"I'm Really Proud Of Him": After Strong Start To His Canucks Career, Tocchet Not Shocked To See Lankinen On Team Finland's 4 Nations Roster

On Wednesday, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen was named to Team Finland's 4 Nation Face-Off roster. While his Canucks career is only 18 games in, he has already exceeded expectations and has emerged as one of the team's early-season MVPs. Now an NHL record holder, the Lankinen signing is turning into yet another massive win for Vancouver's management group.

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Lankinen will join Jusse Saros and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the three goaltenders for Team Finland at the mid-Febraury tournament. This will be Lankinen's first time with the National team since the 2019 World Championship, when he helped backstop Finland to a Gold Medal. When asked about his goaltender's inclusion on the roster, Tocchet was not surprised in the slightest.

"I'm obviously biased," said Tocchet, "but I'd be shocked if he wasn't on it just from his year. The way he's played for us, I'm really proud of him. You're talking about a guy; he was, he's out a week to camp. Didn't know where he was going, and all of a sudden, now he's going to represent Finland. He won 10 games there on the road. Those are, those are nice milestones for a guy."

As Tocchet mentioned, it took until September 21 for Lankinen to sign with Vancouver. That was the second to last day of Training Camp, with the Finnish goaltender only joining the team a few days before their first pre-season game. As Tocchet explains, he has really enjoyed his time coaching Lankinen, not just for his on-ice play but also for how he carried himself off the ice.

"All I know is he's sitting out a week before camp and couldn't get a job. I actually don't know the situation. All I know is that he's a fun guy to coach. The players love him. He has a lot of character. Obviously, he's played and has helped, but obviously, he's a character guy."

One of the main reasons Lankinen was initially signed was to give the Canucks more depth with Thatcher Demko out of the lineup. With Demko expected to return soon, the conversation in the market has shifted to what is the plan once all of Vancouver's goaltenders are healthy. While that date is closing in, Tocchet is more focused on how the upcoming weekend rather than his goalie rotation in the New Year.

"It's a good problem to have. We got a lot of games. There's gonna be lots of time for each, whoever's in the net. But, you know, I don't even think of that right now. I'm like Lanks (Lankinen). You just think about the game. We play Columbus, that's all I think about. He's playing, and we'll worry about that when that happens,"

Based on Lankinen's play, the Canucks could have the best goaltending duo in the NHL once Demko is ready to return. As Tocchet mentioned, it is a good problem to have and is another example of how these low-risk, high-reward signings have worked out for Vancouver. While the 4 Nations Face-Off is still a few months away, based on his start, there is a good chance Lankinen will get some games for Team Finland.