19 years old Luukas Hyvärinen is a name still unknown to the wider public, but in floorball circles the talents of the young player are already known.
– Luukas is one of those men who let the bat do the talking. They are not the loudest on the team. The playing field is his playground, says Hyvärista, who coached the U19 national team Jarmo Härmä.
The top five of the series point exchange consists of the familiar star names of the A national team Justus Kainulainen, Ville Lastikka, Joona Rantala, Eemeli Salin, but Hyvärinen, who is playing his second league season, can also be included. The young player representing the Oulu Skating Club has scored a whopping 39 points in 20 matches.
Last season, Hyvärinen scored 53 power points (25+28) in 35 games at just 18 years old.
The young OLS player can be considered one of the biggest talents in floorball. In November, Hyvärinen was also chosen as the F-League’s most valuable player of the month.
– He can reach anything in the sport. The guy is already one of the best players in the F-League, Härmä states.
As a player, Hyvärinen’s exceptional understanding of the game sets him apart from others. Club team OLS head coach Jani Lämsa remembers that his number one star stood out for his game perception qualities as a young boy.
– The ability to see things on the field is quite exceptional. He does things that you can’t even imagine on the side of the field. He also has an incredible ability to always adapt to a new series level.
Hyväris has even been considered one of the most talented Oulu floorball players of all time.
– That’s quite a big statement, but even Oulu has produced tough players for the world, who play in the league in tough clubs and even in the national team. It must be shown that the claim is also true, Hyvärinen states.
“You should already belong to the A national team”
National youth team coach Härmä says that Hyvärinen’s attacking instincts are so exceptional that he could already be a leading player at the international level.
– He plays at such a high level that I think he belongs in the A national team. Add to that the dexterity. In the Finnish national team, there is no shortage of right players.
Reminds me of Peter Kotilais
In the league, space and time are at stake, when the players are more skilled and the pace is faster. Hyvärinen’s quick rise to the top of the F-league has surprised many. OLS coach Jani Lämsä says that he noticed that the opponents sometimes even struggled with how to get the ball away from Hyvärise.
– There has been a lot of development in dueling. He is a versatile player who has recently made strides in defense as well. Appropriately bohemian. Not a basic driller, but a solution player.
For a young gambler, it feels good to be a marked player in the opponent’s playbooks.
– It’s fun and it has been noticed, especially by the superior team, that they try to play me off a little better, Hyvärinen says.
Lämsä is of the opinion that Luukas Hyvärinen’s style of play is partly reminiscent of the one who is currently making a career in Switzerland Peter from Kotilaista.
– “Hyrrä” has the ability to make space for himself. It seems on the field that there is no rush. It reminds me of young Peter. Hyvärinen is perhaps a bit smarter as a player, doesn’t force solutions. However, the physical properties are not quite at the same level yet, says Lämsä.
“Easy to play”
In OLS, Luukas Hyvärinen is the captain Olli Kinnusen and Iiro Savelan with one of the most feared players in the F-League. Kinnunen, who has played in the league for more than ten years, has noticed something new this season.
– We have made power points at a record pace. Playing with Luukas and Iiro has been the easiest in my career. Luukas finds us very well with his passes, Kinnunen praises.
The trio has already scored a whopping 91 points in 19 games of the fall season.
– Hyvärinen also has a really good shot, probably scored more than 50 percent of our season’s power play goals. The guy is also in extremely good shape. In the summer tests, he was the top of the team, says Kinnunen.
Hyvärinen himself says that already last season the previous player made a strong result, until the third link of the chain Valte Karvonen went to Switzerland to play.
– There was some thought about whether we would get a similar field, but we did. Chemistry was found right at the start of the season.
OLS is currently eighth in the F-League standings. The team has never made it into the league’s top three, and they are not expected to have greater success this season either. OLS is good as a breeding club, but often its top players move to other teams at an early stage in pursuit of success.
Jarmo Härmä believes that several clubs are interested in Hyväris.
– Surely all 14 league teams want him for themselves, as well as the teams abroad. It will be interesting to see which direction he plans to go at some point. As a spiritual Oulu resident, I hope that Oulu would be able to provide such conditions that he would be able to continue playing there.
The player himself says that inquiries have come from several directions.
– Going abroad is not the most relevant at this point, but surely at some point it could be appropriate. Switzerland, for example, is a really impressive country.
A calm person
Lämsä and Härmä, who coached Hyväri, and teammate Kinnunen agree that the young player is not the loudest guy on the team.
– The basic northern man. It’s less often that there’s a word of mouth, but when you have to make something happen, it happens, says Härmä.
– Off the field, he is a calm person. He has such a good head for the game that he could sometimes bring out his own ideas a little more, Lämsä states.
Hyvärinen agrees that he is a quieter guy in the dressing room, but he does not shy away from being exposed.
– I like to be loud, but I’m quieter in the dressing room. Other players are more exposed there.
Luukas Hyvärinen’s OLS will face the Westend Indians, who played a convincing early season, in their next match today, Saturday (January 6).