Assuming
the team selects him – and there isn’t much doubt about that –
and he stays healthy, Juuse Saros will play for Finland at the
IIHF
World Championship for
the first time since 2016.
According
to Finnish
news outlet Ilta-Sanomat, the 29-year-old goaltender confirmed
his interest in playing this year after the Nashville
Predators’ practise on Monday morning prior to the team’s
road game against the Philadelphia
Flyers.
“Yes,
the World Championship
is interesting,”
Saros
is quoted.
“There
has been time to think about it, and now that we’re
not going to
make the playoffs here, it would be nice to go to the World
Championship.”
The
Predators have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention
and the season as a whole has been a bitter disappointment, but that
hasn’t been because of the play of Saros, who in 53 games has four
shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.89 and a save percentage of
.898.
“It’s always nice to be on the national team,” said
Saros. “There are always a lot of familiar friends there,
and goaltending
coach Aki Näykki is a friend I know from the junior
national teams. It’s always nice to work with him.”
Saros burst onto the international scene with a brilliant performance
at the 2014 World Junior Championship in Malmö,
Sweden, backstopping Finland to the gold
medal and being named the tournament’s top goalie. That year
would be the first of three straight that he would also be named to
Finland’s senior World Championship team, but he’s never been a
starter.
This February, he was a member of Finland’s team at the 4 Nations
Face-Off, where he split the crease almost right down the middle with
Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver
Canucks. Playing behind a depleted defense, the Finns finished
fourth in the tournament.
Lankinen,
Uho-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo
Sabres and Saros’ backup in Nashville, Justus Annunen, are
among the other goalies that will probably be available for the Finns
to choose from. Emil Larmi, Harri Säteri,
Lassi Lehtinen, Oskari
Salminen and Christian Heljanko have all played between the pipes for
Finland in European tournaments this season and might also be
considered.
This year’s World Championship will be held May 9 to 26 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark.
Assuming
the team selects him – and there isn’t much doubt about that –
and he stays healthy, Juuse Saros will play for Finland at the
IIHF
World Championship for
the first time since 2016.
According
to Finnish
news outlet Ilta-Sanomat, the 29-year-old goaltender confirmed
his interest in playing this year after the Nashville
Predators’ practise on Monday morning prior to the team’s
road game against the Philadelphia
Flyers.
“Yes,
the World Championship
is interesting,”
Saros
is quoted.
“There
has been time to think about it, and now that we’re
not going to
make the playoffs here, it would be nice to go to the World
Championship.”
The
Predators have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention
and the season as a whole has been a bitter disappointment, but that
hasn’t been because of the play of Saros, who in 53 games has four
shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.89 and a save percentage of
.898.
“It’s always nice to be on the national team,” said
Saros. “There are always a lot of familiar friends there,
and goaltending
coach Aki Näykki is a friend I know from the junior
national teams. It’s always nice to work with him.”
Saros burst onto the international scene with a brilliant performance
at the 2014 World Junior Championship in Malmö,
Sweden, backstopping Finland to the gold
medal and being named the tournament’s top goalie. That year
would be the first of three straight that he would also be named to
Finland’s senior World Championship team, but he’s never been a
starter.
This February, he was a member of Finland’s team at the 4 Nations
Face-Off, where he split the crease almost right down the middle with
Kevin Lankinen of the Vancouver
Canucks. Playing behind a depleted defense, the Finns finished
fourth in the tournament.
Lankinen,
Uho-Pekka Luukkonen of the Buffalo
Sabres and Saros’ backup in Nashville, Justus Annunen, are
among the other goalies that will probably be available for the Finns
to choose from. Emil Larmi, Harri Säteri,
Lassi Lehtinen, Oskari
Salminen and Christian Heljanko have all played between the pipes for
Finland in European tournaments this season and might also be
considered.
This year’s World Championship will be held May 9 to 26 in Stockholm, Sweden and Herning, Denmark.
