Monday, December 5, 2016

Finns Pick NCAA Players

Four freshmen, one recruit on Finland’s roster for World Junior Championship.

Finns Pick NCAA Players
Boston College freshman Julius Mattila and his twin brother Jesper were both named to the Finnish roster.

Four current NCAA freshmen are among the players named to Finland’s pre-tournament roster for the 2017 World Junior Championship.

Boston College twin brothers Jesper and Julius Mattila, Denver forward Henrik Borgstrom and Providence forward Kasper Bjorkqvist are all on the roster. Finland also feature Boston College recruit Eeli Tolvanen and his USHL teammate, Aapeli Rasanen, on the roster.

Fabbro, Jost Invited to Canada Camp

Bjorkqvist was a member of last year’s Finnish team, which won gold at the event.

Finland has become a more and more popular source of NCAA talent, with 23 Finns suiting up in Division I this year. Five years ago (2011-12) only four Finnish players were in Division I. One of those was Minnesota’s Erik Haula, who recently represented Finland in the World Cup of Hockey.

The Mattilas, Borgstrom and Bjorkqvist join two invitees to Canada’s pre-tournament camp: Boston University’s Dante Fabbro and North Dakota’s Tyson Jost.

The United States will reveal its preliminary roster for the World Junior Championship Monday at 4 p.m. ET on NHL Network.