Tuesday was the third day of the World Junior Summer Showcase to help determine the rosters for the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship, to be held in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, from Dec. 26-Jan. 5.
MINNEAPOLIS — There’s moments Finland goalie Petteri Rimpinen (Los Angeles Kings) still has flashbacks of the overtime goal he allowed in a 4-3 loss to the United States in the gold medal game of the IIHF 2025 World Junior Championship.
U.S. forward Teddy Stiga (Nashville Predators) scored the winner on a breakaway, forcing Rimpinen to move left to right before sliding the puck between the pads.
“Sometimes at night, sometimes during the day … it pops up,” Rimpinen told NHL.com. “I think it’s never going away. You’re going to remember that. At the end of the day, you also think about the good memories.
“I’d never change that whole 24-hour buildup to the final for anything because you have that kind of excitement. You know you’re playing for gold. It’s way better than winning bronze … you could be world champion.”
Rimpinen, chosen by the Kings in the fifth round (No. 152) of the 2025 NHL Draft, settled for second last year but is on a mission for more as a key returnee for Finland at the 2026 WJC.
“He was so great, game after game … his focus was so good,” Finland coach Lauri Mikkola said. “He’s always talking in the locker room and very outgoing, fun to be around, but when the game starts it’s amazing how he focuses in for the whole game and the next games.”
Finland will need Rimpinen to be fantastic again if it is to have any chance. He was named the tournament’s best goalie after finishing 5-2 with a 2.34 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and one shutout in seven games.
His nickname, “Showtime,” is on his skate blade.
“Our equipment guy put the inscription on my skate and teammates hyped it up,” he said. “I didn’t know about it at first, but the guys saw it in the locker room and just thought it was a good nickname, so now it’s with me.”
Rimpinen capped a showstopping season with Kiekko-Espoo in Liiga, Finland’s top professional men’s league, by being named its rookie of the year.
“I can tell you (Kings director of European Scouting) Christian Ruuttu wanted us to draft this guy before the World Juniors,” Los Angeles director of amateur scouting Mark Yannetti said. “The World Juniors did nothing but increase that excitement.”
Here are three things learned Tuesday:
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