Puljujarvi, Merela, Honka, Vatanen Headline Finland’s Euro Hockey Tour Home Roster

As usual, Finland plays host to the first stop of the season on the Euro Hockey Tour – the Karjala Cup runs from Oct. 6 to 9 at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland.

While most of Finland’s Olympic roster, particularly up front and in goal, will come from the NHL, Finnish national team coach Antti Pennanen believes many European-based players, including those currently on the team in Tampere, have a chance to make the team.

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“It’s clear that we have a lot of top-tier players in the NHL – the NHL is the number one place, but of course situations can change,” said Pennanen. “As I’ve said all along, it hasn’t been ruled out that players from Europe could make it to the Olympics.”

That’s particularly true on defense, where the Finns are notoriously thin in NHL talent. Sami Vatanen, Julius Honka and Mikko Lehtonen are all players who could challenge for spots on Finland’s Olympic blue line.

CONFIRMED: Jesse Puljujärvi Signs Multi-Year Contract in Switzerland Finnish winger Jesse Puljujärvi, 27, has signed a two-year contract with Genève-Servette, the National League club announced on Tuesday.

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Up front, two names that will be familiar are Jesse Puljujärvi and Waltteri Merelä, who are both only recently removed from the NHL. They and other forwards face a stiffer climb.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s done there now,” Pennanen said about Puljujärvi, who has 23 points in 22 games for Genève-Servette in Switzerland this season. “He’s a hard-working, powerful skater who can stay on the puck and bring a direct attack threat with that skating power. Whether the puck goes into the net or not, time will tell.”

Former Ottawa Senator Highlights Sweden’s Euro Hockey Tour Roster Europe’s top hockey countries play several Four Nations tournaments every year, featuring some of the best talent on the continent. The Swedish roster includes multiple players with recent NHL experience, including former Ottawa Senators Erik Brännström and Jacob Larsson.

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Forwards Saku Mäenalanen and Markus Nurmi were both initially named to the Finnish roster but withdrew due to injuries.

The Finns will open up the tournament on Thursday against Switzerland, then play Czechia on Saturday and Sweden on Sunday.

Czech Roster For Euro Hockey Tour ‘The Best We Have In Europe At The Moment’ Olympic hopefuls vie for spots as Czech coach emphasizes top European talent for crucial Euro Hockey Tour tests.

Goaltenders: 29 Säteri Harri, EHC Biel-Bienne, NLA 32 Larmi Emil, Färjestad BK, SHL.

Defensemen: 2 Rissanen Rasmus, Linköping HC, SHL 4 Lehtonen Mikko, ZSC Lions, NLA 6 Laaksonen Oskari, EHC Biel-Bienne, NLA 7 Määttä Rami, Ässät Pori 18 Saarijärvi Vili, Gèneve Servette HC, NLA 27 Kinnunen Santtu, SCL Tigers, NLA 28 Hatakka Santeri, HV71, SHL 45 Vatanen Sami, JYP Jyväskylä 60 Honka Julius, SCRJ Lakers, NLA 62 Mattila Jesper, Tappara Tampere.

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Forwards: 10 Kivenmäki Otto, SaiPa Lappeenranta 13 Puljujärvi Jesse, Gèneve Servette HC, NLA 19 Merelä Waltteri, SC Bern, NLA 20 Puistola Patrik, Örebro HK, SHL 21 Innala Jere, Frölunda HC, SHL 22 Ruotsalainen Arttu, Frölunda HC, SHL 23 Nikkanen Henri, SaiPa Lappeenranta 25 Rajala Toni, EHC Biel-Bienne, NLA 37 Erholtz Eemil, Kärpät Oulu 39 Mäenpää Juuso, KalPa Kuopio 41 Järvinen Jan-Mikael, Ässät Pori 65 Manninen Sakari, Gèneve Servette HC, NLA 71 Korhonen Benjamin, KalPa Kuopio 77 Tukiainen Leevi, JYP Jyväskylä 91 Puhakka Petteri, EHC Kloten NLA.

Switzerland’s Roster For Euro Hockey Tour An Early Olympic Audition Switzerland unleashes its Euro Hockey Tour roster, showcasing National League talent aiming for a shot at the Olympic team. Who will shine for the national team selection?