TURKU. Arizona Coyotes forward Matias Maccelli scored 11+38 power points in his first full NHL season. The man from Turku, who was one of the top strikers in his team, was rewarded with a three-year contract extension in the summer.
Urheilu met the 22-year-old forward during the NHL season in Turku.
The NHL season is just around the corner, but let’s go back to last winter for a little while. Your rookie season was almost phenomenal, how would you characterize the previous season?
– The goal before the season was to break into the lineup and play. When I gradually got a little more playing time and responsibility, the result came. All in all, a pretty good season.
To the outsider, it seemed that things started rolling well right from the beginning of the season. Is the interpretation correct?
– Yes, we are on track.
– I got to play a few games in the first spring (in the NHL), and that helped a lot at the beginning of last season. I trained well during the summer and was mentally more ready for the NHL. However, the same puck is played there in the end.
Sometimes in sports you also need a little luck. You’re Arizona’s own reservation, but have you considered that breaking through might have been much more difficult in a bigger puck market, say Toronto?
– Of course it has crossed my mind. In Canada, the pressure is high and it is difficult to break into the team. In a way, it was lucky that Arizona booked me, and I’ve liked it a lot.
The Arizona desert is not really the most glamorous market for hockey and the team’s home arena is also university level. Are these things on the minds of the players?
– Not much. The hall is small, it’s no secret, but the ice in the arena is good. The games have a good atmosphere when the hall is full of students. It has become our strength.
How are you adjusting to Arizona’s hot weather?
– It’s nice when you can go to the hall in flip-flops and in the sunshine.
Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the Coyotes media room isn’t lined with reporters every day?
– After all, it has its advantages. However, there will be more than forty trips, so you will have to deal with the media. It’s nice that you can only focus on training and playing at home.
– Maybe if we are more successful, the media will also be more interested in us.
You signed a lucrative contract in the summer. What starting point does it bring to this autumn compared to the previous one?
– Well, at least a place in the lineup should be certain. Practical things become easier at the same time, when you can look at the room and so on.
A bigger contract certainly also means bigger expectations from the club. The salary will be more and the result should come at the same pace. Are you stressed?
– I’m not a stress type. I’m trying to play the same way as last season, so won’t it be good? Of course, expectations will rise, but above all I want to prove to myself that I can match the value of the contract. I hope it won’t be the last deal.
You were in the Rookie of the Year race for a long time, but the choice finally went to Seattle’s Matty Beniers. Was it sad that the stick slipped out of your hands?
– Arizona is a small market, and I missed a few games due to injury. However, the season was successful, so it wasn’t terribly left to dig.
Your game is based on the fact that you almost always want to pass rather than shoot. It may not be to the liking of all coaches.
– Yes, it has been talked about. Especially last season, the feedback was often that you should shoot more. The shots have been under development during the summer, so maybe next season we’ll see a few more shots.
How focused are you on improving your shot? Have you lifted iron in the gym or sought more feel in ice training?
– Yes, the biggest thing has been between the ears. In training, I’ve tried to bring the idea that even if there’s a slightly worse angle, you don’t always have to throw the ball at the back post.
Of course, it is good to throw flat passes with sensitive hands. By the way, who was your role model when you were young? A virtuoso playing with silk gloves, perhaps?
– This has to be said Patrick Kane. It was a pretty tough gamer when I was younger. Kane’s playing has become admired through YouTube.
Your family roots come from Italy and in the boot country football is the number one sport. Italian players are known to be dramatic at times and play with great emotion. Do you have these traits?
– I do not really know. I play with emotion, but yes, I’m more of a skilled artist type. In that sense, I might not be that traditional Finnish player.
However, artists often understand the importance of drama and emotion. It’s also a big part of the sport’s appeal. Where have you been blessed with the gifts of an artist?
– Somehow it comes from within. You have to do your own thing, which feels good and follow that feeling. It must have left some outdoor fields as a little boy.
You have always scored a lot of points and clearly attacking has been more interesting than defending. Has the artistic style of play ever become a saying?
– Yes, that attacking enthusiasm has already been talked about in the clubs, both in the club and in the national team.
– On the other hand, when my strengths are in the attacking area, I am satisfied that I have stuck to them. It has borne fruit.
In the NHL, the biggest stars score a lot of points. Sometimes they are given freedom to play defensively.
– Yes, it has become clear that you can’t win in the NHL if you don’t defend well.
– But it is a more favorable ground for such thinking that individuals are wanted to be highlighted.
You might think that the NHL suits you even better than the Finnish leagues?
– Well, if you score a goal and decide the game, you are quite an important individual.
Listen to ‘s NHL evening:
The NHL Regular Season starts early on Wednesday Finnish time. Arizona starts its game early on Saturday Finnish time as a guest of New Jersey.