Finland on the International Stage
* This will be the eighth time that Finland participates in an NHL International Tournament, following four Canada Cup appearances and entries at all three World Cup of Hockey events.
* Finland has reached the playoff round in three of seven previous NHL International Tournament appearances, including one appearance in the final (runner-up at 2004 World Cup of Hockey).
* Finland won two gold medals and made three straight appearances in the final at the World Championship from 2019 to 2022 (facing Canada each time).
* Finland has four gold medals and 16 total medals at the World Championship. Since claiming gold at the 2011 World Championship (ending a 16-year wait for the top prize a that event), Finland has three gold medals at that event, tied with Sweden for second among all countries behind Canada (4).
* Finland (3 from 2019 to 2022) is one of two countries in the past 13 World Championships to make three straight appearances in the final (also Canada: 3 from 2015 to 2017, 4 from 2019 to 2023).
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Finns in the NHL
* 5% of NHL players are Finnish, the seventh straight season in which that has been the case. The all-time high is 6% in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
* Finland, Canada, Sweden and USA are the only countries to make up at least 5% of the NHL by nationality in each of the past seven seasons (from 2018-19 to 2024-25).
* Through Feb. 4, 2025, a total of 268 Finnish players have played at least one NHL game (regular season or playoffs), including 50 this season. The most Finnish players to skate in a single regular season is 63 (2021-22).
* Finland is one of two countries to produce multiple 600-goal scorers (Teemu Selanne: 684; Jari Kurri: 601), alongside Canada.
* Eight Finnish players have skated 1,000 career NHL regular-season games.
* Finland has produced four goaltenders who reached the 300-win benchmark in the NHL, tied for the third most of any country behind Canada (22) and the United States (7).
* A Finnish player has landed among the top 10 in League scoring four times in the past six seasons, with Mikko Rantanen (2023-24, 2022-23 & 2020-21) and Aleksander Barkov (2018-19) combining for those instances. It had happened only once in 17 seasons from 2000-01 to 2017-18 (Teemu Selanne: 2010-11).
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Finns Winning NHL Awards and the Stanley Cup
* The 2024 Stanley Cup champion Panthers had four Finnish players, the most by a Cup winner in League history. All four will represent Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off: Aleksander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola.
* Aleksander Barkov became the first Finnish player to captain a Stanley Cup champion, guiding a team that included four Finnish players overall – the most for any Cup winner in League history.
* Two Finnish players have scored a Stanley Cup-clinching goal: Artturi Lehkonen (2022 COL) and Jari Kurri (1987 EDM).
* Antti Niemi (2010 CHI) and Tuukka Rask (2011 BOS) are the only Finnish goaltenders to win the Stanley Cup. Niemi is the only one of the two to secure the Cup-clinching victory.
* Overall, 18 Finnish players have won the Stanley Cup for a total of 28 championships. Olli Määttä (2x), Reijo Ruotsalainen (2x), Jari Kurri (5x) and Esa Tikkanen (5x) are the multi-time winners on that list.
* The first recipient of the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy was Finnish forward Teemu Selanne.
* Overall, 11 different Finnish players have won an individual NHL Award for a total of 21 victories: Aleksander Barkov (Selke, 2; Lady Byng), Teemu Selanne (Masterton, Calder & “Rocket”), Jere Lehtinen (Selke, 3), Pekka Rinne (Clancy & Vezina), Tuukka Rask (Vezina & Jennings), Saku Koivu (Masterton & Clancy), Miikka Kiprusoff (Vezina & Jennings), Antti Raanta (Jennings), Niklas Backstrom (Jennings), Jari Kurri (Lady Byng) and Pentti Lund (Calder). Of note, Lund was born in Finland but grew up in Canada.
* Miikka Kiprusoff became the first Finnish netminder to win the Vezina Trophy in 2005-06 and since then Finnish goaltenders have claimed the award three times (also Tuukka Rask: 2013-14; Pekka Rinne in 2017-18).
* The NHL awaits its first Finnish points leader (Art Ross Trophy), Norris Trophy, Hart Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy recipients. Jari Kurri (1984-85 & 1986-87) and Teemu Selanne (1996-97 & 1998-99) each finished as runner-up for the Art Ross Trophy, the highest a Finnish player has ever ranked in the scoring race.
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#NHLStats for each player who will represent Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025. Each federation named six players in June, indicated by an asterisk below. All stats through Feb. 1, 2025.
Injury replacements:
* Urho Vaakanainen and Henri Jokiharju were named to the roster Feb. 2, replacing the injured Miro HeiskanenandJani Hakanpää.
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Kevin Lankinen, G, Vancouver Canucks
Lankinen made his Liiga debut in 2013-14 and played in Finland’s top professional league until 2017-18, when a 10-3-2 regular-season campaign helped him secure an NHL contract with Chicago. After spending the 2018-19 campaign in the AHL, Lankinen led Finland to a gold medal at the 2019 World Championship where he posted a 7-1-0 record as the nation’s starting goaltender. His NHL debut came two seasons later when he was Chicago’s starting goaltender and finished the 2020-21 campaign with the second-most wins among rookies. His 2024-25 campaign began with a nine-game point streak (7-0-2), tied for the longest to begin a season by a goaltender in Canucks history. On Dec. 1, he became the first goaltender in NHL history to win each of his first 10 road appearances in a season.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, G, Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres made Luukkonen the first international goaltender picked in the 2017 NHL Draft (No. 54; the second netminder overall after Jake Oettinger) and six months later he was playing in Buffalo as Finland’s starting goaltender at the 2018 World Junior Championship. In 2018-19, Luukkonen secured OHL Goaltender of the Year and Most Outstanding Player honors to go along with a gold medal at the 2019 World Junior Championship, where he was named to the tournament all-star team. He posted five shutouts in 2023-24, the most by a Sabres goaltender since 2011-12, and started more than 75% of Sabres games in the 2024 calendar year.
Juuse Saros, G, Nashville Predators
In 2014, Saros backstopped Finland to its first World Junior Championship gold medal in more than 15 years, securing a spot on the tournament All-Star Team in the process (with Esa Lindell patrolling the blueline in front of him). Later that year he claimed one of his two silver medals with Finland at the World Championship (also 2016). Over his first three seasons as the go-to starting goaltender for the Predators, Saros ranked second in the NHL in wins and was a Vezina Trophy finalist in 2021-22.
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Henri Jokiharju, D, Buffalo Sabres
Jokiharju is a three-time gold medalist with Finland, including top finishes at each of his last two international appearances, both during his rookie NHL season in 2018-19. After bursting onto the NHL scene with five points in his first three games for Chicago, Jokiharju led Finnish defensemen in scoring at the 2019 World Junior Championship – including an assist on Kaapo Kakko’s gold medal-clinching goal with 1:26 left in regulation against the United States – and finished the campaign by helping the Suomi to gold at the 2019 World Championship. After one season with the Blackhawks, Jokiharju was acquired by the Sabres – in exchange for Alexander Nylander, brother of 4 Nations foe William Nylander – where he has since been a mainstay on the blueline, playing the second-most games for the club over that span behind Swedish blueliner Rasmus Dahlin.
Esa Lindell, D, Dallas Stars
A two-time gold medalist with Finland, Lindell helped his country to titles at the 2014 World Junior Championship and 2022 World Championship, where he also has claimed a silver medal (2016). The gold medal in 2014 was secured alongside Juuse Saros (and others joining him at 4 Nations Face-Off), representing Finland’s first title at the event since 1998. His international resume also includes an appearance with Finland at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, while his NHL career includes the best plus-minus rating by a defenseman in Stars franchise history. Lindell ranks among the top three for goals, assists, points and time on ice per game by Finnish defensemen since his first full NHL season in 2016-17.
Olli Määttä, D, Utah Hockey Club
One of eight Finnish defensemen in NHL history to play at least 700 games, Määttä is a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2016 & 2017 PIT) and an Olympic medalist (bronze in 2014). He is one of four Finnish players with multiple Stanley Cup wins, alongside Esa Tikkanen (5x), Jari Kurri (5x) and Reijo Ruotsalainen (2x). Määttä, 30, has persevered through a cancer diagnosis during a career that also includes a World Championship silver medal (2021), two OHL titles (2011-12 & 2012-13) as well as appearances at the World Junior Championship (3x; 2011-2013) and 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Niko Mikkola, D, Florida Panthers
Mikkola is the only defenseman on Finland’s roster who was not selected in the first three rounds of the NHL Draft, and one of two who has won the Stanley Cup (also Olli Määttä). A fifth-round pick by St. Louis in 2015 (No. 127), Mikkola is one of three Finnish defensemen from that draft class who cracked the NHL and the only one still in the League. Since his first full NHL season in 2022-23, Mikkola ranks in the top five among all Finnish skaters in time on ice and hits. He also is a champion internationally, claiming gold at both the 2016 World Junior Championship (a roster stacked with current NHL stars) and 2019 World Championship.
Rasmus Ristolainen, D, Philadelphia Flyers
Ristolainen is the highest-scoring Finnish defenseman since entering the League in 2013-14 and ranks among the top 10 all time in NHL scoring among Suomi blueliners. He scored in overtime during the gold medal game at the 2014 World Junior Championship, giving Finland a victory against rival (and tournament host) Sweden and securing his nation’s first gold at the event since 1998. Ristolainen also was named best defenseman and secured a tournament All-Star team selection at the event. He played in all three games for Finland at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Juuso Välimäki, D, Utah Hockey Club
Välimäki was the second Finnish defenseman selected in the 2017 NHL Draft (No. 16), following Miro Heiskanen (No. 3), marking the first time multiple blueliners from the country were picked in Round 1 (part of a draft class that saw 11 Finnish blueliners taken overall including four in the first round – both records for the country). He has captained Finland at various tournaments, including to a gold medal victory at the 2016 Under-18 World Championship when he was part of a blueline that included six future NHLers (also Miro Heiskanen, Henri Jokiharju, Urho Vaakanainen, Markus Niemelainen and Robin Salo).
Urho Vaakanainen, D, New York Rangers
A three-time medalist (including two golds) with Finland, Vaakanainen will represent his country for the first time since serving as an assistant captain with its gold medal entry at the 2019 World Junior Championship – one of five members of that team heading to 4 Nations. He also claimed gold at the 2016 Under-18 World Championship, part of a blueline that included six future NHLers (also Miro Heiskanen, Henri Jokiharju, Juuso Valimaki, Markus Niemelainen and Robin Salo). A top 20 pick by the Bruins in the 2017 NHL Draft, Vaakanainen was part of a historic Finnish draft class that saw 11 blueliners taken overall including four in the first round – both records for the country. Acquired by the Rangers in the Jacob Trouba deal earlier this season, Vaakanainen’s first NHL goal came with the Ducks against the Stars on Jan. 25, 2024 (with both assists to Swedish teammates).
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Sebastian Aho, F, Carolina Hurricanes (Assistant Captain)
Among the most consistent producers in the NHL since entering the League, Aho has scored at least 20 goals in each of his eight seasons – including an active run of three straight 30-goal seasons (and a Carolina record five 30-goal campaigns overall). He ranks third in Hurricanes franchise history in goals, assists and points, and has led the team to playoff series victories in six straight seasons (including two trips to the Conference Finals). Internationally, Aho helped Finland secure a gold medal on home soil at the 2016 World Junior Championship (alongside the likes of Mikko Rantanen) and has since represented his country at three World Championships and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Joel Armia, F, Montreal Canadiens
Now in his 11th NHL season, Armia is coming off a 2023-24 campaign in which he tallied a career-high 17 goals and will look to add a 4 Nations title to a resume that already includes a World Championship gold medal with Finland (2022) and Liiga championship in his home country. A shorthanded specialist, Armia ranks among the top 10 in Canadiens history for career shorthanded goals and also places in the top 10 among all players since 2016-17 (his first season as an NHL regular). Armia has been part of making NHL history on Bell Centre ice, his home arena since 2018-19: on Nov. 1, 2018, he scored two seconds after teammate Max Domi to mark the fastest two goals in NHL history.
Aleksander Barkov, F, Florida Panthers (Captain)
Barkov became the first Finnish player to captain a Stanley Cup champion when he led the Panthers to their first championship last season, sharing the team lead with 22 points in the playoffs (including a franchise record-tying four game-winning goals). A two-time Selke Trophy recipient, including in 2023-24, Barkov is one of seven players in NHL history to win both the Selke and Stanley Cup in the same season (countryman Jere Lehtinen is also on that list). Barkov has represented Finland at many tournaments, including the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and has medaled at the Olympics (bronze in 2014) and World Championship (silver in 2016).
Mikael Granlund, F, Dallas Stars (Assistant Captain)
During his decorated hockey career, Granlund has captained Finland at multiple events, claimed three medals at the World Championship (gold in 2011 and 2022; silver in 2016), bronze at the Olympics (2014) and a Liiga championship (2010-11). After claiming Liiga Rookie of the Year honors in 2009-10, Granlund was a top-10 pick in the NHL Draft (No. 9 in 2010) and has since placed himself among the top dozen Finnish scorers in NHL history and became the ninth Finn with 400 NHL assists. A Lady Byng Memorial Trophy finalist in 2016-17, Granlund has dazzled fans globally for more than a decade – including an unforgettable lacrosse-style goal at the 2011 World Championship – which became a cultural sensation when a Finnish electronic music artist set announcer Antero Mertaranta‘s call of the play to music. The song, dubbed “Taivas Varjele,” which translates to “Good heavens,” reached No. 2 on Finland’s singles chart. Granlund played in all three games for Finland at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and in 2023 was part of a trade that sent Swedish rival Erik Karlsson to Pittsburgh.
Erik Haula, F, New Jersey Devils
Haula has by far the most career points among active Finnish players selected outside the first two rounds of the NHL Draft, cementing himself as a consistent scorer across 12 seasons since the Wild chose him in the seventh round in 2009 (No. 182). He has represented Finland at the 2011 World Junior Championship (second in team scoring), 2014 World Championship and appeared in Finland’s opener against Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Roope Hintz, F, Dallas Stars
One of eight Finnish nationals in NHL history to record at least three consecutive 30-goal seasons (with a chance to make that four straight in 2024-25), Hintz ranks among the top five in both goals and points among Finnish players since 2018-19 when he entered the League. Hintz has excelled in meaningful games in a condensed timeframe before as he holds the Stars record for points in a playoff series (2023 R1: 5-7—12 in 6 GP). He also scored three goals at the 2016 World Junior Championship when he helped Finland win gold on home soil, part of a roster stacked with future NHL stars and 4 Nations teammates.
Kaapo Kakko, F, Seattle Kraken
A three-time gold medalist with Finland, Kakko has secured championships with the Suomi at the 2018 Under-18 World Championship (tied for team lead in points, including goal in gold medal game), 2019 World Junior Championship (when he scored the gold-clinching goal) and 2019 World Championship (when at age 18 he topped teenagers in goals and finished two off the overall tournament lead). Kakko’s clinching goal at the 2019 World Junior Championship came with 1:26 remaining in regulation (with the primary assist to Anton Lundell) after the United States had rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to tie the game. That goal came a few months before he became the fourth Finnish player ever to be picked among the top two in the NHL Draft.
Patrik Laine, F, Montreal Canadiens
After scoring in his Canadiens debut Dec. 3, Laine ranks fourth in goals among Finnish players since 2016-17 when he broke into the NHL following a season for the ages. During the 2015-16 campaign, during which he celebrated his 18th birthday, Laine won a gold medal on home soil at the 2016 World Junior Championship (where he tied Auston Matthews for the tournament lead in goals), claimed a Liiga title (along with other honors including playoff MVP) and then secured a silver medal at the 2016 World Championship (where he tied for the tournament lead in goals and was named MVP).
Artturi Lehkonen, F, Colorado Avalanche
Lehkonen has a knack for scoring clutch goals, with four series-clinching goals to his credit credit in the Stanley Cup Playoffs – the most among active players and the most ever by a European player (tied with Peter Forsberg, Jaromir Jagr and Jari Kurri). Lehkonen (2022) and Kurri (1987) are the only Finnish players with a Cup-clinching goal. In addition to his Stanley Cup, Lehkonen’s resume includes an SHL championship (in 2015-16 when he led the playoffs in goals and points), along with a gold medal at the 2014 World Junior Championship when he helped Finland defeat rival (and tournament host) Sweden for its first title at the event since 1998. He also captained the Suomi at the World Juniors in 2015.
Anton Lundell, F, Florida Panthers
Lundell led the Panthers with five assists in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the fourth Finnish player ever with at least five helpers in the championship series, following Mikko Rantanen (8 in 2022), Ville Leino (6 in 2010) and Jari Kurri (3x; most: 6 in 1985). Lundell also has the most career regular-season assists among Finnish players currently under the age of 24. A four-time medalist with Finland, Lundell’s international resume includes gold (2019) and bronze (2021) medals at the World Junior Championship – claiming bronze as both captain and team scoring leader. He last represented the Suomi at the 2021 World Championship when he led the team in scoring.
Eetu Luostarinen, F, Florida Panthers
A Stanley Cup champion and gold-medalist at the 2019 World Championship, the 26-year-old forward has cemented himself as both an offensive contributor and as a penalty-kill specialist. Since his first full season with Florida in 2020-21, Luostarinen paces all Panthers forwards (and ranks among the League leaders) in shorthanded time on ice.
Mikko Rantanen, F, Carolina Hurricanes (Assistant Captain)
Part of two Finnish entries at the World Junior Championship and four at the World Championship, Rantanen has twice medaled at those events, claiming World Junior gold on home soil in 2016 (when he captained a squad loaded with future NHL stars) and following that up with silver at the Worlds a few months later. After helping the Avalanche win the 2022 Stanley Cup, Rantanen (2x) has joined Jari Kurri (6x) and Teemu Selanne (4x) as the only Finnish players with a 100-point NHL season; they also are the only Finnish 50-goal scorers in NHL history. He has the second-highest career points-per-game rate in NHL history among Finnish players, behind only Kurri.
Teuvo Teravainen, F, Chicago Blackhawks
After posting one of the best playoff performances by a rookie in Blackhawks history in helping the club win the Stanley Cup in 2015, Teravainen became a full-time NHL player in 2015-16 and ranks among the top five in scoring among Finnish players since. A four-time 20-goal and 60-point scorer in the NHL, Teravainen has a lengthy international resume that includes stops at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and 2018 World Championship (where he ranked second in team scoring behind Sebastian Aho). Wearing the captain’s “C” at the 2014 World Junior Championship, Teravainen assisted on every Suomi goal in the gold medal game, including Rasmus Ristolainen’s overtime winner, to help defeat rival (and tournament host) Sweden. Teravainen led that tournament in scoring and helped secure his nation’s first gold at the event since 1998.
