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Another Red Wings Player Heading to Worlds

Maatta to play for Finland

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3 weeks ago

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Olli Maatta, Red Wings
Red Wings defenseman Olli Maatta will be playing for Finland at next month's IIHF World Championship.

It’s rare that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Olli Maatta turns down a chance to play international hockey for Finland. This year isn’t going to be the that he says no to his homeland.

The Finnish Hockey Association is revealing that Maatta will be part of the country’s lineup at the IIHF World Championship next month in Czechia.

“Maatta is a strong reinforcement for the defensive end,” Finland GM Jere Lehtinen said. “It’s great that we can get him to the games.”

This will be the third world championship appearance for Maatta, 29. He won a silver medal with Finland in 2021. Maatta has also played for his country in the Olympic Games (2014) and World Cup (2017), as well as in the World U18 and U20 championships.

Several Red Wings Heading To Worlds

Maatta will be seeing plenty of familiar faces around the rinks at the world championship. Lucas Raymond is playing for Sweden. The Swedes were revealing on Sunday that they’d obtained insurance protection for Raymond, a restricted free agent in the NHL.

Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, defenseman Jeff Petry and goalie Alex Lyon are suting up for the USA. Detroit head coach Derek Lalonde will be serving as an assistant coach for USA Hockey. Red Wings goalie coach Alex Westlund is filling a similar role with the USA squad.

It’s still uncertain whether Detroit defenseman Moritz Seider will be playing for Germany. Like Raymond, he’s an impending RFA and will need insurance coverage to protect him against injury in the tournament.

According to German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) sports director Christoher Kunast, the DEB is in a “very good exchange” regarding Seider’s situation. He’s hopeful that they can come to an arrangement for the 23-year-old defenseman to play in the tournament.

The IIHF World Championship games are slated to begin in Prague on May 10.

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