Olli Määttä and Juuso Välimäki will wear a different jersey in February.
The Utah Hockey Club defensemen both earned roster spots on Team Finland for the first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off put on by the National Hockey League.
The seven-game, round-robin tournament from Feb. 12-20 will feature Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States as they battle for a winning record to advance to the one-game final. The first four contests will be held at Bell Centre in Montreal while the last three — including the championship — will be at TD Garden in Boston.
“It’s super exciting. Definitely was a goal of mine going into the year. Just super happy that I was able to make it,” Välimäki said. “It’s always been a big honor for me to wear that jersey. To be able to do it at this tournament will be awesome.”
Each country is allowed 23 players under NHL contracts on its roster and was tasked with selecting the top performers this season.
“I think it’s good for our organization as well, in a selfish way, in the sense that those guys will have the opportunity to play really important games, do or die,” head coach André Tourigny said. “The more you play those games, the more you learn to play under pressure, learn about yourself, learn how to prepare.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Newly acquired Utah Hockey Club defenseman Olli Maatta (2) warms up with the team for the first time before their NHL game against the Calgary Flames at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
The 4 Nations Face-Off will be the first time NHL players have been able to compete in a best-on-best tournament since the World Cup of Hockey in 2016. NHL players last played in the Olympic games in 2014 in Sochi before the league prohibited them from participating in 2018 and 2022 due to cost and season disruptions.
However, NHL players will return to the Olympics in 2026 and 2030 following the February agreement between the league, NHL Players’ Association, International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the International Olympic Committee.
Accordingly, the 4 Nations Face-Off is somewhat of a preview — and unofficial tryout — for which players could make the upcoming Olympic teams.
“I think these are awesome moments,” Määttä said. “As players, we’re excited. I’m sure the hockey world is excited, too.”
Määttä, who is a native of Jyväskylä, Finland, has represented his country in the past. He was part of the IIHF U18 World Championship in 2011 as well as the IIHF World Junior Championship from 2011-2013. Määttä went on to play for Finland in the 2014 Olympics and 2016 World Cup before joining the IIHF World Championship team in 2021 and 2023-2024.
The veteran defenseman arrived in a trade to Utah in late October and has added stability to the team’s backend ever since. Määttä has two assists in 15 games with Utah and is averaging 20:53 of ice time while skating on the first pair with Mikhail Sergachev.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club defenseman Olli Maatta (2) looks to pass against Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse (25) during the game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024.
“You don’t want to get too ahead of yourself because we’ve got a lot of things we’re working on here and we’ve got a good thing going on,” Määttä said. “At the same time, it’s an awesome thing.”
Välimäki, on the other hand, has had an up-and-down start to the season in Utah and is working to elevate his game ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The 26-year-old blueliner has skated in 19 of Utah’s 25 games and has one assist. Välimäki has most recently been on the third pair with Robert Bortuzzo and is averaging 16:54 of ice time a night. Following a stretch of healthy scratches, Välimäki has been in the last three consecutive games for Utah.
The Tampere, Finland native has played for his country before, too, including two Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournaments (2014-2015), two IIHF Under-18 World Championships (2015-16) and two IIHF World Junior Championships (2017-18). Välimäki earned a silver medal in 2015 and was the captain of Finland when it won gold in 2016.
“Those memories that I have wearing that jersey, they’re amazing. Obviously, I have a lot of friends from those teams and I think about those days a lot,” Välimäki said. “A little bit of a nice boost for myself. I want to raise my level of play a bit from what it’s been. That gives you a bit of confidence and happiness going into the next couple months.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Hockey Club left wing Matias Maccelli (63) looks to pass the puck during the first period of the game at Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.
Of the three Finnish players on Utah Hockey Club, Matias Maccelli was the only one left off of the Finland roster. After posting 57 points (17 goals, 40 assists) through 82 games last season, Maccelli has slowed down in production with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) through 25 games this year.
“It’s like in life, you always have two ways to react, it’s your decision,” Tourigny said of Maccelli not making the cut. “If you have no adversity in life, you are probably living in a unicorn world because it’s not happening. You have adversity, and you need to be able to battle through and react to it.”
Team Sweden was announced Wednesday morning, too, but Utah’s Kevin Stenlund did not make it. Utah captain Clayton Keller was left off of the United States’ roster and no one made the Canada roster, either.
