Canadiens: Aatos Koivu’s Performance in Summer Showcase Prompts Praise
Team Finland fought hard against Team Canada in last nights game. The World Junior Summer Showcase saw the Canadians walk away with an 8-6 victory, but the result was not what grabbed Habs fans’ attention.
Canadiens’ third-round selection in the 2024 draft Aatos Koivu suited up for the Finns, and had a positive statistical contribution in the form of a one-timer goal which narrowed Canada’s lead at the time, 8-4.
Ever since he was selected 70th overall back in June, the Habs faithful have high hopes for the son of former captain Saku Koivu. Like his old man, he wears number 11 and did so in yesterday’s match.
Not only did he get praise for his goal, but—as pointed out on the Habs Digest YouTube channel—former NHL scout and founder of recrutes.ca Grant McCragg had this to say in a two X posts:
“The Koivu I scouted mid winter looked nothing like the player I scouted last week and today. His skating has really improved and he’s competing a lot harder. He looks really good… He was better versus Switzerland a week or two ago than the vaunted Canadians today but still saw some positives. He’ll need to keep getting stronger.”
Thankfully, Koivu still has some years to fill out, but he is by no means small for an 18-year-old prospect. He measures at roughly six feet in height, and 170 pounds in weight, meaning he's already two inches taller than his famous father. With ample time to grow both in stature and on the ice, Habs faithful will remain attentive to any new developments involving the young Finn.
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