4 Nations Face-Off: Four Surprises With Sweden And Finland's Rosters

The 4 Nations Face-Off rosters for Sweden and Finland were released Wednesday, and there was a lot to analyze.

Both teams made some surprising picks and some shocking snubs, which will be discussed below. You can see in The Hockey News’ Team Finland projections and Team Sweden projections how different they were – not all that much – from the official team rosters.

But certainly, Sweden has prioritized youth over experience and reputation with their picks, while Finland has gone with players performing in the here and now and not just in the past.

Related: 4 Nations Face-Off Roster Tracker: Follow As Finland, Sweden, Canada And USA Are Announced

Here are the biggest surprises and/or snubs when it comes to the Swedish and Finnish team selections:

Ekman-Larsson Snubbed In Favor Of Andersson

Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson – a consensus pick to make Team Sweden in The Hockey News' three projections – was left off the roster in favor of Flames blueliner Rasmus Andersson.

The 33-year-old Ekman-Larsson won the Stanley Cup last season but has nine points in 24 games. The 28-year-old Andersson gets in as a relatively young, solid two-way D-man wth 15 points in 26 games.

Ekman-Larsson may get onto Team Sweden if injuries affect the roster, but while he would’ve been happy to represent his country, he may ultimately be happy to get the time off and give the best of himself to the Leafs as the grind of the NHL regular-season continues.

Related: 4 Nations Face-Off: Three Final Roster Projections For Team Sweden

Injured Hakanpaa Still Good Enough To Make Finland's Roster

The Maple Leafs put Hakanpaa on the NHL's injured reserve this week after playing just his first two games of the season, but that didn’t stop Team Finland from naming the veteran defenseman to their roster.

We didn’t have Hakanpaa on our Team Finland, but editor in chief Ryan Kennedy and director of digital media Michael Traikos did have him on their team.

The biggest snub here is Sabres blueliner Henri Jokiharju. But Hakanpaa’s physicality and size were a priority for Finland, and he should be healthy by the time the tournament arrives on Feb. 12.

Goalie Lankinen Earns Spot On Team Finland Thanks To Hot Start With Canucks

With Predators star Juuse Saros part of Finland’s first six picks, there were only two spots for other goalies. And Lankinen taking one of those spots is more of a pleasant surprise than a shock.

Lankinen entered September as a free agent after the Nashville Predators signed Scott Wedgewood instead. The Canucks signed him because Thatcher Demko continued to have injury issues, and that's revived his NHL career. His solid start in Vancouver this year, including an .906 save percentage and 2.66 goals-against average, led to him making the team as the likely third netminder.

The 29-year-old Lankinen squeezes out veteran netminders, including Joonas Korpisalo and Kaapo Kahkonen. While Saros will still be the obvious starter for the Finns, it’s an achievement for Lankinen to practise with the team and potentially get action if Saros and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen don’t play up to their potential.

Related: 4 Nations Face-Off: Three Final Roster Projections For Team Finland

Swedes Choose Youth Over Experience In Picking Carlsson over Backlund

Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund seemed likely to make Team Sweden as a fourth-line center with solid two-way play. He captained Sweden's World Championship squad to gold in 2018 and got two games on their World Cup squad in 2016, recording no points.

Backlund was left off the roster in favor of 19-year-old Ducks center Leo Carlsson, who is having a decent sophomore NHL season with six goals and 11 points in 20 games.

The Swedes must see Carlsson as a long-term asset who’ll only get better and be a part of every Swedish team on the international stage for many years to come. Backlund is also having a decent year, with eight assists and 12 points in 26 games, but his time as a fixture for Swedish teams is now almost certainly at an end.

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Related: 4 Nations Face-Off: Three Final Roster Projections For Team Canada