With the 2026 IIHF World Championship underway on Friday, May 15, Finland was the latest notable squad to release their roster earlier today, joining Canada and the United States. The three goaltender, eight defensemen, fourteen forward group, headed to Switzerland, is as follows:
Goaltenders
Justus Annunen (Predators)
Joonas Korpisalo (Bruins)
Harri Säteri (EHL Biel-Bienne, NL)
Defensemen
Ville Heinola (Jets)
Henri Jokiharju (Bruins)
Mikko Lehtonen (ZSC Lions, NL)
Olli Määttä (Flames)
Nikolas Matinpalo (Senators)
Vili Saarijärvi (Gèneve Servette HC, NL)
Mikael Seppälä (HC Sparta Praha, EHL)
Urho Vaakanainen (Rangers)
Forwards
Aleksander Barkov (Panthers)
Hannes Björninen (SCL Tigers, NL)
Eemil Erholtz (Kärpät Oulu)
Lenni Hämeenaho (Devils)
Janne Kuokkanen (Malmö Redhawks, SHL)
Anton Lundell (Panthers)
Saku Mäenalanen (SCL Tigers, NL)
Sakari Manninen (Gèneve Servette HC, NL
Waltteri Merelä (SC Bern, NL)
Sami Päivärinta (HPK Hämeenlinna)
Patrik Puistola (Örebro HK, SHL)
Jesse Puljujärvi (Gèneve Servette HC, NL)
Aatu Räty (Canucks)
Teuvo Teräväinen (Blackhawks)
Far and away the biggest name of the group, it’s encouraging for Panthers fans to see Barkov set to go after suffering a major knee injury in the first practice of training camp, requiring surgery on both his ACL and MCL. Obviously not the type of hockey the 30-year-old has become accustomed to playing in May, as Florida came up short of making the playoffs and buying enough time for his return, Barkov returns to the international stage. Having missed the chance at the Olympic Games earlier this year, he most recently represented Finland at the NHL 4 Nations Tournament. The 30-year-old last played in the IIHF World Championships one decade ago, a young star skating alongside national legends Mikko Koivu and Jussi Jokinen.
Puljujärvi is another interesting name to watch out of the forwards, as he finished second in team scoring on Geneve Servette in the Swiss league with 52 points in as many games, his first season post-North America. A teammate of former NHLers such as Markus Granlund (their top scorer), Jan Rutta, and Jimmy Vesey, the group had a strong season but lost four games to one versus Fribourg in the playoffs. If he can continue to stack up such production, another NHL look isn’t out of the realm of possibility, but of course far from his former elite potential as a fourth overall pick (2016).
Lead by head coach Antti Pennanen, the roster is largely built of more experienced players, lacking young prospects who have yet to break into the NHL. Tampa Bay’s unsigned 20-year-old Benjamin Rautiainen, who led Liiga with 77 points in 59 games, is not on the roster at this point with the league finals still ongoing. Still, out of their 12 NHL players, Finland boasts one of the best players in the tournament in Barkov, who will look to make something of his 2025-26 year before moving on to next fall with Florida.
Pennanen, 47, will be hungry to prove something in the tournament after a rough showing at the 4 Nations left a mark on his record. He and Team Finland bounced back into a bronze medal in Milan, now seeking IIHF gold for the first time since 2022.