Finland Olympic Roster

The Olympic men's hockey rosters continue to take shape, as South Korea, Switzerland, and Finland all announced their rosters, with Finland formally announcing their rosters while the first two countries are taken from the ever-accurate Wikipedia. There isn't much in the way of big names as far as either South Korea or Switzerland go, with Jim Paek being the head coach of the Korean team while Jonas Hiller is the name that sticks out for Switzerland. To that end, this piece will focus on the Finnish team, so let's go.

In goal, all three goalies are currently on KHL rosters, with Mikko Koskinen and Karri Ramo likely duking it out to be starting in goal when the Olympics start. On defense, Miro Heiskanen is a player to watch, especially if you're a Dallas Stars fan, as he is the team's future on the blue line once he signs his ELC with the team. Beyond him, the blue line is largely unimposing, with some of the players having had a cup of coffee in the NHL, but little impact on that level. Up front, like on the blue line, another 2017 first round pick is a player to watch, as Eeli Tolvanen has been setting records with Jokerit of the KHL as a rookie. He is a Nashville Predators pick, and once again, leads a group of forwards that mostly features players that couldn't make the transition to the smaller North American rinks (e.g. Petri Kontiola).

The good news is that Finland is not in the same group as either the United States or Canada, who despite fielding non-current NHL players, are still strong. However, they are in the same group as Sweden, who are favored to take the group. A showing in the knockout rounds is the best they can hope for, and if they medal, it will be considered a mild upset.