Aatos Koivulta suoraa tekstiä ensimmäisistä Liiga-vuosistaan: "To be honest"

TPS’s forward prospect Aatos Koivu, 20, is aiming for his breakthrough in the Liiga. Koivu has shown flashes of his skills, but he has not yet reached longer strong stretches.

Last season, Koivu played 47 games for TPS, recording 4+5 points. This was his first season where he was part of the Liiga team almost the entire time, except for one U20 game.

Koivu made his Liiga debut in the 2023-24 season, playing four games. In the following season, he played 32 Liiga games with stats of 1+7. Now Koivu admits in an interview with NHL.com/fi that he has noticed how challenging it has been to transition from juniors to Liiga.

– To be honest, back then I didn’t really understand what this transition requires. Junior hockey is a completely different thing than professional hockey in one of the world’s best leagues. You don’t just come here easily, and maybe I’ve realized that I didn’t fully understand it when I was younger, Koivu said.

Koivu signed an extension with TPS in the spring that covers the upcoming season. He now says he feels more prepared and confident, and he also feels more mature.

– These first Liiga seasons have not been the easiest. I have had to think a lot and realize what it is due to and what needs to be improved. I at least understand better now what is required here, and the demands of top professionalism have clearly sharpened over the last six months.

Koivu is a 3rd round draft pick (#70) of the Montreal Canadiens from 2024. However, the first target is to conquer the Liiga rinks instead of the NHL.

– I know I have that puck skill. The next step is to be able to bring it out. I have gradually been getting more and more involved over a couple of full seasons, but now I want to take a clear step forward. I want to show especially to myself, but also to others, that I can be a strong Liiga player – and more in the future.

– It may require more focus. I believe I have always done things well off the ice and trained effectively, but the next thing is to bring those into the game. I want to be able to showcase my strengths better, especially from game to game. I don’t want it to be that there is one good game, then a weaker one. I want that continuity where I can always bring good, and that on tougher nights I can give more.