The Lions’ World Championship team is strengthened again with a new NHL name.
The team heading to the Lions’ World Championship has received its third NHL reinforcement. The Finnish Ice Hockey Association announced late Thursday that defender Urho Vaakanainen will join the team for the EHT tournament in Sweden.
Vaakanainen has played 34 games this season with the New York Rangers.
– Vaakanainen brings toughness and defensive reliability to the team; he is a great addition to our squad, GM Jere Lehtinen stated in a press release.
The upcoming championships will be Vaakanainen’s first at the World Championship level. However, he has already experienced the national team atmosphere at last year’s 4 Nations tournament.
The 188-centimeter defender has been playing in North America since 2018 and has recorded 46 points (3+43) in 221 NHL games.
Previously, strong NHL names Aleksander Barkov and Anton Lundell from the Florida Panthers have already been named to the Lions’ roster.
The World Championships held in Switzerland will kick off on May 15.
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