Sami Niku will probably be seen in Ilves’ jersey on Wednesday against KalPa.
A saga that continued for more than a week Sami Nikun, 27 and between this previous club JYP finally came to an end on Monday. First, JYP announced that they had terminated the defender’s contract valid until spring 2024.
Shortly after that, Ilves announced that he had signed a contract with the league’s most effective defender until the end of the season.
The situation in Jyväskylä escalated when the new head coach Mikko Heiskanen sat Niku at the end of the bench in the middle of the HIFK match. After a tight exchange of words, Niku left the bench in the middle of the game, and Heiskanen stated that he does not have to appear in the hall the next day.
Niku didn’t appear, and didn’t play in JYP after that. Instead, the player announced his desire to cancel the contract.
Now Niku is an Ilves player. Niku, who arrives in Tampere on Tuesday, can already play on Wednesday in Kuopio against KalPa.
– Things have gotten easier for myself and my family, now that we got this thing in the package. The last week and a half wasn’t easy for anyone, but I still didn’t worry about it too much. With enthusiasm, I am now heading towards new challenges, Niku told Urheilu recently.
In the end, terminating the contract with JYP went well, and Niku had nothing bad to say about the breeding club.
– Everything went really well in this regard, the defender praised.
To the ranks of the champion favorite
In the end, Ilves was an easy choice for Niku, although there were other options. However, the attacking defender, who received his puck education in Jyväskylä, originally wanted to join a championship-seeking team.
– It was clear that I wanted to be in a team that is fighting for the championship. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the organization and the team, which certainly has all the ingredients to succeed. When I heard that there were people interested, the decision was ultimately quite easy.
Niku jumps into the Ilves team at a particularly delicious moment, because after Wednesday’s trip to Kuopio, the first local match of Sami Niku’s League career in Tampere at the sold-out Nokia arena looms ahead on Friday.
Even the thought makes Niku laugh.
– I’ve never been able to experience it, so it’s definitely a special experience. I’m going to the first local game with a really enthusiastic feeling, says a good-natured Niku at the end.
Niku has played in JYP for one and a half seasons before moving to Ilves. Before that, he played in the NHL in Winnipeg, Montreal and their farm teams.