With the cancellation of last year’s International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship, the 2019 victors, Finland, are the reigning champions. Taking the ice in Riga, Latvia, the Finnish seek their third gold medal in the last 10 World Championship tournaments. Any spot on the podium would give them their fifth medal over the same time span, with two silver medals along with the golds.
This year, eight players from that 2019 championship team return for the opportunity to repeat. A gold medal for Finland would make them the third repeat champion across the last six tournaments. Canada won back-to-back in 2015 and 2016, followed by Sweden in 2017 and 2018.
Tournament Details
| Dates | Friday, May 21 - Sunday, June 6, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Location | Riga, Latvia |
| Venue | Olympic Sports Centre and Arena Riga |
| Channel | NHL Network (USA), TSN (Canada) |
| Live Stream | PremiumTV (Worldwide) |
Preview
Finland entered the 2021 IIHF World Championship at the top of the power rankings, but it took just one weekend for them to fall to No. 6. Even there, they still may fall further. They had a good start against the United States in their first contest but lost to Kazakhstan in overtime to end the weekend. While they may not belong in the middle of the pack with Norway and the United States, they’ll have a chance to improve their standing. As with the rest of Group B, with the records so close, the second week is key for creating space from the bottom teams. It’s time for Finland to show everyone they are who we thought they were.
2021 Finland IIHF World Championship Roster
| Number | Name | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Ville Pokka | Defenseman | Avangard Omsk |
| 3 | Olli Maatta | Defenseman | Los Angeles Kings |
| 6 | Tony Sund | Defenseman | HC Davos |
| 7 | Oliwer Kaski | Defenseman | Avangard Omsk |
| 12 | Marko Anttila | Forward | Jokerit Helsinki |
| 13 | Mikael Ruohomaa | Forward | Sibnir Novosibirsk |
| 15 | Anton Lundell | Forward | IFK Helsinki |
| 20 | Niko Ojamaki | Forward | Linkoping HC |
| 21 | Jere Innala | Forward | HPK Hameenlinna |
| 22 | Arttu Ruotsalainen | Forward | Buffalo Sabers |
| 24 | Hannes Bjorninen | Forward | Pelicans Lahti |
| 25 | Jere Karjalainen | Forward | HK Sochi |
| 27 | Petri Kontiola | Forward | HPK Hameenlinna |
| 29 | Harri Sateri | Goalkeeper | Sibir Novosibirsk |
| 31 | Janne Juvonen | Goalkeeper | Leksands IF |
| 38 | Teemu Turunen | Forward | HC Davos |
| 39 | Kim Nousiainen | Defenseman | KalPa Kuopio |
| 40 | Petteri Lindbohm | Defenseman | EHC Biel |
| 45 | Jussi Olkinuora | Goalkeeper | Metallurg Magnitogorsk |
| 47 | Peter Tiivola | Forward | Assat Pori |
| 48 | Valtteri Puustinen | Forward | HPK Hameenlinna |
| 50 | Miika Koivisto | Defenseman | Vaxjo Lakers |
| 52 | Mikael Seppala | Defenseman | KalPa Kuopio |
| 55 | Atte Ohtamaa | Defenseman | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl |
| 61 | Axel Rindell | Defenseman | Jukurit Mikkeli |
| 76 | Jere Sallinen | Forward | IFK Helsinki |
| 80 | Saku Maenalanen | Forward | Jokerit Helsinki |
| 81 | Iiro Pakarinen | Forward | Jokerit Helsinki |
Finland Prelims Schedule
Finland is competing in Group B and will play each other team in the group in the preliminary round. All Group B games are played at the Arena Riga in Riga, Latvia.
| Date | Time | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, May 22, 2021 | 9:15am EST | United States |
| Sunday, May 23, 2021 | 9:15am EST | Kazakhstan |
| Tuesday, May 25, 2021 | 1:15pm EST | Norway |
| Thursday, May 27, 2021 | 1:15pm EST | Italy |
| Saturday, May 29, 2021 | 1:15pm EST | Germany |
| Sunday, May 30, 2021 | 1:15pm EST | Latvia |
| Tuesday, June 1, 2021 | 5:15am EST | Canada |
