Lukko's sports director Kalle Sahlstedt: here are the most interesting acquisitions from other clubs

SuomiKiekko interviewed Lukko’s sports director Kalle Sahlstedt during the Pitsiturnaus. In the first part of the interview series, the focus was on the sports director’s work. In this second part, we delve into the League’s player acquisitions and the mistakes that a sports director can make regarding player signings.

Sahlstedt has had nearly a ten-year career as Lukko’s sports director. Over the years, his player acquisitions have been successful at a good percentage. Examples of successful signings include Alex Beaucage, Karson Kuhlman, Thomas Grégoire, Daniel Audette, and Robin Press.

In many other League cities, the acquisition of foreign reinforcements has not been as successful. Does Sahlstedt see any recurring mistakes in the actions of other sports directors?

– Each of us makes mistakes in foreign signings. It should also be remembered that not all foreigners are signed for a top role, Sahlstedt says.

– We have also had almost every year defensemen who were specifically signed for the third line. This way, we have managed to get what we believe is a good defenseman in terms of price-quality ratio. He is not expensive, but we believe he is very good for this role. For example, we have Anton Olsson in that role, Matthew Abt was with us for a few years and then went to Germany. Alex Peters was also in that role.

Alex Peters played in Rauma for two years. Next season he will play in the top league in Germany with the Schwenninger Wild Wings. Photo: All Over Press

According to Sahlstedt, the success of a sports director should always be related to the club’s resources.

– If Ilves, Tappara, Kärpät, or HIFK signs a foreign player, then it is interesting for me to see who they acquire. These teams are followed very closely. Then we have teams in the League that have no chance of getting a player that, for example, Kärpät can acquire. We know that the price is such that Jukurit cannot afford it, Sahlstedt says.

Then we come back to the original question: has Sahlstedt noticed other sports directors systematically making a certain mistake?

– I observe, watch, and think, but I have never thought that a single colleague has often made a certain type of decision that leads to a poor outcome. The most interesting players to follow are those I would have wanted but didn’t get, but someone else did. I do watch them because there is something to learn from them. We always ponder why one player succeeds and another does not, Sahlstedt says diplomatically.

– I always make a note of why someone succeeded. When someone does not succeed as well as we thought, those notes also need to be recorded very carefully. When a similar type of player becomes available, it helps to think about the acquisition through previous decisions. Even then, one can never be sure. Everyone has different personalities. Some thrive better, while others may thrive worse at times. And if a girlfriend simply does not feel comfortable, it can affect the player’s performance.

Jakob Stenqvist, one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the League, is starting his fourth season in Rauma. Photo: All Over Press

What are the most important qualities for a foreign reinforcement to succeed and thrive in the League?

– Hockey is getting fast enough in Finland that one needs to be skilled and fast on skates. If one cannot skate well, they need to be exceptionally good in some other qualities, Sahlstedt explains.

– Another thing is that one needs to be good enough at battling. In Finland, there are many scrums and board battles. When defending here is done with such high moral standards, there are very few free goals. Almost all goals need to be created in one way or another. There have been mistakes made where a player is very good and skilled and also a good skater, but when battling and playing in tight situations is not good enough, that player – I don’t want to name names – ended up being a disappointment for us.

Interesting Acquisitions by Other Clubs

During the Pitsiturnaus, Lukko faced Ässät, Jokerit, HPK, Sport, and TPS. For Sahlstedt, the day was busy, but while watching the matches, a few opposing players caught his eye.

– Jokerit has strong forwards across three lines. Surely many League teams would have been willing to acquire them, but Jokerit won those competitions. All forwards coming from SaiPa were hot commodities on the transfer market, as was KalPa’s Patrick Curry, Sahlstedt assesses.

From HPK, Sahlstedt praises the entire first line, which was excellent last season as well. In the summer, Cameron Wright headed to Germany, but according to Sahlstedt, the new acquisition Brendan Ranford seems to fit in nicely alongside Sami Päivärinta and Anrei Hakulinen.

– TPS’s Lukas Haudum is an interesting guy. He won all possible awards in Austria last year. It seemed that he has a really sharp hockey mind. It will be interesting to see what kind of season he plays, Sahlstedt ponders.

Haudum’s season in Austria was indeed exceptional. He recorded 52 points in 46 regular-season games with stats of 10+42. In the playoffs, his scoring pace accelerated, and he scored 20 points in 12 games with stats of 5+15. The season ended with Haudum’s team Graz99ers winning the championship.

The interview with Kalle Sahlstedt will be published in three parts before the start of the League’s super season. This is the second part of the interview series. The next part will focus on Lukko’s head coach Tomi Lämsä and the declining trend of Lukko’s game in the spring.