One was voted the most valuable player of the regular season, and the other led all skaters in goals. When push came to shove in Finland’s U16 SM-Series playoffs, both Eetu Orpana and Joonas Rajala were up to the task.
On Saturday, top-seeded Tappara completed the two-game sweep of No. 5 TPS with a dominant 6-1 win. It completed a near-perfect playoff run in which Tappara went 6-1-0, sweeping its opponents in the semifinal and championship rounds. A storied program in the country, it is the first time since 1998 that the club has won the U16 national championship.
After a scoreless first period, Orpana and Rajala burst the scoring wide open with three consecutive goals in an eight-minute span. It’s something they’ve made a habit of this season, as Orpana scored 35 goals and 80 points and Rajala totaled 38 goals and 73 points. The duo finished No. 1 and 2 in scoring among 2007-born skaters in the country. Additionally, they both notched 12 points in seven playoff games.
Orpana is a physical presence at 6-foot, right in the heart of the offense as the team’s top line center. The 5-foot-9 Rajala is a bit shiftier and crafty with the puck as a left-handed shooter on the off-wing. That tandem fueled Tappara all season long as they were a mainstay in Finland’s Top 10.
Finland’s U16 SM-Series playoffs is one of the more unique tournaments in youth hockey. With best-of-three series and four rounds, it’s the closest thing to resembling the NHL Playoffs as anything at this age level can get.
After a first-round bye, Tappara opened up with 10-seed HIFK. Seven goals from six different skaters allowed HIFK to pull off a stunning upset of Tappara 7-3 in Game 1. After that, it was all Tappara as they bounced back to win both Game 2 and Game 3 to advance to the semifinals. There, they made quick work of KalPa, out-scoring the No. 6 seed 7-1 in two games.
In the U16 SM-Series Finals, Tappara’s offense was just too much for TPS to keep down.
Rajala and Orpana led an offensive attack that scored six goals in Game 1. First-period tallies by Juho Kuisma and Lennart Louvanto put Tappara out in front in the first nine minutes of the game. That lead — while TPS was able to cut into it at times — would not be relinquished, as they pulled away late in a 6-3 final.
The offense was a bit delayed in the championship, as the two teams skated to a scoreless first period. Once Orpana and Rajala broke through in the second period, however, the floodgates soon opened. Atte Joki made it 4-0 with less than two minutes to go in the period, set up by Rajala. And after the second intermission, Eemil Kokkonen and Elias Paavola would increase the lead to 6-0 with back-to-back goals four minutes apart.
TPS scored a goal late to make it a 6-1 final. It marked the third consecutive game that Tappara’s offense eclipsed the five-goal mark. As a team, they achieved that feat 29 times this season, finishing as the No. 1 seed in the tournament and ultimately, overall champion of the U16 age group.
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Showing incredible character and resilience, TPS has earned its way into the championship series against Tappara in the U16 SM-Playoffs. One of the best teams this season, Tappara has been a mainstay at the top of the WHH rankings. In their lone SM-Series meeting during the regular season back on February 19th, Tappara skated away with a 4-3 victory.
Finding itself down in a series once again, it will take another comeback effort by TPS to have any chance of getting the title. Earlier today, Tappara secured a 6-3 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series. Eetu Orpana and Joonas Rajala each tallied two points, and Atte Joki added two goals as well. Olli Wahlroos (5G, 6A), Jeremi Virtanen (8G, 2A) and Wilmer Kallio (5G, 5A) have all done a serviceable job to this point for TPS. Wahlroos even leads all skaters in postseason scoring. But to contend with Tappara, more of the team’s depth players will need to chip in offensively.
Up front, Tappara brings a formidable squad of players experienced with piling up the points. While not leading the overall playoff scoring table, players such as Orpana and Rajala understand how to do damage when games are much more magnified at this time of year.
And if neither of those skaters is putting the puck in the net, Tappara can rely on its dynamic duo between the pipes to backstop them to wins. Eero Rönö and Petrus Virta are the guardians of the crease for Tappara. They have statistically been two of the best goaltenders since the SM-Playoffs began.
Rönö has recorded a .950 save percentage and sparkling 1.33 goals-against average thus far, compared to the .919 save percentage and 2.71 goals-against average of Virta. Attempting to get pucks past one of these goalies in any match would be a tall order for any club, but to have to beat them twice in a three-game series amplifies the task at hand.
But a challenge is not anything new to TPS, especially this playoffs. At the end of the regular season SM-Series in Finland, TPS found itself just outside the top four spots, which would have secured a bye in the first round of the playoffs. As a result, its playoff journey would begin in the wild card round, with a meeting with K-Espoo Ch. Unfazed by the task before them, TPS swept K-Espoo in two games.
The next club standing in their way was Jokerit. Despite falling in the first game, 5-2, TPS rebounded with two straight victories to take the series. Next up, another best-of-three matchup with Ilves. Again falling in the first contest, 6-1, Wahlroos scored three times over the next two games to lead TPS’s comeback in the series.
Prediction: TPS’ journey to this point hasn’t been easy, but they have admirably put it all on the line when the games matter most. While a loss in Game 1 was a minor setback, the team has proven that it can make the necessary adjustments to its game plan. While I believe Tappara will win the championship, TPS will make things interesting by winning Game 2 to set the stage for a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday.
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KalPa continued their impressive run during the U16 SM-Playoffs in Finland with a two-game sweep of Kiekko-Espoo. It took everything the club had, as the first game was decided via shootout and the second one required overtime as well. In that second game, Topi Veteläinen, one of KalPa’s leading scorers, skated into the zone before firing a perfect shot past Magnus Loponen to clinch the series victory. The goal clinched the series victory for KalPa, and ultimately eliminated the higher-seeded Kiekko-Espoo from the tournament.
As one of four teams that earned first-round byes from their top placement in the SM-Series, it seemed that Kiekko-Espoo was destined for a lengthy playoff run. When it was determined KalPa would be their first opponent, many expected a series win for K-Espoo. After all, they defeated KalPa in a 5-2 win during SM-Series action back on March 5th.
But KalPa had other plans, feeling good about their game fresh off a series sweep of JYP in the wild card round. Many of its top forwards hit their stride against JYP, including Rasmus Pakarinen (4G, 5A), Veteläinen (3G, 5A) and Onni Heikkinen (4G, 3A). All three forwards are among the top five in playoff scoring.
KalPa also displayed a flair for the dramatic in both victories, having to come from behind twice. They faced a 2-0 deficit in the first matchup, before Veteläinen cut into the lead late in the first period. With time dwindling down, Pakarinen evened things up in the third. And after a scoreless overtime, a shootout would decide a winner. Okko Saari, Veteläinen and Pakarinen would all score in the shootout to edge out a Game 1 win.
Game 2 saw K-Espoo maintain a 1-0 lead through the first two periods. However, the third period would bring on an offensive explosion by both teams trading goals. K-Espoo still maintained the one-goal lead at 3-2, until KalPa pulled their goalie. With the net empty, and just 24 seconds on the clock, Saari would tie the game up to force overtime for the second consecutive game. Shortly into overtime, Veteläinen received an incredible pass from Matias Häikiö. He skated into the offensive zone unbothered before ripping a perfect top-shelf shot over the shoulder of Loponen.
After opening its series with an impressive 7-3 victory, HIFK was unable to close things out and dropped the next two against Tappara. Tappara and KalPa will begin a best-of-three series on March 29th.
Ässät evened its series with Ilves with a 5-3 win after dropping the first game 10-0. After scoring two early goals, Ilves’ defense and Pyry Lammi’s 35 saves were enough to close out Game 3 with a 2-1 final. Ilves will move on to face TPS. Leading scorer Luukas Koski collected four points (2G, 2A) for Ässät, adding to his playoff total of 10 points (6G, 4A).
A slow start by TPS allowed Jokerit to take a 1-0 series lead with a 5-2 victory. Kallio Wilmer and Olli Wahlroos stepped up to lead their squad to wins in the next two contests to take the series.
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In the opening round of Finland’s U16 SM-Series playoffs, HIFK, TPS, Ässät and KalPa all swept their best-of-3 series. Now joining the fray will be Kiekko-Espoo, Tappara, Ilves and Jokerit.
Tappara and HIFK squared off once during the SM-Series regular season, with the former coming away with a 10-5 victory. Eetu Orpana, Joonas Rajala and Eemil Kokkonen all put up four points for Tappara. Orpana and Rajala also finished tied for first in overall league scoring at the end of the regular season with 37 points.
The lone standout for K-Espoo was Matias Vanhanen, who ended up with nine goals and 25 points. He only produced one assist in the opening series against Lukko. However, for HIFK to have any chance of overcoming Tappara, he will have to find the scoresheet with the same frequency as he did earlier in the season.
Series Prediction: Despite HIFK coming off a sweep, Tappara brings one of the deepest teams into the playoffs. A fact further supported by their 15-1-0 record during SM-Series matchups. HIFK did not have an answer for the dynamic offense of Tappara, and I don’t see much changing in that regard. Tappara sweeps 2-0.
Luukas Koski and the rest of Ässät kicked off their playoffs with an impressive sweep of Kärpät. Koski led the way in those games, scoring four goals and six points. Aleksi Juusela (2G, 2A) and Jesse Julienmaa (4A) aided the majority of the club’s offense as well.
Heading into their next series against Ilves, those three players will have to continue their consistent contributions. After all, Ilves brings three of the top five scorers from the regular season into these games, and they are all well rested. Jalmari Melanen’s ability to find teammates anywhere on the ice was on display as he racked up six goals and 36 points in just 16 games. Just behind him, Jiko Laitinen (25G, 9A) and Rasmus Rinne (12G, 17A) rounded out a dependable trio of scorers.
Ilves edged out a 6-4 win against Ässät on January 13th. They followed that up with a heavy 10-0 shutout to open this series up in Game 1. Eight players collected two or more points.
Series Prediction (Ilves up 1-0): Ilves didn’t waste any time in finding its legs after a lengthy layoff and proved why they are still among the elite of their birth year. Their power trio of forwards will continue to best that of Ässät, and Ilves will take the series 2-0.
Only one skater from K-Espoo tallied enough points to earn a spot in the Top 10 of total point getters in the regular season. Aapo Vanninen’s dependable two-way play helped him record six goals and 29 points to lead his team. He even finished the regular season in the midst of a three-game point streak.
In the previous meeting between the two clubs on March 5th, Vanninen produced a goal and an assist to help defeat KalPa 5-2. A close battle that saw K-Espoo pull away with two goals in the third period.
KalPa enters this series with four players having scored four or more points in their two-game sweep of JYP. Rasmus Pakarinen (2G, 4A), Samuli Kosoen (5A), Onni Heikkinen (3G, 1A), and Topi Veteläinen (1G, 3A) picked up most of the offense. Veteläinen was the regular-season leader for KalPa, notching 12 goals and 24 points.
Series Prediction: With the layoff for K-Espoo and a good portion of KalPa forwards hitting their stride in their quarterfinal series, this one can go the distance. Even if KalPa takes advantage of a sluggish start from their opponent, eventually Vanninen and co., will warm up to the task and move on after a 2-1 series win.
Jokerit goaltenders Oekka Korhonen and Sakari Savolainen were statistically two of the best in SM-Series play. Korhonen skated to a 2.53 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Savolainen put up a 2.24 goals-against average and .903 save percentage. Their play was a large reason why their club was able to secure the fourth and final spot in the overall rankings, granting them a first-round playoff bye. They will be back in action this week against TPS, who finished just behind them in the league standings in fifth.
The one regular-season game between these two ended in victory for TPS in a close 3-2 tilt.
Aaron Paju and Jeremi Virtanen will try to continue their point production from the last series, where they each recorded four and three points, respectively. Refreshed from their first-round bye, Lauri Kouhia (5G, 12A) and Rasmus Kämäräinen (9G, 7A) are threats to once again top the leaderboard in point collection.
Series Prediction: This will be the most even matchup, given how close the regular season ended for these two teams. Jokerit has the goaltending, while the forwards for TPS pack a little more offensive punch. It will be a series of whether or not Jokerit’s defense can support the players in the crease. Eventually, I like TPS’ attack to wear down Jokerit and they will win the series in three tight battles.
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Heading into the opening playoff series of the U16 Finland National Championship, eight teams were vying for the chance to move on to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Following an action-packed week, the top seed in each of the four series, No. 7 HIFK No. 8 TPS, No. 9 Ässät and No. 10 KalPa, all punched tickets to the next round.
TPS was able to handle Kiekko-Espoo Ch in its opening-round series in two games largely due to the depth of its roster.
Game 1: TPS 4, K-Espoo Ch 2
Game 2: TPS 4, K-Espoo CH 1
The dynamic play-making of Aaron Willow (3A) connected often with Jeremi Virtanen (3G) to provide most of the team’s offense. At least nine other players recorded one point across the two games. In comparison to K-Espoo Ch, only five players tallied points, with Aku-Wilhelmi Lindroos leading the way with two goals. As a result of the series win, TPS will move on to play No. 5 Jokerit on Thursday.
JYP’s start to its two-game series against KalPa was anything but boring.
Game 1: KalPa 8, JYP 3
Game 2: KalPa 4, JYP 1
The team racked up 14 penalty minutes by the 11-minute mark of the opening period. But they would take advantage while on the penalty kill, when Rafael Pihlman managed to slip a shot past Patrik Kerkola for a short-handed goal. With each team finding the back of the net in the second period, it would be knotted at 2-2 entering the final frame. Chances and goals would continue to be traded and JYP would cut into a 4-2 KalPa lead looking like things could be tied up. However, KalPa pulled away with four more goals to end the game with the 8-3 victory. Six players scored two or more points, with Topi Veteläinen topping the list with one goal and three assists.
A 4-1 final would close out Game 2 and the series for KalPa. Rasmus Pakarinen led both teams with two goals and six points, tied with Ässät’s Luukas Koski for most points among players in the opening round of games. KalPa will play No. 1 Kiekko-Espoo in the next round.
HIFK entered its series against Lukko with extra motivation. After all, Lukko had shut out HIFK 3-0 in a lone matchup during SM-Series play on Feb. 4th.
Game 1: HIFK 3, Lukko 2
Game 2: HIFK 4, Lukko 1
Just when it seemed as if things were heading to overtime in Game 1, Waltteri Toivainen played the hero when he put a power-play goal home to put HIFK up 3-2 late in the period. But perhaps more impressive than that was HIFK’s goaltender Vili Varonen (39 saves) won the goaltending duel over Jooa Sammalniemi (32 saves). Sammalniemi was awarded the SM-Series’ best goaltender at the end of season awards. Despite another 31 saves from Sammalniemi in Game 2, Rasmus Baggström was still able to get two shots past him, propelling HIFK to the 4-1 win. Varonen was able to stop 21 shots, adding up to a .952 save percentage and 1.57 goals-against average for the two games. He will have to continue to be on his game in net, as awaiting HIFK in the quarterfinals is No. 2 Tappara.
In a SM-Series meeting on Feb. 22nd, Kärpät edged out a shootout victory against Ässät. In that game, Luukas Koski did not get on the scoresheet. He more than made up for his absence when the two teams met again in the playoffs.
Game 1: Ässät 6, Kärpät 1
Game 2: Ässät 5, Kärpät 3
Koski scored four goals and six points, helping eliminate Kärpät in two games. Aleksi Juusela (2G, 2A) and Jesse Jullenmaa (4A) would finish just behind him to lead the club. Koski scored five of those six points in the opening 6-1 win alone. Also assisting in the sweep was the strength of Pyry Lammi in the crease, who made 33 and 32 saves in Games 1 and 2, respectively. Ässät will now face off with No. 2 Ilves when the next round of games begin on March 22nd.
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On Monday, the regular season awards and all-star team selections for the U16 SM-Series in Finland were handed out. With playoffs right around the corner, the league paused for a moment to recognize some of the players in the league this season.
Eetu Orpana was considered the best of the best this season amongst his fellow Finnish stars, earning the Teppo Numminen Award as the most valuable player. Compiling 14 goals and 37 points in 15 games for No. 2 Tappara, he was arguably the most consistent forward from any club. He was also awarded the Sami Kapanen Award as best overall forward. He put an exclamation point on his stellar season by tallying at least one point in eight of the team’s final nine regular season contests.
Jooa Sammalniemi of No. 6 Lukko was one of the best goaltenders this year at stopping the puck. Garnering a .919 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average over eight games, he was consistent as the last line of defense for his squad.
No. 3 Ilves reaped the benefits of having a dynamic playmaker on the blue line this season. Ossi Tukio ended SM-Series play as the team’s fifth-best scorer. In 35 games he scored seven goals and 24 points to bolster Ilves’ attack. While being equipped with the ability to jump into a rush with ease or get shots through traffic from the point, Tukio was also dependable in his own end. The native of Tampere was only whistled for one penalty.
Despite three players finishing with 37 points, Joonas Rajala was given top placement having done so by scoring the most goals with 21. After him, the next highest point total on Tappara was Juho Kuisma with 20.
Finishing the season fourth overall in scoring with 34 points, Jiko Laitinen burst onto this scene in his first year of SM-Series play. His dynamic ability to find the back of the net was on full display all season long, as he also finished as the leading goal scorer with 25. A menace on special teams, he was able to add five power-play goals and three shorthanded goals to his credit as well.
Head coach Samuli Simula led his team to a second-place finish this season with a 14-2-0 record. Ilves did not participate in SM-Series play last season, and prior to that season, they finished fourth.
Goaltender: Jooa Sammalniemi – Luuko
Defender: Ossi Tukio – Ilves
Defender: Reinis Auzins – Ilves
Forward: Joonas Rajala – Tappara
Forward: Eetu Orpana – Tappara
Forward: Rasmus Kämäräinen – Jokerit
Goaltender: Pyry Lammi – Ässät
Defender: Emil Vänninen – Tappara
Defender: Erno Uusitalo – K-Espoo
Forward: Jalmari Melanen – Ilves
Forward: Jiko Laitinen – Ilves
Forward: Olli Wahlroos – TPS
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The postseason has arrived in Finland for 2007-born teams. Tournament play will kick off this week with four best-of-3 series to determine who will move on. Winners of these matchups will be tasked with going up against the top-tier clubs that earned first-round byes following regular-season play. Those teams were No. 1 Kiekko-Espoo, No. 2 Tappara, No. 3 Ilves and No. 5 Jokerit.
At no point during the regular season did No. 8 TPS or Kiekko-Espoo Ch play each other. That will change, as they will begin their three-game series this Wednesday.
TPS has been a mainstay in the Top 10 of Finland for most of this season. They have consistently gone up against the premier clubs in the country, making the cut to carry on their schedule into the SM Series. Going 17-7-0 in the qualifying series, they followed that up by going 8-8-0 in the SM Series, totaling a 25-15-0 record in group play.
The dynamic trio of Olli Wahlroos (33G, 35A), Wilmer Kallio (21G, 40A) and Jesse Pärssinen (22G, 28A) have done the heavy lifting on offense.
Following the opening qualifying series with a record of 10-14-0 , K-Espoo CH did not make the cut for the SM Series. As a result, they were placed in the lower continuation series with teams such as JYP, TuTo, and Sport. It was in this group where the club went 10-6-0. Aku-Wilhelmi Lindroos collected 15 goals and 25 points to become the second-best point getter in the group. In total, he amassed 24 goals and 41 points this season over 42 games. Goaltender Eetu Virrane also compiled a respectable .925 save percentage and 2.08 goals-against average.
Series Prediction: This has the makings of a mismatch, with TPS possessing stronger scoring depth throughout its lineup. While impressive, I doubt Lindroos alone can will his team to a series win here. TPS sweep 2-0.
Much like TPS and K-Espoo Ch, No. 10 KalPa and JYP have not dropped the puck against the other this season. The two teams will get a chance to make up for lost time when the playoffs begin this week.
KalPa has played the top competition of its birth year quite close, often losing to many of the higher-ranked teams by a goal or two. They have also had No. 4 Kärpät’s number, beating them in two games. Topi Veteläinen has been a consistent source of offense, with 30 goals and 56 points in 37 games. JYP will counter with Eelis Sinivuori and his 14 goals and 39 points.
Series Prediction: Both teams have had to battle to get where they are. KalPa going up against the best of its birth year and JYP scratching and clawing its way to one of the top two coveted spots in the lower continuation group. It’s two desperate teams that have been playing playoff-style hockey for several weeks already. I could see this one going the distance, with KalPa edging out the series win.
No. 6 Lukko and No. 7 HIFK have familiarity with one another. These teams have played twice during the SM-eries schedule, with Lukko taking both games by scores of 3-0 and 10-7. But HIFK is no stranger to adversity, needing to come up with big wins in its final two games of the season to secure a playoff spot.
Comparing their records in group play, they could not be closer. Lukko has skated to 26-14-0, with HIFK comes in at 26-15-0. In the shutout victory, three different skaters tallied goals for Lukko, with Sakari Vatka recording a goal and an assist. Jooa Sammalniemi turned aside 28 shots for the shutout. In the goal-scoring explosion in their next meeting, seven skaters recorded at least two points for Lukko.
With HIFK’s attack joining the conversation, six skaters on its end also put up multi-point performances. Matias Vanhanen stood out, collecting two goals and two assists. Vanhanen was among one of the best scorers in the SM-Series with nine goals and 25 points. Altogether, he totaled 26 goals and 74 points in 40 games for HIFK. Jarel Tukiainen, leading scorer for Lukko in the SM-Series, has garnered seven goals and 23 points. To date collectively this season, he has 27 goals and 68 points to his name.
Series Prediction: While HIFK has demonstrated it can find the net against Lukko, Sammalniemi was not in net for that 10-7 game. If he is in the crease for Lukko, HIFK will have a long series trying to get pucks past him. Statistically, Sammalniemi was the best goaltender during SM-Series play, with a .919 save percentage and 2.89 goals-against average. I see HIFK sneaking a win here, but goaltending pushes Lukko to the series victory.
No. 4 Kärpät and No. 9 Ässät met once during the regular season, but it was a game that went the distance. Following regulation, which saw both teams trade goals back and forth for its entirety, no winner was determined in overtime either. Aleksi Tynkilä would grab the winning goal in a shootout to determine a winner. He was the eighth shooter off the bench and secured the 4-3 win for Kärpät.
Team depth is important at this juncture of the season, and these two sides possess a wealth of it. Kärpät’s roster is made up of six players with 10 or more points, whereas Ässät has five. Special teams have been a struggle for both as well, with only four power-play goals from each. Kärpät has also allowed the second-most power-play goals in the SM-Series with 19.
Luukas Koski will try to add to his season total of 21 goals and 46 points for Ässät. The clear leader by five points for Kärpät is Urho Mattila. In 27 games, he has racked up 13 goals and 34 points.
Series Prediction: This might be the most even series of the opening-round matchups. Special teams will be crucial, and if Ässät can get its man advantage working, it could make quick work of the opponent. Kärpät wins in three games.
WHH will have continued coverage of the U16 Finland National Championship. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, top performers and more.
There’s a new club at the top of the ‘07 rankings in Russia, and it’s the first time they’ve been there since Dec. 21st. Following a solid stretch of play that saw them nab victories over No. 3 CSKA Moscow, Atlant Mytishchi and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, Dynamo Moscow is back as No. 1. Mikhail Melikov, the club’s leading scorer, tallied four points in the 9-1 victory over Atlant. This season, he has produced 27 goals and 47 points.
While Dynamo was a familiar name in the No. 1 spot in Russia, a new team cracked the Top 10 among 2007-born teams in the U.S. With a strong 10-2 victory over Compuware, No. 10 Victory Honda’s offensive outburst gave them enough of a jolt to catapult over the previous spot holder. Braden Wade and Nolan Makinski both notched hat tricks and Luc Plante scored a goal and four assists in a five-point night. The victory also continued a nine-game unbeaten streak for the team, which ended the following day with a 3-2 overtime loss to Fox Motors.
The regular season concluded over the weekend, and with it, brought some movement among Top-10 teams. In these final matchups before playoffs, No. 3 Ilves and No. 5 Jokerit experienced some decent boosts from crucial wins. Ilves got its business done in two matchups versus No. 4 Kärpät, winning by scorers of 13-3 and 4-0. In the 13-goal explosion, seven skaters notched two or more points, led by Jalmari Melanen’s one goal and four assists.
Jokerit put forth a solid team effort in a 4-1 victory over No. 6 Lukko. Aapo Niemelä (2G) and Taavi Aarvala (2A) connected for the final two goals of the game, solidifying both the win and two-point performances.
With strong finishes to group play, both Ilves and Jokerit earned spots in the top four of the overall group standings. As a result, they have earned first round byes in the playoffs, along with No. 2 Tappara and No. 1 Kiekko-Espoo. They will now await the winners from the first round to see who they will open their playoff schedules against.
The opening round of Sweden’s U16 SM-playoffs has come and gone, and No. 3 MoDo Hockey has raised eyebrows with its performance thus far. The power trio of Elton Hermansson (3G, 3A), Vincent Wedin (2G, 4A) and Erik Häggblad (1G, 5A) have lifted their club to new heights. By securing wins over fellow ranked opponents like No. 1 Nacka HK and No. 4 Djurgårdens IF, its position among the country’s elite has been strengthened.
The road doesn’t get any easier, as entering the second round MoDo finds itself in the dreaded ‘group of death’ along with top-ranked Nacka, No. 2 Täby HC and No. 6 Södertälje SK.
Be sure to check out the complete world rankings, including Top 10s by country and World Top 25s for each of the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 birth years.
With the U16 SM Series coming to a close this weekend, 2007-born Finnish youth hockey teams are taking part in their last contests of group play. All clubs in action have spots in the WHH rankings, and with this many head-to-head matchups, there could be some major movement in the standings as playoff positions become finalized.
The top four teams in the group standings will be awarded first-round byes. As a reminder, a team received three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win and one point for an overtime loss. No. 2 Tappara currently holds the first spot in the SM Series standings with 42 points. They have one game remaining against No. 5 Ilves, who sits with 37 points. Back on Feb. 4th, Ilves defeated Tappara 5-4 off multi-point performances by Rasmus Rinne (1G, 3A), Jiko Laitinen (2G, 1A) and Jalmari Melanen (1G, 2A). If Tappara is victorious, it will clinch the first overall spot. However, should they lose and Ilves also defeats No. 3 Kärpät, they would overtake Tappara. Ilves put up 13 goals on Kärpät in a 13-1 win earlier this season.
Looking to cement their position in the fourth seed will be No. 8 Jokerit. Their lone remaining tilt is a date with Jokipojat, who has yet to win a group-play game. Sitting just outside the bye cutoff is No. 7 TPS with 23 points. They have a final clash with No. 1 Kiekko-Espoo to end their schedule. TPS has already won against K-Espoo in a 3-2 result back on Jan. 13th. If TPS defeats them again, and Jokerit fails to defeat Jokipojat, TPS would leapfrog Jokerit into the final bye spot. If K-Espoo is able to avenge its earlier season loss to TPS, it would solidify the final bye position for Jokerit.
With the top five spots seemingly decided by the teams mentioned above, the 6 through 12 seeds are where the most movement might occur after this weekend. No. 4 Lukko currently sits at sixth with 19 points, tied with No. 9 Ässät. Lukko’s remaining game just so happens to be against Ässät, who they defeated 4-2 in their previous matchup. If Ässät wins that second game and manages to secure a win over No. 6 HIFK, they could very well end up in the fifth spot barring results from Jokerit and TPS’ games.
Should Topi Veteläinen (10G, 10A) and Okko Saari (10G, 7A) continue to lead No. 10 KalPa, they could take a run at moving from the ninth to fifth seed. With upcoming matchups against the Pelicans and Jokipojat, two clubs who they have beaten previously, things are looking good. A lot of things would need to fall their way, but the only thing they can do is win the games presented to them. With their track record against their final opponents, there is a decent chance they enjoy a bump up the standings when the dust settles.
No. 3 Kärpät looks to take advantage of their upcoming slate of games to try and boost their resume and spot in the standings. Kärpät can end up as high as fifth, by securing two wins over the Pelicans and Ilves. To date, they have beaten the Pelicans and lost to Ilves.
Jockeying for the 10th and final playoff spot will be the Pelicans and HIFK, both currently holding 15 points to their name. The Pelicans edged HIFK 2-1 at the end of February, giving them the current standings tiebreaker. The Pelicans end their regular season with two tough matchups against Kärpät and KalPa. With two losses to those clubs already, it seems HIFK is primed to overtake them given the strength of their remaining matches. HIFK will face off with K-Espoo, who they shut out 3-0 and Ässät, who they fell to 5-1. Having such large implications looming for those two teams, expect them to go all out to secure their spot in the postseason.
WHH will have continued coverage of the U16 Finland National Championship. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Discord and YouTube for the latest news, top performers and more.
Each week, World Hockey Hub highlights a few of the most exciting upcoming games in youth hockey. CSKA Moscow and Vityaz Podolsk kick things off with an ‘09 Top-10 tilt on Saturday. Jokerit Blue and Kiekko-Espoo EPS I tangle in a premier matchup between 2007s. The week concludes with Nacka HK dropping the puck in an ‘08 meeting with IFK Taby HC on Sunday.
Will No. 1 CSKA Moscow (34-0-0) ever lose a game this season? In two games thus far, CSKA has ended up in the win column against No. 9 Vityaz Podolsk (24-10-0) both times. It’s a tough task for Vityaz, let alone any Russian team, as this CSKA squad has been one of the best teams in youth hockey this season.
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| Saturday, March 11 |
Vityaz lost in the first game 4-3 before dropping a 10-2 decision in the second. But they have the talent to hang with a team like CSKA. If there is any club that can finally send CSKA home with a loss, it’s them.
For CSKA, look no further than to Nikita Siniken (51G, 61A) and Roman Andreev (52G, 43A). Much has already been discussed and written about these players already, but you can’t deny their incredible chemistry. Add to the fact they have found the scoresheet in every contest this season. The biggest task for Vityaz will be to shut them down and try to make up their production with the top players of their own.
Getting that task will be Kirill Pavlov (57G, 22A) and Artem Perepelov (21G, 14A).
Pete’s Pick: I’m torn. On one hand, I want to see how far CSKA can take their win streak. On the other hand, for a team to finally beat them would be an exciting narrative. But it’s not about what I want, it’s what happens on the ice. Given CSKA’s ability to beat teams in any fashion, coupled with them having the two best forwards of their birth year, they complete the sweep. Vityaz doesn’t make it easy though in a 5-3 final.
Craig’s Pick: I do think we’ve seen just a little bit of complacency lately from the No. 1 team in Russia. That may not be the best word for it, but either opponents are throwing their absolute best at CSKA or, CSKA is taking its foot off the gas ever so slightly. Either way, I think this game is close, and Vityaz even possesses a lead at one point, thanks to players like Pavlov and Alexander Trofimov. Ultimately, CSKA’s win streak survives and they escape with a 4-3 win.
With group play entering its home stretch in Finland, No. 7 Jokerit Blue (17-10-2) and No. 9 Kiekko-Espoo EPS I (15-11-2) will look for some separation in the ‘09 Top 10 with a Sunday matchup.
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| Sunday, March 12 |
It’s been an up-and-down stretch for both clubs in group play to this point. With neither team able to put together a consistent string of success, this matchup may be the jumping off point they both need to finish strong.
In this stage of group play, Luka Ahola and Wilmer Hämäläinen’s five goals and 11 points lead Jokerit, with Veeti Palomäki scoring five goals and 10 points for K-Espoo. Since the start of the season, both players have notched five-point games this season, with Palomäki accomplishing the feat twice.
Pete’s Pick: I’ve gone back and forth on this one for a bit, but in the end I think Jokerit pulls out a win. They’ve skated with slightly more consistency and have competed well against some of the bigger opponents of the group. If this gets into a goal scoring contest, they have the depth to get them over the finish line.
Craig’s Pick: I always like to look at shared opponents as a good measure for upcoming games. Jokerit and Kiekko-Espoo have played six of the same teams in the last six weeks. Against those teams, Kiekko-Espoo is 3-3-0, while Jokerit is 2-3-1. Slight lean toward KE EPS right? Wrong. Jokerit may have a slightly worse record in those games but showed way more compete with each of those six games being winnable. I’m going with Jokerit here, 6-3.
It’s a heavyweight tilt among the ‘08 Swedes when No. 1 Nacka HK (28-5-6) drops the puck with No. 3 Täby HC (25-11-4) this weekend.
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| Sunday, March 12 |
Nacka enters this primetime bout winners of its last four. Täby is coming off a loss to Eskilstuna Linden Hockey in their last outing. In their last meeting back on Jan. 15, Nacka posted six goals en route to a 6-1 decisive victory. In that matchup, Oliver Sundberg, Mikael Kim and Arvid Ermeskog all collected multi-point performances. Sundberg stands as the team leader in overall points as well, and third scorer in group play with 13 goals and 15 points.
Finding the back of the net for Täby’s lone goal was team leader Mille Forslund, who has compiled nine goals and 18 points. Nacka held Forslund and his teammates to just 15 shots on goal, while they peppered Täby netminder Caspar Lampe with 33. Lampe has been one of the more solid goalies in the group, earning a 2.40 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. A testament to the impressive firepower from Nacka to get six past him.
Pete’s Pick: Täby’s defense didn’t have an answer for Nacka last time out, and I don’t think that changes here. While their goaltending numbers don’t jump off the page, that’s not a concern when your club is averaging 3.5 goals a game and have a plus-27 goal differential. Nacka takes another victory here, 5-1.
Craig’s Pick: Significant shot discrepancies always grab my attention. A more than 2-to-1 difference in their last meeting says a lot about how these two teams stack up. Nacka scored late on a power play and a penalty shot, which inflated the score a little bit last time out. I’ll take Täby to keep it closer than the first meeting, but Nacka is just too dominant, 4-2.
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