Kaskisuo's Addition Has Benefited the Laval Rocket

The Laval Rocket had a difficult start to the season, winning seven of their first 25 games. One of the reasons to the poor start was the organization's decision to hand the goaltending responsibilities to Jakub Dobes and Strauss Mann. Dobes had no previous experience as a professional while Mann had played 20 games in the AHL and 13 in the ECHL for the San Jose Sharks. 

Two days following an embarrassing 7-1 loss to the Hershey Bears, the team signed Kasimir Kaskisuo to a professional tryout (PTO) contract. The 30-year-old started off strong, obtaining a win in each of his first four starts. Through eight games, he has a 5-2 record, a 3.09 goals against average and a .914 save percentage. 

Happy with his performance, the team signed Kaskisuo to an AHL contract for the balance of the season. 

"My wife was more excited about the news cause I know more about what's going on at the rink. I know the status and all that stuff. She was happy, relieved and excited at the same time, like I was as well. My focus has been on one day at a time. I figured if I do my job well, [AHL contract] is something that might happen," reacted Kaskisuo. 

His wife and five-year-old daughter are with him full-time and the three of them love Laval and take any opportunity to explore the city and Montreal. 

One thing that has stood out for him is the environment that surrounds the players at Place Bell. "It's been unbelievable. I feel like I've exceeded my expectations of how the team has played, how we're being taken care of, how I've been able to play after a long break. Everything is great. It's such a privilege to play here in Laval with everything that we have and all the resources. Hopefully we can take advantage of it and play to be worthy."

Since joining the Rocket, Jean-Francois Houle typically starts Kaskisuo once a week, while Dobes has earned two starts per week. 

"I don't mind. I was sitting at home two months ago, so I'm taking every game I can get. For me, it's focusing on whatever I can get and still try to get into the groove of the season. Help the team win when needed as every point is important. I'm just trying to play my best every game and stop every shot. I'm not the one making decisions on who's playing but I also understands how it goes in this league sometimes in these situations. I'm just happy to be here and play hockey and compete and have a job," said Kaskisuo about his usage. 

The rest of the season is important for Kaskisuo regardless of where the Rocket sit in the standings. He will be in the crease trying to earn himself a contract for next season. When he signed with Laval in December, it had been nine months since his last start. He did not want to return in Europe for another season, and patiently waited at home until the Canadiens AHL affiliate signed him to a PTO. 

His next start will have to wait as the team announced on Monday that the netminder is sidelined with a lower body injury that will be evaluated week-to-week. 

One of the aspects that interested the Rocket to bring Kaskisuo into the picture was his experience. He played 60 games over the last two seasons for Leksands in Sweden and previously played in 95 AHL and 34 ECHL games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In addition, he experienced one NHL game with the Maple Leafs and one with the Nashville Predators. 

Having an experienced goalie in Laval benefits Jakub Dobes. Since Kaskisuo arrived, the 22-year-old's numbers and overall performance have significantly improved. 

"It's great. It's fun. He's a good dude. We really enjoy being around each other and a lot in common. I can see a lot of my first couple of years in the league in him. He's a good time so he keeps me young and I feel like I can help him out a little bit with my experience so I think it's a pretty good match," said the veteran describing his relationship with Dobes.

When asked to comment on Kaskisuo's performance with the Rocket, Jean-Francois Houle emphasized on how Kaskisuo will help Dobes improve. "He's got experience which helps Dobes and helps the team to calm down in certain situations. He's been good. I like his rebound control, I like a lot of things that 'Kas' is doing and I think he's great goalie support for Dobes right now." 

The benefits of a veteran are not limited to on-ice. "Off-ice they talk a lot about hockey, their equipment, positioning and stuff like that with their goalie coach (Marco Marciano). They always have their goalie union going on and they try to learn from each other and it's a good thing that they have a good relationship," added Houle. 

Kaskisuo has experienced 22 playoff games with the Toronto Marlies, including leading the team to the conference finals. With Laval fighting for a playoff spot, every contest from now until the end of the regular will be a playoff-like game. It is a great learning experience for Dobes in that type of pressure environment. 

"I think you learn from playing. Hopefully we make it to the playoffs and whoever is playing if it's him then I'm sure the first game will teach him a lot of how to handle and after that you adapt and play your game. The game doesn't change, it's more mental. I feel like he's handled this stretch here as of late pretty well so I think there should be no issues. If he needs some help, I feel like I have a little bit of experience," said Kaskisuo.  

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