Every team needs good role players and leadership in order to win. Finnish fans should be excited that their team has those in abundance. But their lack of firepower and All-Star caliber skaters should keep them off the podium despite winning silver in 2006. Their star goaltending duo (Kiprusoff, Backstrom) can only carry them so far. 10. Antti Miettinen ? Minnesota Wild The 29-year-old winger is typically a third liner who sees sporadic power play time. His career high in goals is only 15, but with 11 already this year, he is on pace for a new career-best. Last season he set career highs in assists (29) and points (44). He was a 7th round pick in 2000 by Dallas, and is in the second year of a 3-year/$7million contract with Minnesota. Antii was selected to the 2006 Olympic team, but was unable to play due to injury, so I am sure he is thrilled to be getting another chance at representing his country on the biggest stage in the world. 9. Jere Lehtinen ? Dallas Stars You know you?re old when you can say that you were drafted by the Minnesota North Stars. The 36-year-old has played all 14 NHL seasons with the Stars organization, winning the Stanley Cup with them in 1999. Though known more for his defensive abilities, he has shown not to be a liability offensively, contributing 20+ goals seven times in thirteen seasons, twice potting over 30. Despite the goal scoring, his career high in points is only 52, which he accomplished twice. In 1998 and 2002 he was elected to the All-Star game, and has been known as one of the top defensive forwards in the NHL almost from the beginning of his career. He won the Selke trophy for his defensive play in just his third season in 1997-98, and again in 1999 and 2003. Health has always been a concern for Lehtinen, having only played in 70+ games in seven of his thirteen years in the league, including back to back 48-game campaigns prior to this year. Will he be able to stay healthy to make a defensive impact, as well as contribute on the scoreboard, for a Finnish team that will desperately need his help? 8. Tuomo Ruutu ? Carolina Hurricanes Tuomo and his brother Jarkko will both be playing for Finland, however expect only Tuomo to be a major contributor. He was drafted 9th overall in the 2001 draft by Chicago, and broke into the NHL in 2003-04 with a successful rookie campaign that saw him pot 23 goals and 21 assists. He then went on to underachieve for a number of seasons before finally topping those totals last year with Carolina in which he had 26 goals and 28 assists. He has the physical tools to be a successful offensive player, but it?s the mental aspect of the game that can give his coaches headaches. Despite being only 26, he doesn?t show many signs of improvement, as he has only 11 goals and 14 assists at the midway point this year. Hurricane fans and Fins alike would love to see him make bigger strides offensively, because in Carolina there sure isn?t much else to be excited about these days (except for maybe Taylor Hall...). 7. Saku Koivu ? Anaheim Ducks Saku will always been known for being the captain of the Montreal Canadiens, one of the most illustrious franchises in NHL history. He played 13 seasons in Montreal, and captained the team for nine of them. His continued perseverance was a large aspect of his leadership abilities, not only fighting through many hockey-related injuries, but also successfully battling cancer in 2001-02. He has won an award for both his perseverance (Bill Masterton Trophy, 2002) and leadership (King Clancy Memorial Trophy, 2007) during his career, and was voted to the 1998 and 2003 All-Star games for is playing ability. Saku was always a good offensive player, but never a great one; he always seemed to be a second-line center being forced to play on the first line because of his rank within the organization. His 670 points in 835 career games won?t jump out at you, but his work ethic and desire will. Despite taking on a much reduced role on the Ducks this year, his first NHL season away from Montreal, he has contributed 10 goals and 19 assists, and is an alternate captain. 6. Niklas Hagman ? Toronto Maple Leafs Did you know that Hagman?s father was the first Finnish born NHL player? Me neither. They are also the first father-son Finnish NHL combo. The 30-year-old Hagman is in his 9th season in the NHL, playing for his third club. After an unproductive stint in Florida where he failed to reach 30 points, he was traded to Dallas for a mere 7th round pick. Things did not start out well there either, but then showed some promise when he jumped from 17 goals in 2006-07 to 27 goals in 2007-08. That 27-goal outburst had Leafs management drooling, and they signed him to a 4-year deal worth $3mil a season. He has maintained his status as a good, but not great, second line winger, notching 22 goals in only 65 games last season while also dishing out a career-best 20 assists and 42 points. This year, he has 16 goals and 11 assists in 48 games for Toronto, not really showing any improvement. Toronto lacks scoring in the worst way, so Leafs fans should echo the plea of Fins who want Hagman contributing more in February. 5. Joni Pitkanen ? Carolina Hurricanes Another 26-year-old Hurricane makes the list, which unfortunately doesn?t say much for Team Finland. Despite the never-ending need for solid, young, puck-moving defenders, Pitkanen is playing for his third team since his 2003-04 rookie season. After being drafted 4th overall by Philadelphia, it took him only until his sophomore season to become a household name, leading the Flyers blue-line with 46 points in only 58 games. Then, after his career-high 13-goal/39-assist season in 2006-07 in which he led the team with 18 power play assists, he was traded to Edmonton for Oilers captain Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul. Then exactly one year later, he was traded to Carolina for Erik Cole. It?s possible that teams are expecting him to fully break out and become a fixture at the top of the points rankings for defensemen, but that may be unrealistic. He is, however, only 26 and capable of playing large minutes while providing steady defence, something both Carolina and Finland are in dire need of. 4. Kimmo Timonen ? Philadelphia Flyers Timonen?s fame in Finland dates back to 1993, where at 17, he was the youngest to ever play for the country in the IIHF World Junior tournament. He was selected in the 10th round of the 1993 Draft by the Kings, but continued to play in Finland for a number of seasons. After the 1998 Olympics, where he won bronze, the Kings finally gave up and dealt him to Nashville. He stayed in Nashville until 2007 after three straight 40 point seasons followed by two 50+ point seasons, and three All-Star nods. The 2006-07 season was his best statistically, with career-highs in goals (13), assists (42), points (55) and plus/minus (+20) while also being named team captain. The banner year proved to be fruitful, earning him a 6-year/$37.8million contract with Philadelphia. He was selected to his fourth All-Star game his first year there, and continues to thrive as an alternate captain. The trusty blue-liner will be trusted on very heavily in the Olympics, where he contributed 5 points in 8 games in 2006 ? his third Olympic appearance. 3. Olli Jokinen ? Calgary Flames Fair or not, high expectations have been placed upon Olli?s shoulders ever since he was drafted; that?s what happens when you are the third pick in the 1997 Draft behind All-Stars Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. After two uneventful seasons in L.A. and one on Long Island (42 points in 156 games), he made a name for himself in Florida where he played for seven full seasons. His first two years there, however, were much like his first three in the league (45 points in 158 games) while playing on a checking line. It wasn?t until 2002-03 that he started to break out, pouring in 36 goals and 29 assists, more than doubling his career-high in points thus far. 2005-06 was his next jump, with 38 goals and 89 points, followed by his career year of 39 goals, 52 assists and 91 points in 2003-04. It was within those two years that he was named team captain, a title he held until being traded to Phoenix during the 2008 Draft. The Coyotes hoped he would be the star veteran that would help lead the young players, but that didn?t work out the way either wanted as Jokinen toiled away in the desert and only potted 42 points in 57 games before being traded at the deadline to Calgary. This had the makings of a perfect marriage. Jokinen didn?t have to play the star or leader, as the Flames had that in Iginla. And the Flames hoped they had finally found the #1 center to play beside their captain. But he has only contributed 46 points in 68 games with Calgary so far in the regular season, not finding any sort of chemistry with wingers on any line. When he reached the playoffs with the Flames last year, it was his first time ever in the post-season after 799 regular season games ? the longest such drought of all time. He desperately needs to regain his #1 center status for both Calgary, and Finland. 2. Teemu Selanne ? Anaheim Ducks ?The Finnish Flash? was drafted way back in 1988 by a franchise that has since relocated, and almost done so a second time ? the Winnipeg Jets. He didn?t make his debut until 1992-93, but he entered the NHL with a bang. I am sure if you asked the casual fan to guess who holds the league record for most goals and points by a rookie, most would say Wayne Gretzky out of assumption. The owner of that record belongs to Selanne though, when he sniped his way to 76 goals and 132 points that year; he was a unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year, and an All-Star. In 1996 he was traded to Anaheim where he found incredible chemistry with line-mate Paul Kariya, scoring over 80 points in each of his 4 full seasons there (he also played two half seasons there in between trades). The 10-time All-Star was the first European-born player to win the All-Star Game MVP in 1998. After subsequent stops in San Jose and Colorado, he rejoined Anaheim in 2005 and worked his way back into ?elite? status, notching back-to-back 90+ point seasons, while at the same time becoming the first player over 35 to have back-to-back 40 goal seasons (he had 40 in 2005-06 and 48 in 2006-07). In the spring of 2007 he got what every player covets when he finally hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time. Many expected him to retire thereafter, but he is still playing, and playing well, this season ? he had 16 goals and 23 points in 30 games played. Selanne is only 5 goals shy of 600 for his career, and is a lock for the Hall of Fame having registered 1,235 points in 1,162 regular season games. He is out right now with a broken jaw, but should be back in time for his 5th Olympics. 1. Mikko Koivu ? Minnesota Wild The Wild drafted the younger Koivu as a 17-year-old in 2001, sixth overall. Now 26, Mikko is starting to come into his own as a potential All-Star. He has tallied 163 points in 218 games over the three seasons prior to this one, scoring 20 goals twice; pretty good numbers. This season he is on pace to exceed his career high of 67 points established last year, as he has 14 goals, 31 assists and 45 points in his first 50 games, and would likely be making his first All-Star appearance if there was one (there is no All-Star game this year due to the Olympics). He is quick, slick, and mature beyond his years, and was named the first permanent team captain in franchise history this past October (previously, the Wild organization rotated captains on an almost-monthly basis). In the Olympics, he will also have the familiarity with the arena on his side, as the Wild play in the same division as the Vancouver Canucks. This year, Mikko has proven that he is not only most talented player in his family, but on the Finnish squad. Lucky for Finland and Minnesota, he is only now approaching his prime. Up next: Czech Republic Nick can be reached at [email protected]