Chicago Blackhawks defenseman prospect Henri Jokiharju was left off Finland’s roster Monday for next month’s World Championship. The tournament is from May 4-20 in Copenhagen and Herning, Denmark.
The 18-year-old played for Finland in Carlson Hockey games prior to Monday’s roster announcement, but Finland ultimately decided to go with more experienced defenseman.
Jokiharju was drafted 29th overall in the 2017 NHL draft by the Blackhawks. The 6-foot, 181-pound defenseman scored 12 goals and had 59 assists in 63 games this season for the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL. He added eight points (three goals, five assists) in 12 playoff games.
The Oulu, Finland native is no stranger to representing Finland. The right-handed defenseman scored two goals and had two assists in five games during last year’s World Junior Championship and played in the 2016 WJC under-18 tournament. He has yet to play at Worlds.
Jokiharju was ranked No. 7 in Second City Hockey’s 2017 “Top 25 Under 25” series. He is the third highest ranked defenseman on the list and highest ranked player overall to not see NHL action, yet.
Currently, the Hawks will be represented by seven players and one assistant coach at Worlds. The United States will be captained by Patrick Kane and joined by forward Alex DeBrincat and defenseman Connor Murphy and Jordan Oesterle. Assistant coach Don Granto will serve in the same role for the Americans. Forwards Dominik Kahun (Germany), Tomas Jurco (Slovakia) and defenseman Erik Gustafsson (Sweden) will also play.