4 Nations Roster Remix: 2015 Finland team

The top NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States will go head-to-head at the 4 Nations Face-Off, a best-on-best tournament that will be held from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

Though this is the first tournament of its kind to feature these four countries, NHL.com and NHL.com International have put together what the rosters and line combinations for each country would have looked like in the past, going backwards in five-year intervals. The rosters will follow the same format as the current 4 Nations teams: 13 forwards, seven defensemen and three goalies.

The stories will run each Sunday through Feb. 9.

Today, NHL.com/fi senior writer Varpu Sihvonen reveals what her Team Finland roster would've looked like in 2015.

Forwards (13)

Jussi Jokinen -- Mikko Koivu -- Mikael Granlund

Lauri Korpikoski -- Valtteri Filppula -- Leo Komarov

Erik Haula -- Jori Lehtera -- Iiro Pakarinen

Tuomo Ruutu -- Aleksander Barkov -- Sean Bergenheim

Joel Armia

Finland would have been strong down the middle, led by Koivu, who had 48 points (14 goals, 34 assists) in 80 games with the Minnesota Wild in 2014-15. He got his 500th NHL point on April 9, 2015, making him the first Wild player and 10th Finnish player to reach that mark. Jokinen had 44 points (eight goals, 36 assists) in 81 games with the Florida Panthers that season. Versatile and skilled Granlund was Koivu's teammate in Minnesota, and those three players would have formed the top line. Filppula was a difference-maker for the Tampa Bay Lightning -- prior to his arrival (in 2013), the Lightning had made the Stanley Cup playoffs once since 2007. Tampa Bay reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2015, which was Filppula's third Cup Final appearance, and the Eastern Conference Final in 2016. Filppula became the eighth Finnish-born player to reach 1,000 NHL games in February 2020. Filppula would have anchored the second line, with Korpikoski and Komarov on his wings, giving Finland two strong scoring lines. Lehtera, Haula and Pakarinen would have formed a solid third line. Barkov, an NHL star in the making, could be the fourth-line center. Ruutu and Bergenheim would have been experienced linemates for Barkov to formulate a strong checking line. Armia would have been the 13th forward.

Defensemen (7)

Jyrki Jokipakka -- Sami Vatanen

Petteri Lindbohm-- Rasmus Ristolainen

Rasmus Rissanen -- Kimmo Timonen

Sami Salo

Finland would have been stretched thin on defense in 2015, as there were only seven NHL defensemen to begin with. Olli Maatta played 20 games all season. He was diagnosed with low-grade thyroid cancer that required surgery, and after his return, he reinjured the same shoulder that required surgery earlier in the year. While on injured reserve, Maatta was diagnosed with mumps, so he would not have been an option for this team. Vatanen scored an NHL career-high 12 goals in 2014-15 and had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 16 Stanley Cup playoff games helping the Anaheim Ducks reach the Western Conference Final. Vatanen skates and reads the game well and would have made a good top pair with Jokipakka, who was a late bloomer. Ristolainen played for Finland in the 2014 World Junior Championship, where he scored three goals in five games, including the winner in overtime against Sweden in the gold-medal game. Ristolainen could have been paired with Lindbohm, who played 23 games (two goals, one assist) and averaged 15:34 of ice time as rookie with the St. Louis Blues. The third defense pair would've included Timonen, who was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and right leg on Aug. 5, 2014, and Rissanen. The veteran Timonen only played in 16 regular season games in 2014-15 but would have served as a good mentor for the young Rissanen. Salo, who did not end up playing an NHL game in the 2014-15 season, would have been the seventh defenseman.

Goalies (3)

Pekka Rinne

Tuukka Rask

Kari Lehtonen

Rinne was having another strong season for the Nashville Predators in 2014-15, finishing 41-17-6 with a 2.18 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and four shutouts in 64 games, and was runner-up for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie. Rinne was the undisputed top Finnish goalie, even though Rask played 70 games and finished 34-21-13 with a 2.30 GAA, .922 save percentage and three shutouts. Lehtonen had his best NHL season in 2014-15. He appeared in 65 games, going 34-17-10 with a 2.94 GAA, .903 save percentage and five shutouts, and would have been the third goalie.