Last year’s tournament had one team that stood out as the disappointment of the event: Finland. This year, they are looking to restore a country’s pride and with the team that coach Jussi Ahokas has assembled, it wouldn’t surprise me if Finland is one of the teams standing on the ice come January 5, the day the medals are handed out.
The late addition of three strong players from North America has almost been overshadowed by Kristian Vesalainen declining the invitation for the tournament. Bringing Eeli Tolvanen, Urho Vaakanainen, and Henri Jokiharju onto a team that destroyed the other big three European countries in November will make Finland one of the main challengers for the championship.