TPS pulled off a major coup: Star forward caught!
TPS has made one of the biggest player acquisitions of the Liiga summer.
The Turku-based club announced on Monday that they have signed a one-year contract with Aleksi Saarela, 28, who has played for SCL Tigers in the Swiss league for the past four seasons. Saarela is returning to Finland from Switzerland due to military service.
– Of course, when the military service comes up, it will be completed – and completed with honor. National defense obligations are fulfilled with pride. And although it was bittersweet to leave Switzerland, I am really excited to return to the Liiga and now to TPS. I had a chat with Söde (head coach Toni Söderholm) right away when this was confirmed.
– Söde called immediately, and we had a long conversation about what TPS’s new era entails, and Mikko Koivu called after that. It was a perfect fit – our own ideology of how hockey should be played and what TPS wants. I was immediately very excited about it, Saarela tells in TPS’s press release.
TPS’s sports director Mika Suoraniemi sees the agreement as a significant show of strength from Turku’s direction.
– It is rare to have the opportunity to acquire such a high-quality Finnish top player in his prime for the Liiga. Aleksi brings dynamic skating, game courage, and strong international experience to our team. He is a truly versatile top forward who combines speed, finishing skills, and competitiveness. He brings a level of demand, toughness, and exemplary attitude to the field. We acquired him to play as the team’s top center forward, and it is absolutely fantastic to have a player like him here in Turku, Suoraniemi explains.
Head coach Söderholm is on the same page.
– Aleksi is the engine of the game – he plays with his fangs out in every shift. He is a dynamic player who helps us in all game situations and wants to decide games – he is very difficult to play against. Players like him are rarely available, and that is why this was a clear priority for us, Söderholm states.
Saarela ending up at TPS is ultimately a minor surprise, as the forward was rumored in several reports to be returning to Rauman Lukko.
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