All Montreal Canadiens fans had their eyes on Pori, Finland this weekend as Jesperi Kotkaniemi returned to his old club, Ässät, in order to get some games in and prepare him for the upcoming NHL season.
The game had barely started before Ässät was 1-0 down, and the contest continued the same way. In the end, Ässät lost 6-1, and had gotten their coach, Ari-Pekka Selin, sent up to the stands after an argument with the referees.
Kotkaniemi hadn’t gelled with his teammates just yet. There were flashes of what will doubtless come, but it seemed like his temmates didn’t trust him to hold off, nor beat, his defender as they more often than not sent an easier pass to a less-dangerous area.