Finnish national team coach named reason for Salavat Yulaev players non-participation in Euro Hockey Tour

The Finnish national team's head coach, Jukka Jalonen, explained the reason for the refusal of the Salavat Yulaev's three players to compete at the third stage of the Euro Hockey Tour in Sweden. According to the national team coach, Teemu Hartikainen, Markus Granlund, and Sakari Manninen will not play for the Finnish national team due to the preparation for the KHL playoffs.

"I contacted several players from the KHL who are not currently involved. The playoffs start there a couple of weeks after our tournament, and they want to focus on that. This is perfectly understandable and acceptable. Each player makes his own decision about playing in the national team, and often it is time-related issues," Iltalehti.fi quotes Jalonen.

Recall that HC Salavat Yulaev, after a break for the Swedish ice hockey games, will host Kazan Ak Bars on February 18. The Bashkir team has five matches ahead in the current KHL regular season.