The Sabres already have a pair of outstanding players repping their respective countries in the 4 Nations Face-Off. But on Sunday, we learned they weren’t finished yet. Henri Jokiharju, along with Urho Vaakanainen, are now repping Team Finland as replacements for Jani Hakanpaa and the great Miro Heiskanen.
While Suomi looks like a distant fourth-place team in the 4 Nations, Jokiharju gives them a proven player who can provide solid play in all three zones. No, he’s not a typical two-way player, but he’s also not a liability in the offensive zone.
Last season, Jokiharju snagged three goals and 20 points along with a plus-14 in 74 games through what was a lackluster campaign for the Sabres. This year, he’s got just one goal and three assists, or four points in 36 contests.
But he’s also rocking a plus-6 and at even strength, Jokiharju has a strong 92.8 on-ice save percentage. That said, he’s routinely part of a group that’s denying goals for opponents, and he’s pitching in when the Blue and Gold need to make something happen, evidenced by his 51.4 Corsi For Percentage.
Henri Jokiharju earns a well-deserved spot on Team Finland
No, Jokiharju won’t be a game-changer, and he’s nowhere near the impact player you see in Miro Heiskanen. But still, he makes for a solid consolation for the Stars high-powered blueliner and he does all the little things well.
And, given their overall lack of impact players as opposed to just a select few like Sebastian Aho, Suomi will need players willing to grind out every shift if they want a chance to take this tournament. Jokiharju provides that kind of insurance policy, as does fellow newcomer Urho Vaakanainen.
Both players will provide much-needed value against the forward-friendly Team Canada and Team USA. And if they can enjoy a nice, little uptick in production, maybe Finland will be that dark horse to take the 4 Nations Face-Off away from the two powerhouses, but they’ll also need a statement victory against Team Sweden.
Regardless, Jokiharju, who will join Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on Team Suomi, gives Sabres fans yet another reason to tune into the 4 Nations. Ditto for when Sweden plays so they can watch captain Rasmus Dahlin in action and the inevitable showdown between Sweden and Suomi. And it won’t be long until the action takes place now that January has faded into what let’s hope for a warmer February.