Ilves defenseman Otto Heinonen, 18, and forward Jani Nyman, 17, have been selected to the Finland’s U18 national team for the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championship. The tournament will be played in Kaufbeuren and Landshut, Germany on April 23 – May 1, 2022.
Otto Heinonen scored 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 25 regular season games for the Ilves U20 team this season and 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 9 games for the Ilves U18 team. The defenseman also played ten Mestis games with KOOVEE.
Jani Nyman spent most of the season on loan at KOOVEE. The forward amassed 35 points (18 goals, 17 assists) in 34 games and led the team in points in his first season at men’s league level. Nyman also registered one assist in ten Liiga games in the Ilves shirt and scored 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 3 games for the Ilves U20 team.
Ilves signed multi-year contracts with the duo last spring. Heinonen’s contract runs until 2024 and Nyman’s contract until 2023, after which the the club can activate the option year included in the forward’s contract.
Finland’s U18 boys national team head coach is Mika Marttila, who starts his work as Ilves development coach on May 16, 2022.
