#finnish hockey league

[innudoggy]

(Scroll down for English)

Sain joululomalla ”hienon” idean tehdä Suomen jääkeikkoliigan joukkueista Dungeons and Dragons -hahmoja. Inspiraation lähteenä käytin sekä nykyisiä että vanhoja joukkuelogoja sekä itse kaupunkeja, joista ne ovat. Alla ovat jo valmiiksi saadut hahmot.

In English:

I had a “great” idea of drawing the teams of the Finnish hockey league as Dungeons and Dragons characters. I used both recent and older logos of the teams as well as the cities themselves a source of inspiration. The already finished characters can be found below.

[lahti111]

Omg my boys really did!!!

First time in the medal games since 2012

[theflyingfeeling]

the love of my entire life

[werewolfbneimitzvah]

Got an espn notification and the preview that flashed across the top of my screen said something like "the shoe-ins for team canada-" and i thought to myself "it starts in 2 days, don't we already know the rosters???" before i expanded the notif and saw it said something about the 4 nations tournament. For a moment i lived in a world where the only national teams were the women's teams.

[uniqrenders]

[randomlythings]

Things you might not know about me

Photo by Miguel u00c1. Padriu00f1u00e1n on Pexels.com What’s something most people don’t know about you?Daily Writing Prompt Oh, happy days! I can talk about myself—not. I don’t like talking about myself. I’m not that vain. But I’m not talking; I’m writing. There are a lot of things people don’t know about me. My family members are all gone, but not even they knew exactly everything about me.…

[discolesbo]

Sad news

At the age of 29, Finland's first openly gay ice hockey player in the Finnish Elite League, Janne Puhakka, has been killed. The suspected killer is Puhakka's Norwegian partner, vet Rolf Nordmo.

Puhakka is a great inspiration for coming out of the closet in the hockey scene, where it is difficult to be openly gay. In 2022, he won the Helsinki Pride "Role Model of the Year" award.

[kentsjohnson91]

KJ RUN DOWN

for my lovely friend @cupidbedsy (and anyone else who wants to know more about kj)!

- born october 18, 2002 (22)

- grew up in port moody, british columbia

- he is half finnish! his mom was born in finland, but moved to canada at a really young age. his middle name is kalevi, which translates to “ancestor of the finns.”

- grew up a canucks fan, but cites johnny gaudreau as his inspiration → "i was obviously a canucks fan, but there was one playoff series where i was just loving it because johnny was dominating, and they beat the canucks. i was like, 'man, this guy’s unreal.’.”

- “gaudreau was small in comparison to most nhl players. generously, he was listed at 5 feet 9, 165 pounds. johnson, who is 6-0, 180, grew up as the smallest player on the ice before he turned 14 and shot up “about three inches a year” over four years.”

- “before those growth spurts, johnson firmly believed he'd be gaudreau’s size. it created a chip on his shoulder and fueled his drive.”

- "johnny was obviously a great player, but kent had a real connection to john because he was really small," jay johnson said. "he was, by far, the smallest kid on his teams. he was good when he was little, so he made the bantam aaa team when he was only 90 pounds, when the average kid might’ve been 120 or 130, and some way bigger. so, he had that connection to johnny. he just loved how he played hockey, and he told me at some point, ‘if johnny gaudreau can do it, i can do it, too.’ "

- “you know how it is with small guys,” kent johnson said. “it”s like, ‘can they do it in the playoffs?’ obviously, i hated hearing that, and i loved seeing johnny prove those guys wrong. so, i would study his game a lot. there’s some little things i do now that i feel like i got first from watching him.”

- he played junior hockey for the trail smoke eaters of the bchl. in the 2018-2019 season, he scored 20 goals and had a total of 26 points in 57 games. in the 2019-2020 season, he won the brett hull trophy as the league’s leading scorer with 41 goals and 60 assists in 52 games!

- he was named bchl first-team all-star, bchl most sportsmanlike player, bchl mvp, and canadian junior hockey league forward of the year!

- played college hockey at the university of michigan for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons

- drafted 5th overall by the columbus blue jackets in 2021

- scored the golden goal for canada in the wjc gold medal game to beat finland

- signed an entry-level contract with the blue jackets on april 8, 2022

- as of december 9, 2024, he has 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) in 13 games played during the 2024-2025 season

- he is on pace for 94 points this season

[grantmentis]

Women's Hockey Roundup: October

Woof, I fell off of these for a while. Blame baseball and college! Anyway, I'm going to just do what happened in women's hockey in October (and maybe the last few days of September) for all leagues. This is only confirmed news and games, so rumors are not included

If you're new, i recap the top stories from around club play women's hockey (so not collegiate) and try to give more detail on european women's hockey, since that's less reported on in north america :-) Feel free to add if i miss anything!

PWHL (USA/Canada)

The PWHL schedule has been released! We have a few TBD's in venues, most likely for playing select games in bigger venues or neutral sites. we do not currently have streaming/television info, so stay tuned for that. There will be a preseason, but not open to the public.

Training Camp Begins November 12, with preseason/mini camps The 19-22. New York's training camp roster is here. Boston's is here. Minnesota's is here. Montreal is here. Ottawa's is here. Toronto's is here.

Nov. 27: Deadline to finalize rosters of 23 players and 3 reserves

Abigail Boreen signed a three year deal with the Montréal Victoire. She played with the Minnesota Frost last year, including in the playoffs, as a reserve player.

Ronja Savolainen signed a three year deal with the Ottawa Charge. She played with Luleä most recently and is a star of the Finnish national team.

Sarah Lefort, most recently with Montréal Victoire, has announced her retirement

The PWHL has begun the process of expansion for 2025-2026, targeting two new cities

SDHL (Sweden)

Fanni Garát-Gasparics signs with Brynäs IF, though is still rehabbing the injury she sustained last year with the Ottawa Charge

Dutch national team legend Savine Wielenga signs with Leksands IF

Rookie Reece Hunt of Luleä is out for the season with a torn knee ligament

Frölunda general manager Kim Martin Hassons is extended to 2028, and head coach Erika Holst is extended to 2026. Frölunda has been massively successful thus far this year, currently in second place in the standings and coming off a big win against firs place Lulëa

While Luleä and Frölunda are at the top of the table, MoDo is making noise in third place, having won six of their last eight.

A couple key story lines: -> Finish National Team forward, Elisa Holopainen (Frölunda) is lighting the league on fire in her first year in the SDHL. She has 9 goals and ten assists in 13 games -> We have a few wonderful comeback stories this year. Hanna Olsson (Frölunda) is back to her old self after missing most of last year with injury, with 16 points in 13 games, good for fourth in the league. Erica Reider, (Luleä) who did not play for two seasons, looks like she never left, currently leading all defenders i the league in points. And Kassidy Sauvé (SDE), who missed almost two full season's with a hip injury, currently leads all goaltenders in save percentage. -> MoDo Hockey is being powered almost entirely by a youth movement: top producers Ebba Hedqvist, Adéla Šapovalivová, Mira Hallin, and Lovisa Engström are all 18 or younger and playing prominent roles on the 3rd place team

Auroraliiga (Finland)

Canadian Emma Hall joins KalPa after playing in the NDHL (Sweden's second division) last year

Kärpät will retire the number 20 in honor of long time legend Saija Tarkki. After 21 seasons with Kärpät as well as the Finnish national team, Tarkki retired in 2019. She will be honored Novembe 23rd.

A Couple key storylines: -> 18 year old Czech forward Barbora Juříčková i having a breakout year with HPK, already surpassing her point total from last season with 22. She joins Emma Ekoluoma (Ilves), who was a star on the U18 Finnish team last year, as one of the young players to keep an eye on in this league -> Kiekko-Espoo sits at the top of the table, with Ilves right behind. Last year's champions HIFK are feeling the loss of several star players and sit in fourth place. -> Sister's Jennika , Joanna and Jatta Ojala all played for the same team together for the first time at the top level for Team Kuortane

SWHL A / Postfinance Women League (Switzerland)

Not technically league play, but since they play in this league too ill put it here: EV Zug won the EWHL Euro Cup, which is played at the beginning of the season including select club teams across europe! They bear the German league's Memmingen to do so. Noemi Neubauerova, who is set to play with the Toronto Sceptres when the PWHL game begins, scored the game winning goal

Sponsor PostFinance announces that in 2025/2026, they will only financially support men's club teams that have a women's counterpart

Nadine Hofstetter of EV Zug is out three weeks with a broken finger. She is one of the team's veteran defenders who also plays for the Swiss national team. Vanessa Ryhner, Nina Harju, and Julia Näf are also out with injury for EV Zug, though Rhyner should be back any day now.

ZSC Lions Fraun is hit with injuries: Slovakian forward Tereza Lahova is out for the year with injury, and Aurela Thalmann and Alena Polenská (aka Alena Mills) are also injured. They are calling up Univ. of Saskatchewan alumni Sophie Lalor

A few storylines: -> Elizabeth Lang (HC Davos Ladies) is leading the league in points in her rookie year and scoring at a goal per game pace. She graduated from University of Calgary last year -> Lara Stalder (EVZ Women's team) continues to do Lara Stalder things and is tied with Lang in goals, but newcomers Michaela Pejzlová (HC Ambrì-Piotta Girls) and Clara Rozier (SC Bern Fraun) who were stars in last year's finnish league are close behind. The top scorer race for this league will be exciting, and that's not to mention old friends like Rahel Enzler and Estelle Duvin, among others. -> HC Davos Ladies is currently at the top of the standings, but EV Zug and SC Bern Frauen are very close behing them -> 18 year old Ivana Wey (EVZ Women's Team) has been off to a blistering hot start, a lot of hype surrounding her after a strong performance at both u18 and senior worlds. Another interesting young player is Lucie Tenenbaum, an American set to play at Minnesota State next year but is spending this year in Switzerland. The 18 year old has 5 goals and two assists with HC Davos Ladies so far

EWHL (Central/East Europe)

EV Bozen Eagles are currently dominating the league, with the help of players such as import Kristin Della Rovere, who has 16 points in 9 games. The Bozen eagles are part of a larger plan to help get italy's women's national team ready for the 2026 olympics

HK PSRZ Bratislava are undefeated thus far this season, after winning last year's title.

Canadian USport alumni are thriving in this league; Cassidy Maplethorpe, Hannah Tait, and Lauren Nicholson among top goal scorers

Slovak Ema Tothova continues to be the young player to watch, after her breakout seeason last year the 17 year old forward has 10 goals in five games. She is also competing in a boy's league in Slovakia while playing in the EWHL

OTHERS

watch this space for Czech forward Adéla Mynaříková to mak the u18 team this year. She's 15 and just steamrolling people in the Czech top league, with 15 goals and 5 assists in 8 games playing against a lot of grown adults

Norweigan forward Une Bjelland Strandborg, who was arguably one of the best NCAA DIII players of all time and graduated last year, is killing it in Germany's league with newly added Austrian team HK Budapest. She has 7 points in 6 games

[fossore]

Mikael Granlund got named to the Four Nations Tournament roster for Finland so the Sharks radio broadcast did a nice segment on him and his impact on the team during the first intermission of the 5Dec24 game against the Lightning. Includes interviews with Sturm and Warsofsky, as well as commentary from Demers.

Transcript below the cut (very lightly edited for clarity)

Dan Rusanowsky: Mikael Granlund, who has 10 goals and 19 assists, 29 points in 26 games, having a fabulous season, was just named to the Four Nations roster for Team Finland. Everybody expected that but when it happened it was a huge kind of roar of applause inside that Sharks dressing room I'm sure. Nico Sturm was talking about Mikael Granlund's contributions to the team this year and I think you'll be impressed by what he said.

Nico Sturm: He's our most important player. Y'know, obviously with Cooch having been out for a while too, I think he's kind of filled the big leadership role as well and usually addresses y'know the team kind of before we get out on the ice and stuff so. And I personally y'know have tried to take time with him before skates, before practices, and working on my soft skills, working on my hands with him. I try to pull him aside and work with him, y'know, 10 minutes before practice, because I think he's one of the best at, y'know, having the puck on his stick and just kind of cradling the puck and how soft he grips his stick, I try, y'know, even at my—at this point in my career—I still look for players where I think I can learn a thing or two from them and Granny's definitely one of those kind of players

Rusanowsky: Now we know that Nico Sturm is one of the more dedicated workers on the Sharks roster, but that's really impressive. You think about it, Mikael Granlund not only influencing young players like Celebrini and like Will Smith, Eklund, and Zetterlund, but he's influencing a seven-year NHL veteran who's already won a Stanley Cup.

Jason Demers: I mean yeah, and that's just the way he carries himself day to day and I mean Finland's a—he is a very famous Finnish player in this league, and he's done a lot of great things in his career, and he continues to do it at such a, y'know he's not—I don't consider him super old and in the NHL right now, he's actually old in today's NHL but he seems to be getting better, taking care of himself, I mean he looks like he's in just, fantastic shape, and does all the right things and he's really a quiet quiet leader which I love to see.

Rusanowsky: Thirty-two years of age, Mikael Granlund in his 13th year as a professional in North America and in the NHL, going to the Four Nations Tournament, and here's the value that he presents to the coaching staff. Here's Ryan Warsofsky.

Ryan Warsofsky: The leadership he's done for our group and our younger players, the way he competes every single day whether that's a practice day or a game day, he's a true pro. He's obviously done a really good job here on the stat sheet but there's so much more than his game that has helped us where we've started to win some games 'cause of him. Again, he's just a guy that the way he works, the way he competes for 50/50 pucks, wins races, smart smart hockey player. He's a really good player and I'm not surprised.

Rusanowsky: Some thoughts on Mikael Granlund who's going to represent his country at the Four Nations tournament in February.

[auroraliiga]

Sanni Hakala and her wife, Danny Stone

Finnish national team player and HV71 captain Sanni Hakala was severely injured in a collision with a goal post during a Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) match last month. The accident left her paralyzed from the chest down, ending her ice hockey playing career and presenting many new challenges.

If you are able, please donate to the GoFundMe established in her name to help cover her extensive medical expenses. The fundraiser is in Swedish krona (kr or SEK), which is easily converted to US dollars (US$1 ≈ 10kr) or Euros (1€ ≈ 11kr).

[ered]

in case you've missed it, and I'm assuming most of you have, we're having a presidential election here in Finland. First round is currently going on, so I thought I'd give you a quick run down of our candidates!

(in alphabetical order, party in parentheses)

Mika Aaltola (independent): Has mainly worked in academia and apparently has experience in international politics, which is good for the job. I honestly know next to nothing about this dude, but he seems to positively radiate Just Some Guy energy. What would be interesting about him winning: I have no idea. Chances of winning: Ehhh - but it wouldn't be the first time we get a president from outside the daily politics.

Li Andersson (Left Alliance): current leader of the Left Alliance, former Minister of Education. What most people seem to say about her: "she's clearly the best choice, but has no chance of winning so I won't be voting for her." What would be interesting about her winning: first Left Alliance president Chances of winning: Unfortunately slim. Left Alliance is a small party and half of the country still seems to think they're Evil Communists.

Sari Essayah (Christian Democrats): she's also the leader of her party. Most known for being a former racewalker and religious. What would be interesting about her winning: How the hell did it happen??? Chances of winning: zero.

Pekka Haavisto (Green League): Former Minister of the Environment, International Development, and Foreign Affairs (three different terms, not all at once). He was born in 1958 and hasn't done much beyond politics. He's been in the presidential race twice already too, both times losing to our current president, Sauli Niinistö. What would be interesting about him winning: first gay president. Chances of winning: he made it to the final round twice already, so maybe third time's a charm? He has been polling first this time around.

Jussi Halla-aho (Finns Party): a prominent rightwing blogger, a Slavic linguist by education, and the current Speaker of the Parliament. He's "immigration critical" in the same vein "gender criticals" tend to be. He's is considered something of an intellectual in the rightwing circles despite having the vibes of an anthropomorphic raisin, and has amassed a cult following - who literally call him Mestari (master, but in Finnish the vibes are more a master of a trade and not some dude who spanks you in the bedroom. What would be interesting about him winning: finding out if I can immigrate to Denmark. Chances of winning: none if I can help it, but like I said, he does have a very solid fanbase.

Hjallis Harkimo (Movement Now): best known for being the owner of an ice-hockey team or something. His real name is Harry and for some reason he has been elected into the parliament twice. I assume it's the famous allure of a "successful businessman" or because he's something of a celebrity? Who knows. What would be interesting about him winning: How did it happen? Chances of winning: slim.

Olli Rehn (Centre Party): Served as the Minister of Economic Affairs for like a year under our most fuck-witted prime minister in recent history. Not much else to say about it. Somehow seems older than Pekka Haavisto tho he's actually younger. What would be interesting about him winning: absolutely nothing. He's so dull it's almost offensive. Chances of winning: who knows? Maybe he'll be a dark horse if all other candidates fall flat.

Alexander Stubb (National Coalition Party): Former Prime Minister, and former Minister of Finance. He's ehhhhhh not the worst possible option, honestly, and is on the more liberal side of the Rich Getting Richer party. What would be interesting about him winning: how will he be different from our current (National Coalition Party) president, I guess Chances of winning: last I checked, he was polling second, so I guess it's a possibility?

Jutta Urpilainen (Social Democratic Party): Former Minister of Finance. Social Democrats are one of the biggest parties we have, but they took a while deciding on who to pick. She's alright. Social Democrats are usually fine, and she'a long term Social Democrat. What would be interesting about her winning: uhh... possibly the first president to have released a Christmas album? Chances of winning: I just don't think she's that popular, to be honest. But she might make it into top three at least, like I said, it's one of the biggest parties behind her.

[princesstillyenna]

I just found your NYR punishment verse and first of all, holy shit. I may have binge read the entire series one after the other. It was such a fascinating take and I’ll admit I don’t know a ton about the Rangers so it was fun getting to know them through your portrayal of them. I kind of desperately want to pick your brain about the goalies especially now that Georgiev is in Colorado. The legacy of Lundqvist, the dynamic between Shesterkin and Georgiev. What was it like that last year in New York? It feels like you alluded to some friction between them and I kind of want to know more. Thank you for sharing your writing I’m gonna go read through some of your other fics now.

OMG NONNIE LOVELY TO MEET YOU!!!!!

<3 thanks for the binge!!! THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT A READER CAN GIVE

There was A LOT of tension. And I can give you some of the backstory...

Sooo back in 2014, Henke was at his PRIME but hockey is a long game, and they knew that eventually they would need someone to replace him, so they draft in the fourth round, an incredible young goaltender from Russia. The plan is, that he'll develop in Russia for a couple of years, and then come and train and develop in New York, and as Henke grows older, the new up and coming goalie will train under him (and Benny obviously) and eventually take over as the starter, and it'll be a beautiful slow transition.

So, two years later, they're like "OK, Igor, time to be done with the KHL" and Igor is like "Nope, because I get paid a LOT here, and also my girlfriend who is a model, is here, and my boyfriend who is also a goaltender, is here... no."

So the rangers start talking to this undrafted goalie in the finnish league. He's pretty good, he's backed up the U20s russian team a couple of times, he'll do. He's a great gap filler, and they'll keep him to back up Hank for a year or so, and then send him down to hartford (AHL)

Except, well, Igor KEEPS saying no to coming over to New York, and this other russian kid? Turns out, he's better than expected? And is developing pretty well, and either Benny Allaire really DOES work magic, or the ghost of goaltenders past watch over the new york rangers or something along those lines, but anyhow, Georgie starts turning into a really good goalie, not a great one, but one that, with time, could be part of a good tandem with Henke. We're also going to note here that his name is Alexandar, but unlike a lot of russian speakers of that name, he doesn't go by Sasha, he prefers to be called Alex. He's REALLY introverted, like, INCREDIBLY introverted (side note, his instagram is the most pathetic thing in the world and if you go and look at it I promise you will want to give him a cuddle)

And for a couple of years, this works, really, really well.

And then Igor (and his boyfriend, and his girlfriend) decide to come over to New York. he's like HI, HERE I AM, THE PRODIGAL SON! I HAVE ARRIVED. And they give him until December to settle in in Hartford, to learn the different rink size, to learn english (something he doesn't actually need to do, despite what he says, watch his interviews when he was IN hartford, he speaks english just fine) and to get used to being in North America

And then, 6 days after his 25th Birthday, they decide to give Igor a try in Madison Square Garden. And just like he'd been utterly incredible in Hartford, he was utterly incredible 

Enter 2020, when covid-19 wasn't the biggest problem faced by the new york rangers management, because that was in fact what was referred to as "the three goalie problem"

They had, all three, Henke, Alex and Igor on the NHL roster, which wasn't the MOST stupid roster move I've ever seen them do, but it's up there. Every night, one would be in net, one would be on the bench and one would be a healthy scratch. Now in case you don't know this, goalies don't tend to do well if they have long periods without playing a game, it takes a special kind of goalie to be the kind of backup who plays 20 games a season... and none of these men are particularly it. Management know they can't keep all three of them, they're all too good to be playing in the AHL, but Henke isn't ready to retire yet, and he's supposed to be a ranger until he retires, and there's no way in hell they want anyone else in the in the league to get their hands on Igor, but also there's the issue that long term, Alex is a better option than Hank, who should be retiring in a couple of years

There's also the issue of personalities, as previously described, Alex is quiet, he prefers to read a book over hanging out with his teammates, and Igor can best be described as... a little shit. Igor slots in with the boys on the team, and particularly the russian speakers, very quickly, in a way that Alex never particularly seemed to. 

Now, the rangers management are bought a little time by two things, the first being that Igor sadly breaks a couple of ribs in a car accident, putting him on the IR for six weeks, the second being that the international pepperami put the entire league on hold. When the league introduced the "unlimited goalies" rule for the rosters taken into the bubble for the bubble playoffs many of us joked that it was purely for the new york rangers because there was no way of knowing who the heck to take. 

At the end of that summer, Hank was the one traded (to the Washington capitals (for whom he never actually ended up playing)). Now, personally my theory is that both Igor and Alex would have rather it was the other traded not Henke. Igor has made no secret of the fact that growing up, his favourite goalie was Henrik, and he was delighted to be drafted by the rangers, specifically because he would get to learn with Henke. Alex on the other hand has worked his ass off to get to where he is, and I can't imagine how it would feel if some smug irritating (I love igor, but he is very smug, and if his smile wasn't so charming, some of his behaviour would be very irritating) upstart turned up and was a lot better at your job was you. This is also the point where it's worth noting that in interviews, Igor consistently refers to Alex as Sasha, something that we know Alex doesn't like. 

Igor and Alex played together for two seasons with Igor as the clear starter, they were, due to some other factors a rather tense two seasons (this is already far far too long, but some time I might write out the whole saga with tony de-angelo, but it's notable, that our quiet, introverted Alex got into a fist fight). Eventually Alex got traded to Colorado where he is playing as the starter, and honestly, it's where he deserves to be, and I hope he is adored there because I have a really really soft spot for Alex.

Igor goes on to play with Halák for a year, which works, fine, and since then, has played with Jonathan Quick, which works TREMENDOUSLY possibly because the pair of them bond over fangirling about Henke.

This got seriously long, but I hope it helped give some context? For sure it should explain why I write Igor and Alex as having a very terse relationship at best, they're a great choice for enemies to lovers imho lolll

[buttacake80]

I understand some hockey fans may only be interested in what happens on the ice. Some are interested in their private lives.

Me?

Something I am thinking about are Swedish & Finnish players. Specifically what they must ge feeling as the War in Ukraine gets closer and closer to the Swedish and Finnish border.

Both Sweden and Finland entered NATO when Russia invaded. If Ukraine doesn't hold, Russia might advance to Finland and start claiming land on the peninsula.

Do y'all know that both Swedish and Finnish men are required to serve in their military? If I remember correctly, it is two years.

Because of their contracts, their countries have allowed them to break down their conscription so they can complete those two years in the off-season.

But if Ukraine falls....

I know Roope Hintz had requested an extension for his service. I have checked to see if he received it or not, but if Ukraine falls....

How many Finnish and Swedish players are in the NHL? If that war expands, and these players are called to defend their respective countries, what happens to the league then?

Just thinking.

[ratatatastic]

I really enjoyed your posts about Lombo's and Ekky's interviews, so thanks for that! I also listened to them, do you have other recommendations?

Thanks!

ooo! so for more shortform stuff you cant go wrong with a territory talk or a miami mic'd up since it has a homecrowd audience in mind because its our guys running it

for tt theyre nice and sweet and also pretty topical for the time (i really enjoyed when they talked to lundy, luosty, mikksy and stenny but stenny especially i think its hysterical this man went yeah id be a football player if i didnt hockey i kinda want to be one actually...) theyres also just a good backlog to get through (re: the 11 min sasha holiday special lmao)

for mmu since jeremy talks more with the fish and sports staff in general theres not a lot of cats stuff persay but he does did do media day interviews and compiled the 2324 one into 1 episode so if you wanted to get to know players coming into the season you can just watch that especially because at the end he has a superlative/which cat is... speed round and its interesting to see the trends in answers. hes done a 2223 one too but its split into parts (sasha,ekky, reino; gudas, benny, bobby; knighter, horny, swaggy) hes also done a solo sasha interview, matthew, stevie, duke, lombo

or NHLWAM if you want to see the finns in a more relaxed environment and i really liked it if not to see their dynamic with each other in the newly weds game they made them play lol (sasha, lundy; luosty mikksy) (but its only in finnish so you can only get a machine translation through the yt webplayer so take it with a grain of salt) (though users on here have been kind enough to translate some short clips like when sasha talks about mikksy)

for longer form stuff im a bit stumped

if you liked how the ekky interview was run that same podcast interviewed matthew back in 2020 (as a flame) and in 2023 (as a cat) as well as monty in 2023 before 2324 season started though i havent fully watched any of it yet just scrubbed through but from the soundbites i liked it enough to bookmark it for a rainy day

im always hesistant to rec spittin chiclets if not for the fact that i cant stand the guys running the pod and sometimes theyll make a couple of weird comments that just... anyways... as in hockey nature, players just feel more comfortable talking amongst themselves (i.e the time they had sibney on and you got some absolute gold out of him i was fucking gobsmacked) (and also why the lombo interview from the buzzpod is so good because 1. nicos an ahler and 2. theyre currently playing in the same summer league) theyve had quite the array of cats guests: okie reino matthew and benny and many more guests so like watch those ones at your own peril lmao

missin curfew has some stuff as well they had a monty interview too ive been meaning to watch

[puckpocketed]

new babygirl unlocked!! and he has HAIR!!!!!!

[ID: Photo of Los Angeles Kings prospect Aatu Jämsen in his Pelicans uniform. His hair is backlit to almost seem white, and streams out from under his helmet. /. End ID]

oh my GOD!!! new babygirl indeed... its giving barbie its giving goldilocks its giving hair on a my little pony toy... !

Quick notes on Aatu Jämsen. i am quite endeared. he is exactly my type of hockey guy <3

Plays RW! Drafted 2020, round 7, 190th overall. Before signing with the Kings, was playing for the Lahti Pelicans. Bit of a late bloomer, but he's tearing it up lately!! Probably why he got the nod from LA.

Per EP Rinkside, "Players with Jämsen's creativity are a rarity in Liiga. In a league where systems and team-wide strategy are at the forefront, Jämsen stands out with his puck skills and a flair for the dramatic. He's a legitimate dual-threat weapon in the offensive zone, and has also made some slight improvements to his physical game; a necessity if he wants to try to conquer North America next season."

So he's known for being very flashy. Quick, soft hands. Creative. Highlight reel stuff. GOATED on the shootout, apparently always trying crazy dangles in game... I'm SURE this type of prospect will be fine in the LA Kings system (<- lying but hopeful!! aslkdaskjl)

Here he is bullying the shit out of NHL24 champ/youtuber/ex-goalie Eki in the shootout. he yells "KUCHEROV" in triumph at one point after scoring on this guy who (checks notes) laced up skates to play goalie 2 times in the last 4 years - and i think that's so fucking lame and deeply charming.

and I am not surprised at all; he is VERY popular in the Finnish league.

Last month he got into a fight with Tampereen Tappara's Otto Rauhala. VERY unexpected, he's not a fighter at all. Rough google translate from this article, cleaned up a little by me:

Interviewer: What happened there? Jämsen: I don't know. Interviewer: So would you say Rauhala started it? Jämsen: You could say. I didn't appreciate his check in the first period of the game. Nothing more than that."

This is whole exchange is SO funny to me. what happened? he doesn't know. but if he had to say? then that guy fucking started it!!! but that's all <3 LMAO

HE MOONLIGHTS AS A RAP MUSICIAN. HELLO. His stage name is KIDJAM$EN kjlasdkljadlak HELP..,, here is one of his songs set to a short looping montage of Pelicans hockey players.. i think its a playoffs hype song??? I cannot understand a word of it. it DOES bang though!!! He plans to pursue music as a career if hockey doesn't work out. jumping from one risky career to another with no fear honestly go off!!! faith trust and pixie dust <3

everything about him i can dig up is like He's SOO flashy. eccentric. strange creachture. He bleaches his hair to get it that light. he did it to imitate Otto Salin, per this article. The picture is worth a thousand words tbh:

the fucking. LV sweater. the sunglasses. the coy look up at the camera. okay!!! cunt !!! <3

In the same article: he got very serious about nutrition and exercise last season after coming back from a break and getting BLASTED by his coaches for being out of shape. from the sounds of it, this dressing-down triggered his current meteoric rise? He was nawwwt taking his conditioning seriously before this. Since then, he's gained weight and become stronger, and has dedicated himself fully to going pro!

same article again: he's the scion of a hockey family - and god isnt that always the story?? His dad played for the Pelicans. his brothers Juuso and Vili also play hockey. The three have distinct play styles like a cute little set <3 Juuso the goal scorer, Aatu the playmaker, and Vili the GOON!!!

ough MIDDLE CHILD ALERT!!! it all makes SO much sense now....

Due to his flashiness on-ice AND off-ice, he naturally is a lightning rod for criticism. ice hockey is notoriously conservative as a culture and everything about him goes against this. Jams... Jammie... Jammer... idk what to call you BUT. your swag too different your slay too cunty, they're trying to kill you but you wont let them!!!!!

it seems instead of pivoting and making himself more palatable, he's only doubled down. i love and support him for this. if anyone has been on my blog they know i enjoy my guys with big personalities just as much as i love the quiet/underrated ones.

in conclusion, WELCOME TO LA. YOU ARE PERFECT FOR THIS TOWN, GORGEOUS <3