The preliminary 16-man rosters for the World Cup of Hockey are being announced today.
Rask, Rinne to lead Finland Roster at World Cup
First 16 named to roster have plenty of international experience
The strength of Finland’s team will be in goal where they feature Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins, and Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators. Rask is a former Vezina Trophy winner, while Rinne has been nominated for the award on multiple occassions.
The defence is young with Olli Maatta of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Rasmus Ristolainen of the Buffalo Sabres, Sami Vatanen of the Anaheim Ducks, and Esa Lindall who is a member of the Dallas Stars organization but playing in the AHL all named to the team. The four Finnish defenceman are all under the age of 24.
Upfront the Finns have a mix of veteran leadership in players like Mikko Koivu, Jussi Jokinen, and Valterri Filpulla and young and talented forwards such as Aleksander Barkov, Mikael Granlund, and Teuvo Teravainen.
They will be looking to improve on their third place finish in the Sochi Olympics, and will be a dangerous squad come this fall’s tournament.
Possible additions include
Roster
Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins, G
Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators, G
Olli Maatta, Pittsburgh Penguins, D
Rasmus Ristolainen, Buffalo Sabres, D
Sami Vatanen, Anaheim Ducks, D
Esa Lindell, Dallas Stars, D
Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild, F
Jori Lehtera, St. Louis Blues, F
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers, F
Mikael Granlund, Minnesota Wild, F
Jussi Jokinen, Florida Panthers, F
Valtteri Filppula, Tampa Bay Lightning
Leo Komarov, Toronto Maple Leafs, F
Joonas Donski, San Jose Sharks, F
Lauri Korpikoski, Edmonton Oilers, F
Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks, F
Main Photo Credit:
Caption: SOCHI, RUSSIA – FEBRUARY 22: Bronze medalist Tuukka Rask #40 of Finland celebrates after defeating the United States 5-0 during the Men’s Ice Hockey Bronze Medal Game on Day 15 of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics at Bolshoy Ice Dome on February 22, 2014 in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
