The most unknown player in the lions – Mikael Seppälä has tremendous special skills

Caring, friendly, moderate. These words describe Mikael Seppälä. Jussi Saarinen

Spengler Cup Semifinal, December 30, 2018.

KuPion’s KalPa leads HC Davos from Switzerland in his home arena 2–1. The full hall, 6,300 spectators, hopes for a Davos handicap.

With 12 seconds left in the game, the start is at KalPa’s defensive end. The puck goes straight from the start to the corner of the trough. KalPan pushes behind Mikael Seppälä.

Seppälä rivets the edge of the puck, protects it with his body and attacks three Davos players. At the same time, KalPan players will start to ventilate on the bench.

KalPa wins the match, but after the game the head coach Sami Kapanen is in trouble and asks his players:

– What the hell?

Strong twist

Kapanen didn’t like the players ventilating when there were still ten seconds left in the Game Clock.

The players’ answer was that the victory was certain, because no one gets the puck off Seppälä. And I didn’t get it.

The story well describes the kind of player Seppälä, a 28-year-old who plays in the World Championships in the defense of the Lions.

Kapanen, who recently started the NHL team as a Philadelphia Flyers player observer and development coach, describes to IL that Seppälä is a physically strong and infinitely Conscientious Defender. Sometimes Seppälä also surprises by making creative solutions, for example in corner twists.

In summary: it is really difficult for an opponent’s striker to defeat Seppälä in the corners and near the edges.

– Yes, I recognize myself from that. Pretty well described, Seppälä says in his calm style.

If you don’t have to get out of the situation as a winner, Seppälä can do as in the Spengler Cup.

– It has become quite cultivated if you notice that there is only a short time on the clock. No need to start poking the puck anywhere. Raise it against the edge and hold it there.

Every place broom

Seppälä can rightly be said to be the most unknown player in the Lions.

In the prize cabinet, he already has World Championship silver from last year and Finnish Championship gold from Tappara this season, but due to his player profile, Seppälä has not been in the headlines. He is familiar mainly to those who closely follow the species.

Seppälä’s goal record in the Finnish Championship League is four hits from the 2017–18 season. The point record is 11.

– I’m a bit like a broom everywhere. Defense is, of course, a priority. I try to help the attack whenever there is a place and it feels like it, but still more so that the rhythm stays good for the attacks and not the result maker, Seppälä says.

Gunpowder gets wet

With its current style, Seppälä can also reach the finish line at a steady pace. Efficiency is one feature that Seppälä would like to improve.

– That’s the next good step for me. Last year there were places to score at least ten goals. Somehow it was just gunpowder wet.

It will help in scoring if a good shot can be taken even from a difficult position.

– The quality of my shot depends on the day, Seppälä says self-ironically.

– At times, it feels like a drowning in workouts, but maybe it should get you going faster and harder. I need a little time to get it off to a good start.

The dream woke up

Seppälä was born and spent his childhood in Ylivieska. The club Ylivieska Polar Bears changed to KalPan juniors when Seppälä was 15 years old. At that time, the Seppälä family moved to Kuopio for reasons other than hockey, and the change of society came as a result.

Seppälä says that he has always been talented in all sports.

– Maybe it could have been drawn even more.

The idea of ​​professionalism, let alone the Lion, was not the biggest motivator in Northern Ostrobothnia.

– In Ylivieska, it may not have been considered so possible. When I got to go to a bit of A-junior training and more, the dream started to come alive. Fortunately, I continued to play.

Seppälä’s playing time has not been from the biggest end of the Lions’ defenders, but when the man has been on the ice, he has performed his defensive duties excellently.

– The goal of the career is to play in one of Europe’s top leagues and be a more important player on the national team, in a bigger role. That is one big goal.