Finland's elite hockey team gears up for Olympic action with a potent Stars lineup, featuring Rantanen and Granlund leading the charge.
Arguably the fastest growing nation in the sport of hockey is Finland. The European country has rapidly risen from outside the traditional top four powers of Canada, Sweden, Russia and the United States to become one of the world’s elite programs. In recent years, Finland has not only caught up to those nations but has surpassed some of them in international competition.
IIHF world rankings have frequently placed Finland among the very best in the sport, at times ranking ahead of every country in the world outside of Canada in both men’s and women’s hockey. As a result, Finland enters the upcoming international tournament as a major contender for a medal on both sides, with expectations high for another deep run.
The men’s roster features a strong Dallas Stars presence, with Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Mikko Rantanen all selected to represent Finland. An announcement on Monday also revealed that former Stars forward Mikael Granlund has been named team captain. Rantanen was added to the leadership group as an assistant captain alongside Carolina Hurricanes star Sebastian Aho.
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Rantanen arrives at the tournament in top form as the 29 year old has recorded 20 goals and 49 assists for 69 points in 54 games this season, putting him on pace for the third 100 point campaign of his NHL career. He is expected to skate on Finland’s top line with Stars teammate Roope Hintz at center and Granlund on the right wing.
That trio will also anchor Finland’s top power play unit. They will be joined by another Dallas teammate, Miro Heiskanen, who will man the left side of the blue line, while Aho is expected to slot in on the right point.
Finland opens the men’s tournament with a challenging matchup against Slovakia at 9:40 a.m. CST on Wednesday. The test only gets tougher on Friday, when Finland faces longtime rival Sweden at 5:10 a.m. CST. The Finns will close out round robin play on Saturday against Italy at 9:40 a.m. CST.
Most games throughout the tournament will be available to fans on NBC or USA Network.
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