After a superb season in the Finnish Liiga and the Champions Hockey League, Karpat Oulu's Joonas Kemppainen and Joonas Donskoi played in their first World Championship. For two players who have been linemates for two seasons, the experiences were similar but different.

by Derek O'Brien, with contributions from Lukas Petoutka and Luke Fisher

After winning their second straight Liiga championship, Karpat Oulu's two offensive stars – centre Joonas Kemppainen and winger Joonas Donskoi – were both recognized for their contributions. In the regular season, both players made the league's all-star team for the first time as they recorded career-high point totals: 32 for Kemppainen had and 49 for Donskoi. In the playoffs, Kemppainen led all players with 24 points while Donskoi was next with 22 and won the playoff MVP award. 

“We won the Finnish championship in the seventh game and had a good season with our line,” 27-year-old Kemppainen stated matter-of-factly. He called the all-star nomination “the biggest individual achievement of my career so far.”

In addition the two forwards, neither of whom was expected to be a top-liner on Karpat at the start of the season, were named to the Finnish national team to play in their very first World Championship at the end of it.  

“It's great,” 23-year-old Donskoi said at the start of the tournament. “It's something new in my career. I hope I can play well and it's a good chance for me to play with great players like (Jussi) Jokinen and (Aleksander) Barkov. I know Barkov from junior national teams and Jokinen from Oulu.”

People who watched the pair play together this season might have been surprised to see Kemppainen and Donskoi split up. In addition to their domestic success, they were dynamic together in the Champions Hockey League as Karpat reached the semi-finals – each had 12 points in 12 games.

“I think it was really good to get the chance to play teams from different countries – it was a great experience,” Kemppainen said of the European club competition.  

“It's a little bit faster than the Finnish league, which is more tactical and defensive,” Donskoi elaborated, explaining why the CHL experience was a good one to prepare him for the World Championship.

On whether he'd expected to play on a line with Kemppainen, he said, “We've been playing together for two years on the same line in Karpat but, no, I didn't really expect anything. I'm happy just to make the team. Any role I can play is an honour.”

“I was pretty sure we'd pay on separate lines,” agreed Kemppainen, who was teamed with Janne Pesonen and Juhamatti Aaltonen. 

After losing their first game 5–1 to the United States, in which Kemppainen assisted on the lone Finnish goal, the team rebounded quickly to win the next four games all by shutouts. After five games, Kemppainen had eight points, as his line was firing on all cylinders.

“I don't know, maybe I have good linemates,” he shrugged when asked about his personal success. He was more interested in talking about the team's success.

“Our first game wasn't very good, but we've improved since then and both goalies have been good, so it's a good sign for our team that we haven't allowed any goals in four games.”

While Kemppainen started out on fire, it took Donskoi a while to get going. He had one point entering Finland's fourth game against Slovenia, but we was the team's most noticeable player in that game, showing some flash with the puck and leading a great individual rush that led to Barkov scoring Finland's third goal on a rebound. He was named the team's player of the game.

“It's good but I think it was a good game for the whole team – it was really a team effort,” he said, defecting credit away from himself – a trait both Joonases seem to share. “(In the tournament was) a bit of a slow start for me but our line is getting better all the time – we're getting more scoring chances.”

In the fifth game, the chances continued to come. Donskoi scored his first of the tournament, deflecting a point shot by Esa Lindell out of mid-air for the game-opening and game-winning goal against Slovakia. Kemppainen assisted on the second goal.

Donskoi credited coach Kari Jalonen with playing all four lines relatively evenly, giving each a chance to find their step. “We want to get our game going with all four lines, get fresh legs out there, I think that's good for us over the long term in this tournament,” he said. “It's an easy transition for me because I can play the same way I was playing with Karpat in Oulu.”  

The Finns finished the group stage with a pair of shootout victories over Belarus and Russia to finish second in Group B. Donskoi was now on fire, scoring a goal in regulation time each game and also notching both shootout winners to become the team's leading goal-scorer with five. Kemppainen's line had cooled off somewhat but he still shared the team lead in points with nine, tied with Jokinen.

That meant a trip from Ostrava to Prague face the host Czechs in front of a large, energetic crowd at O2 Arena. The line of Donskoi–Jokinen–Barkov continued to be Finland's offensive catalyst, manufacturing two of their goals in a 5–3 quarter-final loss. That meant the end of the tournament. Afterward, the pair had mixed feelings about their first World Championship.

“I don't think we generated the offence that we did the last couple of games,” Donskoi began. “I think both teams had good moments, it's hard to say, but five goals against is too many.”

Kemppainen was also disappointed, not only with the loss but with his own play. “I don't think I was very good the last few games,” he admitted. 

Upon reflection, he appreciated the chance to play in his first World Championship. 

“I think it was amazing, this whole tournament was well run and the hockey was great – playing against some of the best players in the world.”

“I met the biggest goals I made for myself so I feel it was a positive season,” Donskoi said about winning the Finnish championship and playing in his first World Championship. “It's always great to put this jersey on and represent Finland and it was a lot of fun. I think this team had a lot of potential and so  now we're disappointed, but overall it was a good experience.”

For two players from the Finnish Liiga on a roster dominated by NHL and KHL players, some would call it more than a positive experience. Kemppainen started off hot, then cooled off, while it took Donskoi a while to get going, but in the end they finished second and third in team scoring with 9 (3 + 6)  and 8 (5 + 3) points, respectively. 

So what lies ahead for the Joonases from Oulu? After the season they had, there should certainly be a lot of interest elsewhere. While Kemppainen is a free agent, Donskoi is signed for another year with Karpat. However, that hasn't prevented the rumour mill from swirling – he's headed to the San Jose Sharks according to some reports. 

“There were a lot of NHL players in this tournament, so it was a good opportunity for me to compare myself with them,” he said optimistically. “My goal is to play in North America – I hope I can play there some day.”