Three WHLers have been named to Finland’s preliminary roster for the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. The three players are Everett Silvertips forwards Julius Miettinen and Matias Vanhanen, as well as Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Veeti Väisänen. In 2025, Finland made it to the Gold Medal Game, but ended up falling 4-3 in overtime to the USA.
Miettinen is having a hot start to the 2025-26 season. The Seattle Kraken prospect already has 38 points after just 25 games. During the 2025 tournament, Miettinen played seven games for Finland, recording a goal and an assist.
As for Vanhanen, he is finding plenty of success during his rookie WHL campaign. In his first 29 games, he has 34 assists and 40 points. Vanhanen has already represented Finland on the international stage, with his last tournament being the U18s this year.
Lastly, Väisänen has a good shot of once again landing a spot on the blue line. The Utah Mammoth prospect is in his second WHL season and has 15 points in 28 games. Väisänen represented Finland in 2025, where he recorded one assist in seven games.
Finland’s 2025 World Juniors Schedule:
Finland vs Denmark- December 26 @ 12:30 pm PT
Finland vs Latvia- December 28 @ 1:30 pm PT
Finland vs Czechia- December 29 @ 12:30 pm PT
Finland vs Canada- December 31 @ 5:30 pm PT
Make sure you bookmark THN’s WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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