Teemu Henritius wants to promote the Jokerit to the League and get into the main league at the same time.
The Jokers’ new acquisition Teemu Henritius played on Tuesday as the center of the first team. Tomi Natri / AOP
Jokerit took its first three-point win of the Mestis season on Tuesday, when it beat Imatra Ketterä 4–2 in front of more than 6,500 spectators at the Helsinki ice hall.
On Tuesday, in addition to the sporting aspects, the interest was focused on what kind of show the Jokerit can organize in the ice rink known as HIFK’s home arena.
The match was a success for the Jokers. The match event was good.
– Profit is the main thing we are looking for. It’s great to start the season with a win and in front of such a crowd, beamed the Joker’s new acquisition Teemu Henritius30.
The entire Joker organization glowed with satisfaction after the match.
After the match, the players went on the ice to thank their fans who had a good mecca.
Good start
Jokerit published Henritius’ contract on Monday. The striker, who played 370 league regular season matches, was immediately placed in the middle of the first team, and there was also a time of superiority.
Henritius got an assist for the Joker’s 1–0 goal, which came after only 50 seconds of play.
– I got off to a good start when we scored a goal right away. It immediately gave off such a good, positive energy, when the hall was full and the fans had a mecca. Yes, there is a happy mood there, Henritius beamed.
The Mestis match had an excellent atmosphere by the standards of Finnish hockey. Tomi Natri / AOP
From a clean table
When Jokerit began to generate income at a rapid pace earlier this year, Henritius’ interest in the project began to grow.
The Joker’s graduate told Iltalehte that he himself was active in the direction of the Jokers and that he had announced his willingness to play for the team.
– All the while, the feeling of joining this project grew and grew. Of course, I have also asked how things are going here. When the summer ended and I hadn’t joined any club, it became clearer to myself that it’s great to be here again.
– We are starting this project with a clean slate. It’s great to be involved in building this.
300,000 euros
Henritius debuted in the SM league in the shirt of the Jokers in the 2011–12 season. Later, he played six seasons in the Liiga in Jukurei.
Joker’s CEO Antti-Jussi Niemen according to the club’s player budget is currently 300,000 euros. In the main series, i.e. the League, a single star player can earn more than the Joker players combined.
Henritius doesn’t reveal his salary, but he answers the question about whether he can play in the Jokers as a profession.
– Yes.
Mesti’s salaries don’t end up skyrocketing, but work at Jokeri seems meaningful to Henritius.
– My goal and that of this organization is to get to the League. What would be nicer than being able to put on the Jokerit shirt in the League and get things here in order to get there.
Joona Korhonen, Santeri Haakana, Leevi Lemberg and Teemu Henritius celebrate the Joker’s opening goal. Tomi Natri / AOP
“Everything works”
Henritius’ first impression of Jokers is that things are handled professionally in the club.
– Everything has been done as well as possible. Of course, there has been the hall problem that there is no one home arena, but we play in different places, but the organization has taken care of the logistics and everything really well. Everything works, and the player doesn’t have to think about whether he can train.
Henritius also describes the training culture as league-level. The starting point is that Jokerit does one longer training session on days other than game days and has one rest day per week.
– One or two training sessions a day. It kind of depends on how the games are. Players have the opportunity to visit the gym. That’s how it usually goes in the League, that there is one longer training session, especially during the season.
In the other Mestis players, Henritius sees skill and desire for the screen. He describes the Jokers’ way of playing as striving for activity.
– We don’t really try to sit in the trap. At least I like the fact that the aim is to be active, exploit and create opportunities.