Kraken vs Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho Meets Young Fans in Oulu Ahead of Global Series Game

Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho spent part of Saturday with 12 young players from his hometown of Oulu, Finland, ahead of the team's Global Series game against the Seattle Kraken at Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki. The kids from the under-10 Karpat club were selected through a random draw and described the meeting as a memorable day. The game was scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.

The kids had made a half-day trip to the capital for the event. Aho joined them after the Hurricanes held an optional morning skate, answering questions and signing autographs for the players and their parents. The session was run by the NHL Players' Association's Goals & Dreams program.

A message about having fun

Aho said the children asked some tricky questions and were simply enjoying themselves. He said he tried to pass on a simple message to both the players and the parents: have fun, work hard and love the game.

Jyri Junnila, a coach in the program, said the players were nervous at first because of the size of the event. "The kids were a bit shy at first, but they eventually loosened up and even asked some questions," Junnila said.

Aho said the experience felt unusual. He pointed to the many Finnish fans at the event and the strong atmosphere all week, but said meeting players from his own hometown made it especially meaningful. "I was literally in those kids' shoes," he said.

Aho's own connection to Oulu

Aho grew up in Oulu before building his NHL career. Ahead of the game, he recalled travelling to Helsinki with his family for an NHL Premiere Games series in 2010, when the Hurricanes faced the Minnesota Wild. He went to watch the event and cheer on Finnish players, including Joni Pitkanen, who also came from Oulu.

Global Series game and team context

The Hurricanes and Kraken are playing in Finland as part of the NHL's Global Series. Aho scored two goals in Carolina's 4-1 win over Seattle on Thursday. The Hurricanes are the reigning Stanley Cup champions, and the team's trip has drawn a strong following from fans who travelled to Finland.

Ahead of the Saturday game, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said the team would assess whether Jordan Staal would play after he skated with the regular lines in Friday's practice. Pyotr Kochetkov was expected to start in goal for Carolina after not playing since the team's previous game. On the Seattle side, Jagger Firkus was expected to make his debut on the regular wing, and Joey Daccord was set to start in net, according to a preview published by Canes Country.

Other Global Series players also took part in similar events. Seattle's Kaapo Kakko met players from his hometown club in Turku on Thursday, and Carolina's Jesperi Kotkaniemi visited youth players from HIFK in Helsinki. Players also donated equipment to local clubs through the program.

What we know so far

The meet-and-greet was the final NHLPA-organised event of its kind during the Global Series visit. Aho's appearance with the Oulu players gave local young hockey players a close look at a path from their hometown to the NHL. The lineup decisions for the Saturday game were still pending at the time of the preview, and the final result was not part of the reports reviewed.

Aho said he hoped one of the young players might one day play for the Hurricanes, adding that this was the purpose of the visit.

Editor's note: the 10th anniversary of Aho's first NHL goal, reported by Yahoo Sports, was also linked to his visit to Finland, but details from that report were not available for this story.