New SM-Liiga stars to be born

A number of Finland’s brightest stars and top prospects bid farewell to the SM-Liiga this summer to pursue careers abroad. Some veterans have been lured back, and there are plenty of youngsters hoping to grab the headlines now that Kari Lehtonen, Joni Pitkanen and Tuomo Ruutu have all moved overseas. Here are a few names who should be the talk of Finnish hockey this season:

Mikko Koivu, C, TPS Turku

Koivu plays an important role for one of the biggest championship candidates, TPS Turku. Coached by Jukka Koivu, the father of Mikko and Saku, TPS has two strong scoring lines, one of which will be centered by the youngest Koivu. Thanks to his good size and excellent hockey sense, Mikko is expected to be among the leading forwards in the league this season, although he still has to work on his overall quickness, a liability that was visible when Koivu made his national team debut in the recent Ceske Pojistovna Cup. In his defense, however, he was hampered by a flu bug throughout the tournament.

Jussi Jokinen, LW, Karpat Oulu

Karpat Oulu forward Jussi Jokinen is another young player set to assume a major role on an SM-Liiga team. Jokinen, another Finnish gem unearthed by the Dallas scouting staff, has been playing with first-line Brett Lievers in the preseason games. Jussi led Finland with six goals in seven games at the 2003 World Under-20 Championship, and has had a chance to develop in northern Finland' without much media attention or pressure, at least up until this season. The smooth-skating sniper, who also made his national team debut in the Ceske Pojistovna Cup, could make a significant leap in his third season.

Jarkko Immonen, C, JyP Jyvaskyla

Last season, Immonen was one of the key pieces on the JyP roster, forming a solid second line with Antti Virtanen and Tuomas Pihlman. Immonen also earned his national team debut at the Ceska Pojistovna Cup after being recommended to new Finland coach Raimo Summanen by JyP benchboss Matti Alatalo, who assured Summanen that "(Immonen) will not let you down". But JyP faces a stiff challenge as they try to repeat their surprise success from last season. They will have to make due without two of the central pieces from last year, namely Pihlman and Eric Perrin, who both signed NHL contracts during the offseason. Their departure should give Immonen more duties, however, he still has to work on improving his overall skating to fulfill his potential.

Oskari Korpikari, D, Karpat Oulu

Karpat Oulu defenseman Oskari Korpikari has developed rapidly during the last couple of years. After playing mostly under-18 junior hockey in 2001-02, Korpikari advanced to the organization’s top junior team last season where he played well enough to each an extended SM-Liiga debut. The Montreal Canadiens, who drafted Korpikari this past summer, have to be happy with their selection, as the young Finn has played a big role for Karpat during the preseason. Playing with veteran Czech Martin Stepanek, who is known for his sound defensive game, Korpikari has also added some offense to his game. Although he still has to learn better positioning from his coach, ex-Ranger Reijo Ruotsalainen, the big man is definitely on the right track.

Valtteri Filppula, C, Jokerit Helsinki

Filppula is one of the players looking to take advantage of Jokerit’s new, younger image. The leading scorer in the Finnish Junior A league last season, Filppula has been playing as the club’s third-line center during the preseason. The shifty center has good playmaking skills and has also been able to add some muscle during the summer. Filppula is expected to center Team Finland's first line in the upcoming World Juniors to be held at home in Helsinki. However, it’s doubtful that he will be a scoring leader in Jokerit this season, as the step up to a full-time SM-Liiga role is a big one.

Carl Grahn, G, Pelicans Lahti

One of the forgotten Finnish prospects, Carl Grahn might be making a name for himself this season. Grahn, who has previously played for KooKoo in the Finnish second league, Mestis, signed with Pelicans Lahti during the offseason and is expected to battle for the starting role with another young goalie, Mikko Ramo. Grahn and Ramo will probably share the duties this season, but, at the moment, the quick and steady Ramo will likely guard the Pelicans’ net in the season opener against HPK.

Jesse Niinimaki, C, Ilves Tampere

The preseason hasn’t been good to everyone, though. Promising Edmonton first-rounder Jesse Niinimaki has not impressed new Ilves Coach Vaclav Sykora so far. Niinimaki was expected to challenge veteran center Raimo Helminen and new man Marek Vorel for one of the scoring line roles, however, the youngster’s spot in the starting lineup is far from guaranteed. It should be an interesting year in Tampere as Niinimaki, albeit blessed with excellent skills, unfortunately seems to lack motivation at times.