able to compete for a gold medal due to their tremendous amount of skill in all three areas (forwards, defence, goaltending).
Forward Lines
This forward core has a mix of dynamic and shutdown forwards. Up front, you have your stars with guys like Laine, Barkov, Rantanen and Aho, along with shutdown guys like Lundell and Hintz. Then you also have the dangerous offensive forwards that are soon to be mainstays in the NHL like Aatu Raty and Brad Lambert. Raty is the projected 1st overall pick in 2021, while Brad Lambert is a part of the 3 headed monsters in the 2022 NHL draft. Both Raty and Lambert are exceptional fun players that can do things at a high level. Raty is slated to become the first ever Finnish player to ever be drafted 1st overall. Overall, this Finnish forward core will be very fun to watch in 2026!
Defensive Pairings
No questions asked, Miro Heiskanen will be the number 1 defenceman on this Finnish team. His 2 way ability will help him to potentially win a Norris Trophy one day as the league's best defenceman. I have Rasmus Ristolainen as his partner on the right side. He can help Heiskanen out by trying to release players off of him. Lindell and Jokiharju are included in my 2nd pair. Lindell will be a veteran at this tournament and will help Jokiharju release any nerves that he has. If you’ve paid any attention to the 2024 NHL draft, you’ll know who Aron Kiviharju is. He’s the 2nd projected 1st overall pick on this list. He's a really good 2 way defender who can play in all three zones. I have his partner being Mikko Lehtonen. Lehtonen is another 2 way defenceman that can play on the right side if needed. Who knows if Kiviharju makes the team in 2026, but it's fun to see if you got the prediction right over 5 years before the tournament happens.
Goaltenders
I personally believe that Justus Annunen will be the starter for Team Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He’s the Avalanches future star goalie in net and has been developing well in the Liiga over the past seasons. I have Kaapo Kahkonen being the backup. Like Annunen, Kahkonen is a big body goalie who has been developing in the minors for a few years now. I have potential candidates for the goalie position include Joel Blomqvist, Veini Vehviläinen and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. I have my top goalie for the 2022 NHL draft is Niklas Kokko. He's a really good goaltender for the Karpat junior teams and will play for their u20 team next season, and may even get in a few games in the Liiga as a 16/17 year old! Overall, this Finnish team is looking bright for the future and it’ll be exciting to watch them develop!
By: Luka Tkalcevic (Instagram: luka_tkalcevic, futurehockeystars)
Comments
Post a Comment