When the Bruins released Urho Vaakanainen to the Finnish team for the World Junior Championships last week, the hope was that he’d get some heavy ice time and get his legs back underneath him after missing time due to a concussion.
It’s worth noting, however, that Vaakanainen did, in fact, make an NHL roster out of training camp, making him an NHLer among teenagers. Sure, there’s a ton of NHL-level talent in this tournament, but he’s still a professional-level player.
For one fan at the Finland-Canada game last night, a chance to get an autograph from an NHLer was too good to pass up, and Vaakanainen was happy to oblige.