Canada dismantled Finland in a pre-tournament game, but when the puck drops on the real thing for Canada, they'll look to get out to a quick start and assert their spot as a contender.
Renata Fast and Team Canada practice in Utica, New York leading up to their opening game at the IIHF World ChampionshipsTeam Canada is ready to drop the puck on the 2024 IIHF World Championships in Utica, New York. They'll face an already well tested Team Finland who opened their tournament against Czechia on Day 1.
Keys To Success For Canada
Canada dismantled Finland in their pre-season game, but it was only after a goaltending change that momentum swung in Canada's favor. Canada will need to get out to a quick start to quiet the Finns, and to settle into their tournament. In recent years, the pairing of Jocelyne Larocque and Renata Fast have been tasked with top assignments, but given Finland's added depth, including a top nine forward group featuring the lines of Michelle Karvinen, Susanna Tapani, and Petra Nieminen; Noora Tulus, Viivi Vainikka, and Julia Liikala; and Jenniina Nylund, Elisa Holopainen, and Emilia Vesa, Canada will need to be defensively aware every shift, and they'll need all three defensive pairings focused on defense first. With Finland's depth, Canada will also need to stay out of the box, as Finland's powerplay will certainly be one to contend with in the tournament.
Finland Enters Strong
Not only is Finland bringing perhaps their strongest forward group the nation has ever compiled, they also have depth defensively. Jenni Hiirikoski, Ronja Savolainen, and Nelli Laitinen can eat a lot of minutes for the Finns, which bodes well for the team managing Canada, USA, and Czechia in the tournament. Sanni Rantala will step into the top four when needed, but the absence of Sini Karjalainen hurts. In net, Sanni Ahola is coming off a spectacular season in the NCAA with St. Cloud State where she was named the WCHA Goaltender of the Year. She'll be joined at St. Cloud next year by Finland's rookie defender Siiri Yrjölä. The strength of their lineup top to bottom means Canada will be unable to take any shifts off.
Debut For The Gosling Cousins
Nicole Gosling and Julia Gosling will make their World Championship debut this week, potentially both tonight for Canada. The duo looked good for Canada in their pre-tournament win over Finland with forward Julia Gosling scoring a goal and an assist, and defender Nicole Gosling scoring a goal as well. They add strength and a physical presence to Canada's lineup, with Gosling a prototypical power forward, and Gosling a reliable two-way defender who erases a lot of the risk Canada's allowed on their blueline at recent international competition.
Finland hasn't medalled in the World Championships since 2021 when they won bronze, and they were robbed of the nation's first ever gold medal in 2019 beating Canada in the semi-finals and taking USA to a shootout in the gold medal game. They've returned to rosters that more closely matched those teams, and could again play spoiler in 2024.