The semifinals of the IIHF World Junior Championship will begin on Thursday when Czechia will face Sweden in a rematch of last year’s semifinal. Last year, it was Czechia who emerged victorious with a hard-fought 2-1 overtime win, leaving the Swedes hungry for redemption.
United States vs Finland Semifinal:
- TV channel (Canada): TSN
- Live stream (Canada): TSN.ca, TSN app
- TV channel (U.S.): NHL Network
- Live stream (U.S.): WATCH
Team USA:
Team USA is seeking a sixth gold medal and first since 2021. The U.S. finished third last year with an 8-7 overtime win against the Swedes. The U.S. has won 11 of its past 15 World Junior Championship matchups against Finland and is 15-3-0-18 with one tie in 37 games.
Team USA has scored 36 goals in this tournament, averaging 7.2 goals per game. Also, there is not a team in the tournament (so far) that is within 30 shots on goal of their 203.
The impressive factor about their scoring has been the spread out. Fifteen players have scored for Team USA, and all 20 skaters have at least one point in this championship.
Watch United States vs Finland hockey semifinals: IIHF World Juniors without cable
Unlike any other team in this tournament, the USA has waves of talent. Cutter Gauthier (Philadelphia Flyers) leads the team with 10 points and nine assists. He is tied for fifth on the U.S. all-time assist list at the tournament; a record Doug Weight possesses with 14 assists he registered in 1991.
Both Gavin Brindley (six goals), Frank Nazar III (eight assists), and defenseman Lane Hutson (six points, all assists) are other players on the roster having a brilliant run.
On the back end, Lane Hutson has been up and down, but Zeev Buium and Seamus Casey have removed his burden. They’ve had good performances from both NCAA netminders Trey Augustine and Jacob Fowler as well.
Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) could start in goal after Jacob Fowler (Canadiens) made 23 saves in the win against Latvia. Augustine has won each of his two starts with a 1.50 GAA and has a .952 save percentage.
Team Finland:
Finland has finished among the top three in three of the past five World Junior Championships (gold medal in 2019, silver in 2022, bronze in 2021) and is eyeing its sixth gold medal.
Finland didn’t start the tournament the way they wanted to. At one point, they were at risk for the relegation game, but a win over Sweden made them finish the round-robin. They had a dramatic quarterfinal victory over Slovakia and now face Team USA.
Finland has always played with a strong structure, sound defensive play, and a physical brand of hockey that is about working the cycle and winning the board battles. They wear their opponents down. The group has had to work on its way to a typical Finnish game, but they’ve gotten there now.
That said, Finland has scored half as many goals as the USA in this tournament, with 18. A few of its goals against Slovakia came due to an aggressive forecheck and an ability to fish pucks out of the corners and make plays before the opponent team could get set.
In that game, they also showed an ability to pounce on mistakes and counter-attack in transition. Captain Jere Lassila (2024 draft eligible) has been the team’s most consistent player; he leads the team at scoring with seven points (three goals, four assists) in five games.
Kasper Halttunen (Sharks) has six points (three goals). He has exemplified Finns’ tournament so far; he struggled to convert early but came in hot as the event progressed.
Defensemen Kasper Kulonummi (Nashville Predators) and Otto Salin (Los Angeles Kings), who average 22:37 and 20:02 of ice time per game, respectively, are two other standout players on the Finnish roster; providing steady play to the Finn team. Regarding chance creation, Lenni Hameenaho has been exceptional for Finland and has begun to score points in recent games.
Goaltenders Niklas Kokko (Kraken) and Noa Vali have played significant roles in Finland. Kokko made 27 saves in a win against Slovakia in the quarterfinals, but given his standards, he’s yet to play his best game in this tournament.
On the other hand, Noa Vali, a W-rated goalie on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary players to watch list and projected sixth- or seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft, made 29 saves in a shootout win against host Sweden in the preliminary round.
Players To Watch:
Cutter Gauthier, C, USA (PHI):
Leading the tournament with 10 points, Gauthier has been doing most of this point damage with assists, with only one goal so far in this tournament. He has a sub-5% shooting percentage at the moment but has nearly 14% for the rest of the season.
Lenni Hämeenaho, RW, Finland (NJD):
After a poor start to the tournament, Hämeenaho has four points in his last three games, including a big goal against Slovakia in the quarterfinal. Hämeenaho plays a well-rounded game and can make things difficult for the opposition at both ends of the ice.
Lane Hutson, D, USA (MTL):
Averaging over 23 minutes a game, Hutson has points in every game but one. However, he hasn’t been as effective as he usually is in the NCAA. His dynamic puck skills and ability to get shots through have been shown but in flashes.
FaQ: United States vs Finland match
Q1. When is the USA vs Finland Semifinal?
The second semifinal between the USA and Finland will kick off at 1:30 pm ET at Scandinavium.
Watch United States vs Finland hockey semifinals: IIHF World Juniors without cable
Q2. How Can I Watch the USA vs Finland matchup in the United States?
In the United States, NHL Network will air the anticipated semifinal fixture between USA and Finland.
Q3. Where to Watch the USA vs Finland matchup in Finland?
TV5 will stream the semifinal matchup in Finland. Fans can watch the game by subscribing to its monthly package for only €34.99. Moreover, Discovery will also provide a live stream of the matchup for fans in Finland.
Q4. How to Watch the USA vs Finland stream in Canada?
In Canada, fans can watch the USA vs Finland semifinal live through TSN and TSN+.
How to Watch USA vs Finland Semifinal from Anywhere
Alternatively, you can go with NextMirror, another reliable streaming service that, among other events, is streaming the 2024 World Juniors Championship in high definition for a one-time payment of only $9.99. You don’t need to use any VPN to stream through this service. Also, there aren’t any hidden or automatic charges.