Red Wings prospect, Firebirds defenseman Saarijarvi adjusting well to OHL
By @StefanKubus –
If he wasn’t patrolling the Flint Firebirds’ blue line, Vili Saarijarvi said he would likely be a firefighter or policeman.
Why?
Because he likes to “help people and things where you can be in the action all the time.”
Saarijarvi, an 18-year-old Finnish prospect of the Detroit Red Wings, is certainly going to provide a wealth of help to his teammates in Flint this season and with the Red Wings in the future. In fact, he opened his rookie OHL season in Flint with three helpers in a home-and-home set against rival Saginaw Spirit.
“It’s very good hockey,” Saarijarvi told MiHockey following Flint’s home opener Sept. 26. “Both two games and two wins, I think that’s a very good start for us and that’s what we wanted. It’s fast hockey and physical hockey, so I think it’s good for me and it’s gonna help me a lot. And the coaching staff and everything, it’s very good. So far, it’s been so much fun.
“Those fans were awesome. They were so loud, and I love to play here, so I’m looking forward to playing the next game here.”
Saarijarvi said that any notions about Flint’s ability to host a junior hockey franchise are incorrect.
“I didn’t know that much before they drafted me, but then I started hearing not-that-good things, but I went there the last three, four weeks, been very good,” Saarijarvi said in a previous interview. “It’s not that bad, and I like it over there. I went there for playing hockey, so that’s my thing and every town has bad areas. We live in a good area, so I don’t have any problems there. The coaching staff, organization, everything, people, fans and my billet family, teammates are very nice people, so there is no problem.
“I went there three weeks before everyone, I went straight from Lake Placid to Flint, so I was the only player there, and I met all those people and the staff, what they’re doing and putting in new locker rooms and everything is so nice.”
Before he arrived in Flint, Saarijarvi tucked away a season of North American hockey under his belt last year when he skated for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL.
“I liked it, the organization, everything in Green Bay was good,” Saarijarvi said. “I liked it there. It was pretty tough sometimes, but I just tried to push my teammates up and they pushed me up and tried to do my best every night. It was fun to play in Green Bay, and I really liked my billets and everything, my teammates, everything was good. It was good that I came here for last year.”
He even attended a Green Bay Packers game while there, but affirmed that now he’s becoming a Detroit Lions fan. Plus, unlike the unforgiving elements he experienced watching a game live from Lambeau Field, the Lions play indoors, much to his liking.
The Gamblers failed to make the playoffs last season, finishing 18-34-3-5, but the experience was invaluable for Saarijarvi as he came across the pond and began adjusting to a style of play that he was completely unfamiliar with. He noticed the payoff quickly, once he went back to international-sized ice to play for his native Finland in the 2015 U18 World Championship in Switzerland.
“I think it helped a lot that I played in small rinks in Green Bay and USHL and then U18 hosted in Switzerland in Europe so there was big ice. That gave me more space and time on the ice, and then I knew all of those players in my Finnish team there, so it helped a lot since they were my friends already. I knew where I was going and how to play with those guys, so it helped a lot.”
Saarijarvi tallied three goals and six assists to lead all defensemen in scoring in the seven tournament games. Now, he hopes he can play in the big 2016 World Junior Championship, especially since it’s in Helsinki, just seven hours from his small hometown of Rovaniemi.
“It’s one of this year’s goals to play in Helsinki for the World Juniors so playing there would be awesome and I’m just really excited, trying to do my best to make the team.”
The young right-handed defenseman – long coveted by the Red Wings organization – also participated in the annual Traverse City NHL Prospect Tournament.
“I came here in July and now second time in Traverse City, first time in this tournament, it’s been very nice and so much fun,” Saarijarvi said during the tournament. “I didn’t know that much about the game here, like how hard and what kind of game and the first game was a little bit getting to know the game and now, like the last two games, have been very good.”