Aatos Koivu: A first point in Liiga despite being his club’s least-used forward

It was a special day for Aatos Koivu.

Saku’s son, who is also a Montreal Canadiens prospect, was playing his very first Liiga game of the season.

How did he do? The forward picked up an assist… even though he spent just seven minutes and six seconds on the ice and was his club’s least-used player.

Koivu’s assist turned out to be his first career point in the Liiga.

He played four games with TPS last year, but was left off the score sheet.

Seeing him collect his first point at the professional level is still special :

#Habs prospect Aatos Koivu played 7:06 over 65min+shoot out game against Tappara. He got an assist on TPS first goal, good work in the corner and a quick shot that gets deflected into the net.

Koivu had no tries in the shoot out as TPS won 3-2 (SO). pic.twitter.com/0lIlUpRu3X

– Patrik Bexell (@Zeb_Habs) September 10, 2024

Right.

Obviously, Aatos Koivu’s playing time hasn’t been extraordinary.

He has a more limited role in the TPS line-up and that’s to be expected: he’s just celebrated his 18th birthday (last June 22) and guys that age don’t (or hardly ever) usually play in a league like the Liiga.

It’s the same all over Europe, in fact.

That said, just the fact that he’s in uniform today at 18 shows in part that he’s succeeded in his mission.

He’s carved out a position for himself with the club at such a young age, and that’s what we have to build on.

He’ll be able to rub shoulders with older players this season, he’ll have the opportunity to gain experience… And sometimes, this aspect is super important in the development of a young player.

Oliver Kapanen is a good example. The Habs prospect started playing professionally at a young age, and now he’s being talked about as a potential candidate for a position in Montreal at the age of 21.

All of which is to say that Saku Koivu’s son made a successful comeback today with reduced playing time and should get an important role in the TPS lineup if he does things the right way.

Overtime

– It looks good on him.

You love to C it pic.twitter.com/tfP6MSc68u

– Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) September 10, 2024

– Habs captain looks great!

Habs captain Nick Suzuki at the NHL Player Media Tour.

(: Photos by Candice Ward/NHLI) pic.twitter.com/M40NPr7Qz8

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) September 10, 2024

– Nice goal.

Prokhor Poltapov didn’t really have to skate very fast for this shorthanded breakaway. pic.twitter.com/yy8nqYx1ab

– KHL (@khl_eng) September 10, 2024

– The next generation!