Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola an unlikely leader at the Olympics

The intense international tournament fully showcased the sheer depth of a veteran roster heavily built for another grueling postseason run, with Mikkola establishing himself as the absolute backbone of his national squad.

He put up three assists and a ridiculous +9 rating by doing the heavy lifting that wins short tournaments.

A +9 rating simply does not happen unless you are consistently on the ice for good results. Throughout the tournament, Mikkola routinely broke up the opposing transition game early and boxed out net-front traffic.

He moved pucks efficiently to get his squad out of trouble before the structure could collapse.

Over his NHL career, he has transformed into an incredibly reliable piece.

Maurice trusts him entirely to heavily punish opposing wingers on the penalty kill, and the coaching staff loves his commitment to controlled entries.

Carrying an absolute bargain cap hit of $2,500,000 for the rest of this season, bringing this massive wave of confidence back to Sunrise is terrible news for the rest of the Atlantic Division.

Mikkola's rock-solid defensive foundation allowed Team Finland to lean into a classic formula of calm reads and clean crisp passing.

This directly benefited his Panthers teammates, who thrived off the stability he provided on the back end:

Eetu Luostarinen: The absolute play-driver in the forward group, generating four assists and a +4 rating overseas.

He quietly pushed his line forward shift after shift by creating second touches to keep cycles alive and making the simple pass that turned into dangerous chances seconds later.

Anton Lundell: While he did not light up the scoresheet, his two points and +3 rating scream trust minutes against elite global talent.

He played the exact kind of steady two-way game that lets coaches sleep, taking smart routes through the middle and providing quick support in the defensive zone.

Fans are watching this trio shine brightly on the biggest stage and recognizing their true value. They return to regular action soon, bringing elite chemistry directly to the locker room.