Postfinance Current Top Scorer of Lausanne Hockey Club, number 29 Ahti Oksanen make a successful first entry into the National League. Lined up next to‘Antti Suomela and of Damien Riat on the first attacking trio from the first meetings, the Finnish striker has gently established himself as an essential part of the Lausanne squad. Before the reception of the EHC Bienne, our Lion spoke with us.
A successful integration
It is common for a foreign player joining the National League for the first time to have difficulty adapting. New country, new life or new culture, there are many criteria for our Lion at number 29 to find his feet at the start of the season. After 6 championship matches and a few Champions Hockey League matches, the Finn will arrive this evening on the ice of the Vaudoise arena, with the Postfinance Top Scorer jersey.
Ahti Oksanen: “I feel like I’ve adapted really well to the new system, the new team and everything else. Obviously, some things take longer than others, but that’s why there’s training camp, where all the integration and adjustments happen. Now that we are two weeks into the regular season, I have to admit that I feel very good.
Of course, knowing Antti in advance helped me a lot in settling in here. I was able to ask him questions about how things work and what I should expect. And once we started playing together again, it was ideal to have a line partner whose style of play I knew right away.”
Asked about his relationship with his former IK teammate Oskarshamn Antti Suomelathe Lausanne striker is delighted to have easily found a certain complicity on the ice.
Ahti Oksanen: “Last year in November when I played with Antti in the national team and he scored four goals and made four assists in one tournament, I was delighted to see and know that the chemistry had not disappeared and that it would remain the same this season. It’s important that he knows that he doesn’t need to help me in every battle, and can instead focus on finding an opening in a goal zone while I win the puck against the boards.
He can also trust me defensively, which allows him to interpret the situation differently than he would with other players. Overall, I enjoy playing with Antti and Damien, and I’m happy that we were able to score goals and felt good playing together.”
A versatile player
The Finnish striker is one of his players with several strings to his bow. As much a finisher as he is altruistic, number 29 stands out for his understanding of the game and his offensive versatility.
Ahti Oksanen: “I think it’s quite difficult to define my style of play. I know that I can play in any position and in any role. Over time I learned that as a team we achieved the best results when my role was clear to everyone. I also try to bring my size and strength into combat situations, and use my shot as often as possible, but I think we get the best results as a line when I try to highlight my teammates.”
The importance of being yourself
The Lausanne winger is aware of the importance of having a good locker room. Whether through the collective balance found by the coaches or the individual behavior of each player, it is important that everyone contributes to the common good. Rather considered a taciturn player within the Lausanne collective, Ahti finds his personal balance in his ability to be true to himself.
Ahti Oksanen: “I just try to be myself every day. This is by far the most important thing to me. If, by being myself, some people consider me a leader, I am very happy. If not, I’m happy about that too. I am aware that I have seen and experienced a lot of things during my career, and that is why I think I can say things when necessary. I’ve had good and bad locker rooms and I know what makes the difference. Now I want to make sure we do what we need to do to make the locker room a happy place. But the most important thing for me is to be myself.”
