Finland was inches away from a gold medal at the 2022 tournament. Literal inches.
After coming back from 2-0 to force overtime, the team had a chance in the extra frame to score, but a Kasper Puutio attempt was knocked down by Mason McTavish at the goal line and swiped away before it could cross over. A minute later, Kent Johnson put home his own rebound at the other end to send Canada into celebration.
Finland will again be a strong contender at the 2023 World Juniors and will likely be battling for a medal by the end. Predators prospect Joakim Kemell returns after leading the Finns in points with 12 at the 2022 games. Only McTavish recorded more points out of all the skaters.
Other key returners for Finland are forwards Brad Lambert, Ville Koivunen and Oliver Kapanen and defensemen Aleksi Heimosalmi.
MORE: Watch the 2023 World Juniors live with fuboTV (free trial, U.S. only)
Here is everything you need to know about Team Finland at the 2023 World Juniors, including their roster, schedule and results of their games.
Team Finland 2023 World Juniors roster
Forwards
| Name | NHL Rights (Draft) |
|---|---|
| Niko Huuhtanen | Lightning (2021 7th round) |
| Lenni Hämeenaho | 2023 draft-eligible |
| Konsta Kapanen | Undrafted |
| Oliver Kapanen | Canadiens (2021 2nd round) |
| Aleksanteri Kaskimäki | Blues (2022 3rd round) |
| Joakim Kemell | Predators (2022 1st round) |
| Ville Koivunen | Hurricanes (2021 2nd round) |
| Brad Lambert | Jets (2022 1st round) |
| Verner Miettinen | Undrafted |
| Jani Nyman | Kraken (2022 2nd round) |
| Sami Päivärinta | Undrafted |
| Topi Rönni | Flames (2022 2nd round) |
| Kalle Väisänen | Rangers (2021 4th round) |
Defensemen
| Name | NHL Rights (Draft) |
|---|---|
| Kalle Ervasti | Undrafted |
| Aleksi Heimosalmi | Hurricanes (2021 2nd round) |
| Aleksi Malinen | Islanders (2021 6th round) |
| Ville Ruotsalainen | Undrafted |
| Otto Salin | Kings (2022 5th round) |
| Jimi Suomi | Undrafted |
| Topias Vilén | Devils (2021 5th round) |
Goalies
| Name | NHL Rights (Draft) |
|---|---|
| Niklas Kokko | Kraken (2022 2nd round) |
| Aku Koskenvuo | Canucks (2021 5th round) |
| Jani Lampinen | Undrafted |
When do the 2023 World Juniors start?
- Start date: December 26, 2022
- End date: January 5, 2023
With the 2023 tournament starting at the usual time of the year, that means the competition kicks off the day after Christmas, December 26.
The group stage starts will take place over the first six days. The quarterfinals will be played on Jan. 2, the semifinals on Jan. 4 and the tournament will conclude with the bronze and gold medal games on Jan. 5.
Team Finland World Juniors schedule
The format for the 2023 World Junior Championship consists of two groups of five teams playing a preliminary round-robin to determine seeding, followed by a single-elimination tournament.
Finland draws into Group B. The team is joined by USA, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia in the group.
(All times Eastern)
| Date | Opponent | Result | Time (ET) | TV Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec. 26 | Switzerland | L, 3-2 (OT) | FINAL | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 27 | Slovakia | W, 5-2 | 11 a.m. | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 29 | Latvia | — | 11 a.m. | TSN, NHLN |
| Dec. 31 | USA | — | 4 p.m. | TSN, NHLN |
| Jan. 2 | TBD (Quarterfinals) | — | TBD | TSN, NHLN |
| Jan. 4 | TBD (Semifinals) | — | TBD | TSN, NHLN |
| Jan. 5 | TBD (Gold-Medal Game) | — | TBD | TSN, NHLN |
How to watch 2023 World Juniors games on TV, live stream
- TV channel (Canada): TSN
- Live stream (Canada): TSN.ca, TSN app
- TV channel (U.S.): NHL Network
- Live stream (U.S.): fuboTV
TSN and the NHL Network will again be home to all of the action for the 2023 World Juniors.
Canadian viewers can watch the competition on TSN or can stream the games through TSN.ca or on the TSN app.
The American audience can view the games live on TV on the NHL Network, or can stream them through fuboTV.
2023 World Juniors odds
According to Sports Interaction, the 2023 tournament is a four-horse race.
Canada, Finland, the United States and Sweden are the clear frontrunners to win this year’s tournament, with the Canadians holding the best odds at -125.
Here are the odds entering the 2023 tournament.
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Canada | -125 |
| USA | +338 |
| Finland | +419 |
| Sweden | +625 |
| Czechia | +1641 |
| Slovakia | +4676 |
| Switzerland | +6430 |
| Germany | +11600 |
| Latvia | +50000 |
| Austria | +50000 |
