Finland Adds Bruins Goalie to Olympic Roster as Injury Replacement

Team Finland's plans in the crease were thrown into the bin after an injury.

Jan 26, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) tends net against the New York Rangers during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Just eight days remain until the puck drops for Team Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan. With the start of the most prestigious international tournament about to commence, the nation announced that Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo would replace Buffalo Sabres netminder Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen after the latter suffered a lower-body injury.

Luukkonen, a former second-round pick by the Sabres in 2017, was in the midst of one of the best seasons of his young career before he suffered the injury in the second period of a 7-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 27. Through 21 games, he had accumulated a 2.73 goals-against average and a stout .902 save percentage. He was set to be a key piece in Finland’s run at the gold medal, but the injury put those plans into the rearview.

Korpi gets the call 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ovH0xrA6oI

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 3, 2026

Now that Luukkonen is no longer an option, Finland is forced to turn elsewhere. Its eyes landed on Korpisalo, who through 21 games this season is 10-8-1 with a 3.12 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage. A native of Pori, Finland, Korpisalo brings a veteran mindset to Finland’s roster (not that the team is lacking in that regard).

While his days of appearing in 50-plus games are over — he appeared in 55 matchups in his lone season with the Ottawa Senators in 2023-24 — his status as a steady backup to Jeremy Swayman has helped the Bruins remain in playoff contention this season. Finland hopes that experience translates to the ice in Milan against some of the best hockey players in the world.

Team Finland is in Good Hands

Dec 9, 2025; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) celebrates his goal against the Winnipeg Jets Mikko Rantanen (96) and Miro Heiskanen (4) in the second period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images | James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

Team Finland’s roster is littered with NHL talent. With a strong forward group led by Mikko Rantanen (Dallas Stars) and Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes), the country shouldn’t have any trouble scoring. Add in other players like Roope Hintz (Stars), Mikael Granlund (Anaheim Ducks) and Artturi Lehkonen (Colorado Avalanche), and it’s clear that Finland boasts some of the best scorers the hockey world has to offer.

The blue line should be formidable as well. Players like Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell, both from the Stars, will be formidable foes for any forward looking to score throughout the tournament.

Where Finland lacks the most, however — at least compared to Canada, Sweden and the United States — is on the goaltending front. That deficiency becomes even more of a detriment after the injury to Luukkonen. With a goalie trio of Korpisalo, Kevin Lankinen (Vancouver Canucks) and Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators), it’s difficult to see Finland’s netminders stacking up with the best of the best from the other “big three” countries. Of course, that trio of goalies aren’t slouches, but when analyzing it based on what other teams have, it’s evident that Finland is somewhat lacking.

That being said, Finland’s chances of making a run at the gold still appear to be intact. With Rantanen and Aho, everything is possible for the Finns.

Team Finland begins Olympic competition against Slovakia on Feb. 11. It will then face Sweden on Feb. 13 before rounding out the group stage against Italy on Feb. 14.

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