Canucks World Juniors Throwback 3: Finland

The 2025 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships are fast approaching, with exhibition matches starting as early as December 19. December 26 marks the first day of the tournament itself, and games will be played nearly every day until the gold medal game on January 5. To get into the World Juniors spirit, let’s take a look at some recent performances from Vancouver Canucks prospects sorted by country. Here are some highlights from the past few years of Team Finland.

2023: Aku Koskenvuo

Aku Koskenvuo is currently in his second full season with Harvard University. Formerly a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, he had a two-game stint to start off his university career in the 2022–23 season, in which he posted a 3.56 GAA and .875 SV%. In the same season, he played for Team Finland in the World Junior Championships, putting up a 4.47 GAA and .842 SV%. His team placed fifth in the tournament standings.

2022: Aatu Räty (New York Islanders)

Formerly a member of the New York Islanders, Aatu Räty competed in two World Junior Championships as part of Team Finland. The 52nd pick of the 2021 NHL Draft ended up in Vancouver as a result of the Bo Horvat trade and earned himself a spot in the lineup for 20 games this season. In the 2022 World Juniors, Räty scored three goals and seven assists in seven games, placing him fifth overall in points throughout the entire tournament. He and Finland claimed a silver medal after a 3–2 overtime loss to Canada.

2020: Toni Utunen and Aatu Räty (New York Islanders)

At the time that this tournament was played, Vancouver only had one prospect on Team Finland. Utunen was a fifth-round draft pick in 2018, but never cracked the Canucks lineup and ended up heading back to Liiga. Utunen was an alternate captain for Finland in 2020, and collected one assist in seven games. Räty joined him on Team Finland, putting up two goals and an assist in the same amount of matches to mark his first World Juniors.

2019: Toni Utunen

The 2019 World Junior Championship was a great one for Utunen. While he only tallied one goal, it sure was a memorable one, as his overtime game-winner eliminated Canada from gold medal competition.

2018: Olli Juolevi

Juolevi was selected fifth overall in 2016, picked before players like Matthew Tkachuk and Clayton Keller. He was regarded as the next big Canucks defensive prospect, and eventually made his way to the NHL in the 2020–21 season. He has since ended up with the Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings, eventually heading back to Liiga. In the 2018 World Juniors, Juolevi put up a goal and three assists in five games.

2017: Olli Juolevi and Petrus Palmu

Two Finnish Canucks prospects competed in the 2017 World Junior Championships. This was Juolevi’s second time participating in the U20 tournament. He was not only named captain, but also had two assists in six games. He was joined by Palmu, a 2017 sixth-round pick by the Canucks who spent 12 games with the Utica Comets in the 2018–19 regular season.

2016: Olli Juolevi

Juolevi’s first stint with Team Finland in the World Juniors came before he was drafted. He recorded nine assists in seven games, doing so in the same season that he tallied 42 points in 57 games as a part of the London Knights. He was tied with Sebastian Aho for the second-most assists in the tournament, as well as for sixth in overall points scored. As a result of these efforts, Juolevi and Team Finland won a gold medal.