Most young players view the opportunity to play at the World Juniors as an exciting one. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case for Jets prospect Kristian Vesalainen. Jussi Ahokas, the head coach of Team Finland, acknowledged to Yle Urheilu, a Finnish newspaper, that the 19-year-old declined their invitation to suit up in this year’s tournament which gets underway on December 26th. Instead, the winger has opted to remain with Jokerit of the KHL.
Vesalainen has participated in this event in each of the last two years. He had a quiet showing in his draft-eligible year, picking up just a single goal and an assist but 17-year-olds don’t often have a significant impact in this tournament. However, he was more productive last year, picking up six points in five games to tie Eeli Tolvanen (a Nashville first rounder) for the team lead in scoring.
2018-19 has been a bit of a strange season for Vesalainen. He made Winnipeg’s roster out of training camp but played a very limited role, logging less than seven minutes of ice time per game. He was loaned to their AHL affiliate in Manitoba where he fared better, picking up eight points in as many contests. Just before he was eligible to activate his European Assignment Clause, the Jets recalled him in mid-November but at the same time, Jokerit (a Finnish team) acquired his KHL rights from SKA St. Petersburg. After spending a couple of days with Winnipeg, the team had a change of heart, re-assigning him to the AHL where he quickly triggered his assignment clause. It appears that playing for three different teams already is enough for Vesalainen and he will remain with Jokerit instead of taking one final run at a Gold Medal at the World Juniors.