World Junior 2015: Jake Virtanen's family allegiances proudly Canadian -- with a soft spot for Finland

MONTREAL — There are no divided loyalties for Jake Virtanen. As a dual citizen of both Finland and Canada, his choice has always been to wear the maple leaf and he’s done so proudly here at the world junior championship.

But the same might not be totally true for everyone in the Virtanen household.

Jarmo Virtanen, Jake’s grandfather, is a proud Finn, born and bred.

“My grandpa gets a little nervous when we play Finland,” said Virtanen. “He was born there … and my dad and my grandma, so playing against Finland I think my grandpa has a little mixed feelings. I think he has a soft spot for them. He lives here though, so I think he’s for Canada all the way.”

Jake’s father, Ranier, settled down in B.C. as a teenager after spending time in both countries as a child. The Virtanens hail from Jakobstad/Pietarsaari, a bilingual town of 20,000 in western Finland where the majority of the population speaks Swedish.

Long before Jake ended up playing for Canada, the world junior championship was a big part of their family’s Christmas routine. That meant picking sides as spectators.

“I don’t cheer for Finland,” said Virtanen, a first-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks. “My dad is both ways. I know that if it’s Canada versus Finland we’re all rooting for Canada, but if it’s Finland versus someone else, then Finland.”

Last year, Finland beat Canada 5-1 in the semifinal to send them to the bronze medal match. Canada finished without a medal for a second consecutive year and the Finns went on to win their first championship since 1998.

This year, it’s a different story for the defending champions. They have yet to win a game in the tournament after falling to the U.S. in a 2-1 shootout and being upset by Slovakia 2-1 on Saturday. One day earlier Canada had given the Slovakians an 8-0 thrashing.

Thus far in the tournament, Finland has only scored two goals in two games and both have come from 18-year-old forward Mikko Rantanen, a top prospect for the 2015 NHL draft. The rest of Finland’s big guns – Pittsburgh first-rounder Kasperi Kapanen, captain Artturi Lehkonen and Aleksi Mustonen – have failed to find the net. Finland's power play has been shambolic, going 0-for-10.

“I’m waiting for Kapanen, Lehkonen, Mustonen and (Juuso) Ikonen to score,” said Finnish coach Hannu Jortikka, after their game against Slovakia. “They can score in the Finnish league, but they must score here, too. It’s clear.”

According to reports in the Finnish press on Sunday, Kapanen has been taken off the top line where he was playing with Mustoenen and Lehkonen. He’s been demoted to the second line and Ikonen will take his place.

Juuse Saros, who was named an all-star at the 2014 WJC, will get the start in net against Canada despite backup Ville Husso pushing for a greater role.

With Finland’s tournament hanging in the balance, they’re going to be even more dangerous against Canada.

"They've yet to win a game, so they're going to be coming at us," said Curtis Lazar. "It'll probably be do or die for them.”

Head coach Benoit Groulx said his team won’t take the Finns lightly, despite what their record might indicate.

"They skate well, they have skills, they have a solid goalie and they play very good as a unit," said Groulx. "They're very good at blocking the middle of the ice and taking your time and space away, so it'll be a matter of us of managing the puck well and making sure we put ourselves in position to use our speed."

Zach Fucale, who was in net for last year’s loss to Finland, will get another shot at the Young Lions. He said he doesn’t dwell too much on the loss, but he wouldn’t mind a little retribution.

"I wouldn't say it's fresh in my mind, but I remember what happened and I learned from it," said Fucale. "It'll certainly serve as a motivator for the game."