Comment|In the World Cup group of the Lions, there is an exceptional champion who does not make a fuss about himself, writes hockey journalist Sami Hoffrén.
Prague
Lions is the vekkuli team in this spring’s World Championships.
On paper, Finland is by no means among the biggest champion favorites of the tournament, but they have a rare fresh and open-minded World Cup pump on their feet.
The group mainly consists of players from Europe’s top leagues. There are no less than ten World Cup debutants, and there are only four much-talked-about NHL confirmations.
Only two of these scoundrels, Mikael Granlund and Olli Määttä, are solid NHL confirmations for Leijon. Pittsburgh Raiders Jesse Puljujärvi and Valtteri Puustinen are bottom chain players in the NHL.
Young roosters Oliver Kapanen20, lead the Lions’ World Cup project with a dose of new energy and freshness, which was missing in last spring’s World Cup home games.
Now we are entering the phase of the World Cup tournament, when surprise names can emerge from the ranks into the spotlight. During the long initial series, the level of opponents is varied, which gives a seam for new characters and stories. As we saw again on Monday, when the Lions easily defeated Norway 4–1.
Even at this stage of the tournament, however, it has rarely become clear who the Lions’ superior leaders are on the ice in the Prague spring.
This spring’s “unnamed” group of lions is captain Granlund’s team. Granlund, 32, is a superior offensive conductor on whom the Lions’ dreams of success will rely heavily in the playoffs that begin next week.
An equally clear and important leading figure can be found in the back lines. Olli Määttä is the backbone of the defense, and at the same time the Lions’ best-kept secret in the World Cup gold chase.
Rotten is not even the media sexiest defenseman in Leijon, although he is the only NHL defenseman in the group.
The 29-year-old defenseman of the Detroit Red Wings gets to sneak through the interview booth again and again in the World Cup without much attention, when Pulju and the boys distribute comments about anything at any time.
Määtta has always been a player who prefers to let his actions on the ice speak for him. Basking in the spotlight or handing out shokkiwau comments doesn’t make much sense.
Winning and maximizing one’s potential are things that interest me.
Määtta is playing in his third World Cup.
Määtt already belongs to an exclusive group in Suomikieko’s catalog, as there are two Stanley Cup rings in the trophy cabinet. The Jyväskylä native was able to lift the coveted Stanley Cup in his arms two summers in a row before he turned 23.
Although Määttä was a junior star when he was young and a draft pick in the first round of the NHL, he has since profiled himself as a solid basic defenseman in the NHL.
Määttä is a defender who knows the most important task of a defender, i.e. defending, masterfully well.
With this style, Määtt has had a handsome career so far and played almost 800 games in the NHL before turning thirty.
Määtä in his bread work defending against Norway.
The advanced statistics speak volumes about Määtä’s defensive skills.
According to statistical service Evolving-hockey, Määtt brought the third most defensive value of all NHL players in the regular season this season. Rotten therefore belonged to the best percent.
After Määtä, the fourth best defender in the entire series in the same statistics was Finland’s superior defender star Miro Heiskanen.
Based on the last three seasons, Määtt belongs to the best four percent of the NHL in terms of defensive value. Tough stuff.
In the lion Määttä is the irreplaceable cornerstone of defense and Jukka Jalonen long-term credit man.
Jalonen wants doers in his team, not whiners. That’s why Määttä has been Jalonen’s most important credit players since the spring 2021 World Cup.
When Määtt arrived from North America for the last week of the World Cup camp this spring, the coaching staff asked him how many games the two-time Stanley Cup winner would like to play in the last EHT tournament in Brno. Määtä’s answer came as if from a pharmacy shelf: everything, of course.
Määtä loves to play and compete. Everything else is secondary nonsense. Doing things on the ice always aims at winning and solutions that are in the best interest of the team.
The framey and slightly angular defender does not charm with spectacular performances or dazzling magic tricks. Määtä’s greatness is based on reliable performance and consistent quality. From the quality and positioning of the passes to the barrel shelf, you can see the NHL’s quality guarantee.
This time, the Lions’ defensive department does not really radiate dynamism and top quality, which only emphasizes the importance of Määtä. When the level of the game and the stakes rise, Määtt always emerges even stronger.
At the World Cup, Määtä’s real value is highlighted only in the tough matches of the tournament. Not in Monday’s preliminaries.
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