There is enough of a star cult in Finnish ice hockey. Mikko Rantanen and Alexander Barkov under the leadership, the elite of domestic ice hockey operates at the absolute top level every night.
Last spring’s semi-final stage in the NHL said something about the level of Finnish hockey’s top expertise right now. Three of the four first-choice centers of the semi-final team came from Finland: Barkov, Sebastian Aho and Roope Hintz.
I dare to say that there has even been a lot of fatigue with the continuous individual performances of paint compositions and the decrease of point pipes.
Sometimes refreshing sensational stories can also be found behind the tip, where the headline level doesn’t cover. In Finland, and why not in North America too, there are so many star-level offerings that sometimes you can play in the shadows at a really hard level without it garnering much attention on either side of the ocean.
That is why it must be brought up now Olli Määttä From Detroit.
Dominate Detroit’s stats
Määtta plays his own role even sensationally well. The problem with regard to attention is related to the gestureless player profile of the JYP coach. Määtti is not often found in power statistics, and this one doesn’t really aim for that when playing.
At the same time, when goals are being scored at the dizzying pace of previous decades in the NHL, Määtt is profiled specifically as a defender who strives to fulfill the most important task of a defender, protecting his own goal, in every shift.
In this, Määtt has succeeded brilliantly this season.
The fresh and in many places youthful Detroit as a team shows itself as a team of happy attacking play, but Määtt in the background has been holding the sternboard throughout the season – or at least trying to. Carefree and sometimes careless Detroit has really needed a really reliable basic defender like Määtä.
And that’s what it got. For example, according to the Evolving-Hockey website, Määtt has produced the fourth most defensive game value of all NHL defenders!
The importance of Määtä has been emphasized especially during the last few weeks. The red wing group, which was going strongly to the playoffs before, has drifted into a losing streak of no less than six games in the middle of March, and not least as a result of classless five-man and defensive play.
How can it be during this streak, Määttä is one of only five players with a positive power statistic – the only one among the core defenders.
At the other end of the list can be found Jeff Petry (-10), Ben Chiarot (-10), Mortiz Seider (-9) and so on.
And the big picture doesn’t change, even if you expand it. Throughout the season, Määtä’s dominance in Detroit’s internal advanced statistics is a dizzying read. If we take the traditional power statistics into consideration, Määtä’s +16 is clearly the best notation of the entire orchestra.
A fascinating case
On the other hand, there is nothing new in anything mentioned above. Of course, Olli Määttä was profiled as more of a puck player in his youth and still flashed in his rookie season in Pittsburgh with nine hits, but since then he has created a wonderful NHL career primarily through reliability.
Määtä is not the smoothest or fastest skater or the most spectacular in his puck solutions, but his placement, fighting play and the quality of the first pass are at an iron level.
Määtta is a fascinating case in a closed-individualistic time. A player for whom winning as a team is sacred and the most important value. This is talked about a lot, but few actually live it. Olli Määtä lives. In this regard, the years 2013–2019 in Pittsburgh were the best possible university and the Jyväskylä resident graduated with excellent grades.
I even got a couple of championship rings in my pocket.
From Pittsburgh, Määt was traded to Chicago, another dynasty of the 2010s by Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, of Duncan Keith and in the company of other legends. Why Määt was wanted in Chicago is no longer necessary to be opened separately. And Määt didn’t disappoint. For example, in the playoffs, the balance of nine matches was 3+3 and +7.
By the way, Määtä’s power statistic reading from the NHL playoffs is +28.
The coach’s ideal player
Top Finnish ice hockey knows a few exceptional types of winners. Valtteri Filppula The only member of the triple gold club should be mentioned first, but Olli Määtt also belongs to the cream of the crop. Not through power points or impressive solo performances, but as a player who has had a really long and successful career specifically as a team player.
This season, Määtt may have even played the best hockey of his NHL career overall.
Määtta has found his identity as a player in a great way and is perfectly fine with the fact that his role rarely takes him to the front row or to big headlines. It creates the basis for the brilliance of a depth player like no other.
In a cliché, we talk about a true coach’s ideal player. About a professional athlete of a tough level, who is always ready to fulfill his 16-minute role and, if necessary, even bigger boots.
Many of Detroit’s young players have a lot to learn from Määtä. It is also one of the reasons why the Red Wings boss, who won practically everything as a player and club manager Steve Yzerman signed a two-year contract extension for the Finn.
It is up to the young people themselves, whether they intend to graduate from Yzerman University with the same grades as Määttä from the Pittsburgh degree program.
That’s also the key to the next level as a team.