Here are the tops and flops of the first League week - a thick bundle of twigs for Helsinki and Tampere

The first match week in the league has been wrapped up. There were only three game days, but even those had several stories, both good and bad.

Highlights

1. TPS has been the biggest surprise of the season for me so far. The Turku team’s performance has been better than last season or the preseason suggested it would be. It has been particularly great to see how the chemistry between Lars Bryggman and Lukas Wernblom works in the first line. It will be interesting to see how TPS performs as the season progresses, especially when other teams get their game together and the Turku first line doesn’t score four goals every night.

2. Pelicans has been the most impressive team in the first week in my eyes. There is still room for improvement in their game, and the second period against Sport was terrible, but in Lahti, they can rub their hands together in satisfaction. The new foreign signings have been successfully integrated into the team, and the transitions through the neutral zone are occasionally really spectacular, even though we are only at the beginning of September. Head coach Sami Kapanen has done a great job leading the Pelicans.

3. Fans all around Finland deserve applause. The atmosphere has been excellent in many hockey matches. It has been particularly wonderful to see how eagerly and in large numbers fans have gone to support their teams even in away games.

Oleksii Myklukha (2+1) has started his season effectively with Pelicans. Photo: All Over Press

Flops

1. Naming Jokerit as a flop is unfair, but I will do it anyway. There were unreasonably high expectations for Jokerit in many places, even though the team’s weaknesses have been obvious from the start. The goaltending duo is one of the weakest in the league, the team’s five-on-five play is in its infancy, and the team is built unbalanced. I have previously written how teams that rely on tight and fast five-on-five play eat Jokerit alive. Next, mark October 10th on your calendar. On that day, the Jokers will face Ilves, and the outcome could be as ugly as against Lukko.

2. Tommi Niemelä’s behavior after the Ässät loss deserves a thick stack of criticism. Niemelä is a great coach, but he behaved poorly, albeit politely, in the press conference. Sulking does not suit a professional league or the role of head coach. Everyone can keep their silence at home if they wish, but one must behave appropriately and maturely at work.

3. Vaasan Sport has managed to acquire several skilled foreign reinforcements. A big question mark is whether head coach Lauri Mikkola can get his foreign legion interested in defense as well? So far, the Vasa defense has been clearly the weakest in the league alongside Jokerit.