Rookie Experience - Nikolas Kauppi

[Tetricide 561]

 

The Finnish two-way forward Nikolas Kauppi finally steps foot into the professional scene of the VHL representing the Prague Phantoms who drafted him 17th overall. He entered training camp skates still steaming from winning the Renaissance Cup in the VHLE with the Oslo Storm and 2 back-to-back World Junior Championship wins with Team Europe, hoping to make heads turn in his rookie season. Despite his captaincy in Mexico City and Oslo (as alternate), he knows he likely won't be chosen for that role this time around. "I have some veteran teammates that are much more deserving of the titles than me. They know the ice and our opponents better than me and I still have so much more to learn from them. Having the C or A isn't really important to me -- getting that puck to our opponent's net is." Kauppi knows all too well how difficult things get at the start of the season and the likely results in the end. In his time for both Mexico City and Oslo, the seasons started out incredibly tough to the point where the team was in the bottom of the standings. By the end of the season, the teams were a serious playoff contender. Unfortunately, during his 2 seasons in Mexico City, the final (and therefore the Founder's Cup) series was just out of reach. "You know, it's funny... There was a player in Halifax that was all talk, but I think we knocked them out of the first round. We even had a bet on the team who would be better, but I haven't seen the player since." Kauppi finished his last regular season with 76 points, 41 goals, 35 assists, and 3 hat tricks (although he did score 6 goals in one game). Oslo had almost the same fate starting out weak and bottom of the standings, but as the season progressed they slowly climbed their way into a Wild Card spot. The finals series against Rome was a classic 7 game nail biter that Oslo took home the win and Renaissance Cup, the first team in VHLE history to win one back-to-back. "Nothing about last season made any sense. I figured if there was any team to knock us out, Cologne Express was it. I was wrong...we eliminated them in game 6 and they only had 2 wins on us. Rome giving us a run for our money was not at all what I was expecting, but it definitely put the team on their 'A' game." He finished the regular season with 67 points, 33 goals, 34 assists, 2 hat tricks, and 5 fights (1-1-2). In game 4 of the finals series, Kauppi was ejected from the game 5 minutes into the 3rd period alongside Randy Bobandy after winning their respective fights. Kauppi wants to prove his worth in the VHL with his strength and hockey sense and bring home the coveted Continental Cup. A first for the Prague Phantoms.

 

492 words for week ending January 22, 2023.

Edited January 23, 2023 by Tetricide
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