Team Finland released their final 2016 World Cup of Hockey roster on Friday, and it appears they'll have one of the youngest teams in the tournament.
Aleksander Barkov, Patrik Laine highlight Finland’s youthful 2016 World Cup of Hockey roster
Anna Sergeeva/Getty Images
The highlight, of course, is 18-year-old winger Patrik Laine. Laine is considered one of the top three prospects in the 2016 NHL Draft and is coming off a IIHF World Championship where he registered seven goals and 12 points. Laine beat out Jesse Puljujarvi, considered the third-best forward in the 2016 NHL Draft by NHL Central Scouting.
A lot of Finland's silver-medal World Championship roster made the cut for the World Cup. The most notable are Minnesota Wild forwards Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund, Florida Panthers forwards Aleksander Barkov and Jussi Jokinen and youngsters Esa Lindell and Sebastian Aho from the Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes' systems, respectively.
The team is anchored by two strong goalies in Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins and Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators.
Here’s the full roster, via NHL.com:
Forwards
| Player | NHL team |
| Sebastian Aho | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Aleksander Barkov | Florida Panthers |
| Joonas Donskoi | San Jose Sharks |
| Valtteri Filppula | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Mikael Granlund | Minnesota Wild |
| Erik Haula | Minnesota Wild |
| Jussi Jokinen | Florida Panthers |
| Mikko Koivu | Minnesota Wild |
| Leo Komarov | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Lauri Korpikoski | Edmonton Oilers |
| Patrik Laine | 2016 NHL draft prospect |
| Jori Lehtera | St. Louis Blues |
| Teuvo Teravainen | Chicago Blackhawks |
Defensemen
| Player | NHL team |
| Jyrki Jokipakka | Calgary Flames |
| Sami Lepisto | Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL), last played in CHI |
| Esa Lindell | Dallas Stars |
| Olli Maata | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Ville Pokka | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Rasmus Ristolainen | Buffalo Sabres |
| Sami Vatanen | Anaheim Ducks |
Goalies
| Player | NHL team |
| Tuukka Rask | Boston Bruins |
| Pekka Rinne | Nashville Predators |
| Mikko Koskinen | SKA St. Petersburg (KHL), last played for NYI |
The 2016 World Cup of Hockey takes place from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto. ESPN and Sportsnet will televise every game.
See More:
