“The lack of high-end talent down the middle, on defence, and in-goal are all weaknesses to overcome if this team has any chance of medalling at this year’s World Juniors. They’re going to have rely even more on the teamwork and tactical side of the game than ever”.
This is what I wrote about Team Finland in my tournament preview, and I think it was mostly spot on after a stinging quarterfinal exit in a closely-contested game against Sweden.
It’s fair to say that Finland didn’t fall due to their goaltending. Jani Lampinen played well and should’ve been the starter against USA in the final group stage game.
The lack of centre depth and reliability on defence did show, though, and more importantly, the team wasn’t able to get enough competitive advantage from the head coach Tomi Lämsä and his
