Finland has fallen from a sled in the hockey market.
SaiPa Sports Director Harri Aho says that SaiPa will no longer be underestimated this season. The team is ranked nine in the league standings in the very even middle box. Mikko Lieri / AOP
The early season of Lappeenranta SaiPa, which advanced to the SM League finals last season, has not been as rosy as last season.
The beginning of the season cannot be spanned, but the tangle is probably a correct adjective. This is how SaiPa’s Sports Director will be able Harri Aho.
– The game may have been better than the result. We have been very involved in the games, but the result has been around. This is often the case with the young team. At first, we learn winning things and ways. This catastrophic start has not been, but even a better result could have come, Aho said before the SaiPa-Jukurit match on Friday night.
SaiPa was in the season 2023-24 honestly, and last season Raimo Helminen The team ordered from time to time enjoyed the moment of surprise. Now this aspect of the Karelian game no longer exists.
– It is quite clear that everyone takes us seriously. That’s it last year. If the finals were last year, this year there is no clear underdog position. Every team that comes to the Kisapuisto Park will surely play seriously. No win will surely be easy. And don’t come.
Sputnik’s games continued in May, which meant that the summer training period was short, about a couple of weeks long. The team was really investing in late summer and early fall.
– We thought we had to get a good training session, and then all the players would come from the start.
The door went
Mikko Petman and Ville Petman left SaiPa after the peak season. Mikko Lieri/AOP
SaiPa lost their excellers like brothers Ville and Mikko Petman. Ville Petman served as captain of the club last season.
Aho was in a bad place when the club’s star players changed the landscape.
– Fortunately, we knew about the departures in good time so that we were able to build a team so we got replacements. Of course, the losses were great. The Petman’s brothers were quite heart players last season, and Ville was the team’s captain. After all, they are not completely able to replace them, Aho admits.
However, this season’s team also has continuity – both in the players and, above all, in the coaching department.
– The coaching remained the same, so there was continuity. It was clear tunes to start building this season’s team.
Aho thanks the departures for being honest with the club.
– When they made the decision to leave, they told us about it. I appreciate it, and it tells about their appreciation for the club. It is clear that successful teams always go on to larger and more expensive leagues and clubs.
Money to determine
According to Harri Aho, Finland has been left behind in many countries in the hockey market. Matti Raivio / AOP
Today, the general hockey debate is constantly repeating the mantra that Finland has been left behind in the hockey market.
Is this the case, Harri Aho?
– The NHL is where it is, that’s clear. Then there will be Switzerland, Sweden and now the Czech Republic, who are able to compete in money with such large amounts that Finland will not help second.
Aho sees that the Finnish and SM League must acquire their own competitive advantage in another way.
– Our asset must be sports. Through this, we need to be able to get young players who are just ripening to their peak. I mean Finnish players here, Aho says and continues:
– Of course there must be foreigners, but we had good examples of unknown players last season, such as Eero Klintrup, Samuli Niinisaari and Juuso Heikkiläwho played themselves completely on the league map.
According to Aho, Eero Klintrup was one of last season’s successes. Mikko Lieri / AOP
SaiPa’s fabulous last season was also fine financially. SaiPa’s background company made an operating profit of approximately EUR 600,000.
However, the awesome season did not appear in the club’s player budget, which is the same as a year ago.
– There was a minor -winning episode here for so long that you can’t and should not hit the next season all in As soon as a nest egg has been built. A good financial result gives you the opportunity to develop operations. Business development is definitely the next step and arena solutions and so on to keep this place media -sexy, as was a horny liter last season.
Is it possible to make player purchases?
– Then we go to the government’s packages, and the will of the owners is decisive, says Aho.