The Arizona Coyotes’ Finnish forward Matias Maccelli flies in actual airplane weather.
Matias Maccelli’s shot goes even harder. AOP / USA Today Sports
- Maccelli’s point streak is already nine games long.
- He aims to shoot even more.
In the 2019–20 season in an Ilves shirt, winner of the Jarmo Wasama award for the best newcomer in the SM league Matias Maccelli signed a three-year contract extension with the Arizona Coyotes last summer.
The contract is worth 10.275 million dollars, or according to the current exchange rate, approximately the same amount in euros, and its season-specific cap hit is $3.425 million.
Maccelli has started earning his handsome salary by scoring 2+8=10 points in the first 12 games of the NHL season. They have all been born in the last nine games, and the man does not remember being able to go on a nine-game scoring streak before in his playing career.
– The games have gone really well. The field has started to work again, the 23-year-old from Turku is happy to Iltalehte.
Maccelli already played an experienced American last season by Nick Bjugstad leading in the second chain, where the other wing is pedaled by a Canadian power forward Lawson Crouse. The trio has continued this season from where they left off last season.
– I think we have played really good hockey as a team lately. I’ve had success with it myself at the same time.
From the series
The night before Wednesday, Finnish time Eeli Tolvanen scored the opening goal for the Seattle Kraken, but Maccelli equalized and paced Arizona to a 4–3 home win. The extra point came off through the winning shootout.
The key to the hit was Maccelli’s effort to shoot more. He took advantage of the defender Adam Larsson as an obstruction, and the puck went through the post and into the backpack.
– Bjugstad gave a good pass in the middle. I got to walk pretty close and shoot Larsson in the legs, he says.
In his first NHL season, Maccelli shot an average of 0.91 times per game. In the second season, the reading was almost the same, 0.95, but now it has jumped to 1.75.
With his 21 shots of the season, he is already the team’s fifth hardest hitter.
– Some have heard that I could shoot more. I’ve started shooting more recently. It helps the game a lot overall. When you shoot a few times, the serving positions usually open up a little better. It’s no longer so easy for the opponent to play away, Maccelli reasons.
When it comes to inputs, Maccelli has never had a problem. On the contrary, soft hands and a cunning understanding of the game are his strengths, which he has diligently utilized precisely in the form of assists.
Maccelli debuted in the NHL in the 2021–22 season, but with 23 games (1+5=6) he did not lose his rookie status for the following season, when he finished second in the NHL rookie market (64, 11+38=49).
This season, Maccelli would approach even 70 points in the table at a steady pace. In the Coyotes’ internal stock market, he is third. In the NHL’s Finnish players’ stock market, he was (before last night’s matches) in fifth place, tied with Florida Alexander Barkov and Carolina Sebastian Ahon with.
A playoff goal
Another Finn, a defender, also plays a big role in Arizona Juuso Välimäki.
The head coach Andre Tourigny has given a comparatively anonymous team a great blow in the eyes of the entire NHL. It is even fighting for a playoff spot, which would be a rare treat in club history.
In the past 11 seasons, the Coyotes have only made the playoffs once, and even then — in 2020 — they were eliminated in the first round.
– Of course, a playoff spot is our goal this season, but it does require a pretty good season, Maccelli reminds us of the realities.
– All you can do here is to do your best, and then we’ll see what it’s enough for.
Ascending direction
Tourigny, who is in his third season piloting the Coyotes, led Canada to the World Cup gold as head coach last spring.
– I have liked. I think he is a good coach, Maccelli praises.
– The team’s game has been on the rise, and this season we have started to win more games.
According to Maccelli, Tourigny demands work from the players, but then also gives certain freedoms.
– When you’re pressing work, you don’t have to be afraid if you make a mistake. It’s not the end of the world when you do the little things right and also focus on playing defense.
The coach is also praised as a developer of individuals.
– We have a lot of video conferences, and yes, it has been helpful. I have developed comprehensively in all areas, Maccelli praises.