Buffalo, N.Y. – There are few players in the World Junior Championship that know the strengths and weaknesses of American goaltender Joseph Woll as does Finnish center Aapeli Räsänen.
The two Boston College teammates will face off Sunday at 4 p.m. when the United States and Finland play on the final day of preliminary round action.
“I have a couple of things up my sleeve, but I can’t reveal them,” Räsänen said with a smile when asked if he had any advice for his Finnish teammates on how to beat Woll.
Räsänen scored a power play goal, his first tally of the tournament, in his team’s 4-1 win over Denmark on Thursday.
“We had good puck movement. I got a rebound in the slot and I tried to whack it in the net,” Räsänen explained.
The 2016 sixth round pick of the Edmonton Oilers is more known for his ability to play a complete game, be responsible in all three zones and win face-offs.
“I just try to play a 200-foot game, win face-offs and be a solid two-way center. I want the coach to be able to put me on the ice in all situations,” explained Räsänen who has won 67.74 percent of draws through two games.
His face-off percentage is seventh best in the tournament, but tops on his team. No matter what zone it is, Räsänen seems to be in good position and gets to a lot of loose pucks. His ability to pay attention to the fine details of the game are evident.
“He’s a smart player. He has lots of leadership qualities. The face-offs are huge. He fits in well in all situations,” said Finnish coach Jussi Ahokas.
Finland has two games left in the preliminary round: Slovakia on Saturday before the clash against the U.S. on New Year’s Eve. Finland, standing at 1-1, lost, 4-2, to Canada in the opener on Tuesday.
Last year’s tournament was a disappointment for Räsänen and his countrymates. Uncharacteristically, the Fins had to fend off Latvia in the relegation round to avoid being sent down to the “B” Tournament. He believes his team has what it takes to fare better the rest of the way in the 2018 edition.
“It’s a great tournament. We have a great group of guys. I think we can go far with this. Last year wasn’t what we were looking for so this is a bounce back year for us.”
Räsänen, who had two goals and four assists in six games last year at this tournament, is hoping to be a catalyst on and off the ice over the next week.
“As one of the more experienced players, I have to be a leader on and off the ice. I want to lead by example,” said the Tampere, Finland native.
Once the World Juniors end, Räsänen will head back to Chestnut Hill for the second half of the season with the Hockey East-leading Eagles. Räsänen credits the BC coaching staff for helping him to become a better player.
“We have a great coaching staff at BC. The first couple of months we did a lot of team stuff. Greg Brown (Scituate, Mass.) has taught me a lot about skating and small stuff. They push us harder and harder to get better,” Räsänen said.
Brown, an assistant coach for the U.S., might be crossing his fingers Sunday that those tips don’t work against him.
