Rasmus Ristolainen doesn't get invite to Finnish Olympic team meeting; officials explain why

Preparations are already underway in Finland to choose a team for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Officials there held a meeting Wednesday that included several players who are expected to make the team. One name that was noticeably absent was Rasmus Ristolainen, who was recently traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Philadelphia Flyers. He was not invited.

Ristolainen has plenty of experience at the NHL level, playing close to 550 NHL games. However, coach Jukka Jalonen told Is.fi the reason for not inviting Ristolainen is simple.

"He has been asked many times to participate in the World Cup in the spring, and he has not come. We thought, well, he won't be asked for this first event," said Jalonen.

"What happens after that, time will tell. How does the player react to this situation and the issue? If he is positive about this in the way that he wants to fight for a place in the Games, then that place is possible to get," Jalonen continued. "Then you just have to play hockey well."


Some of the players who were invited and attended the meeting in Finland include Aleksander Barkov, Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho and Miro Heiskanen. It is not yet guaranteed that NHL players will actually participate in the 2022 Winter Olympics as details are still being worked out. However, the players are eager to be involved.