<div align="center">The Pressure

Jakub Aittokallio hopes to become a top goaltender in the SHL one day.

The aspects of the life and times of a professional athlete are generalized and now have become a timeless art of folklore in everyday life. In an era with twitter, facebook, and the intense scrutiny on each individual athlete preparing to set foot on the biggest stages of their respective sports, it is time we take a calm step backward.

“People need to take it easy,” commented Jakub Aittokallio. “It’s a big process for us and the heavy media presence is a big distraction in our process here.”

The intense pressure on a young athlete to succeed early and often can be an incredible burden to behold, as young players make their way into the SHL in the upcoming entry draft. With tweets from insiders, rumors swirling about moves and non-moves, the thought of becoming an afterthought lingers in the minds of many young athletes.

However, the biggest fear faced every day by a future SHL player as they continue their climb amongst the ranks is the fear of making a mistake. With this increased pressure and the all-seeing eye on them, one small slip up could mean a failure to capitalize on an opportunity to make millions of dollars. Many have tried to ignore this fact, while some believe it to be justifiable and simply live with the burden of necessary perfection.

“I am already a perfectionist,” said Aittokallio. “I want to be perfect in everything I do. Everybody should. It’s not like it’ll affect me if someone else thinks the same, honestly they’re right. I agree with them, I need to do better.”

The shear acceptance of this fact could lend a hand in favor of Aittokallio in his quest to becoming a top goaltender in the SHL. Or it could lead to a distraction in the unnecessarily detrimental possibilities of a poor performance leading itself to a mental collapse for the young netminder.

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing,” said Aittokallio. “All my life I’ve played goalie at the highest levels possible, if I slip up I’ll get better. That’s what I’ve been doing in the NWJHL, and I’ll keep doing that in the SHL.”

Confidence radiating off of young potential draftees is commonplace, with the top prospects currently coming out in defense of themselves. Eustace Eustachian recently proclaimed himself a better prospect than Adam Johansson, yet may fall beneath him in the draft due to potential personality complexes. The sure fire Tuomas Vitikka has seen his value potentially fall out of the top-five and has faced the mental challenge of fighting back against the common misconception of his value.

These incidents prove that in a world with rising and falling, there’s always an opportunity for you to take a plunge. Likewise, you may find yourself in a constant position for increased success whether due to an incredible team atmosphere surrounding you or through the pureness of hard work and a positive attitude. Players find themselves in a constant battle with their psyche, and soon will find themselves in a whole new world against the best competition they may ever face.

“Afraid?” asked Aittokallio. “Of failing? Obviously not. I’m going to succeed. I plan to go toe-to-toe with Josef Heiss, and by the end of it all the question of who the best goaltender of all time will be answered. Eventually people will know my name, and associate me with victories.”

Aittokallio’s name has become a focus of conversation at one point, he said, during interviews with teams. Many people have simply begun to call him “Aito,” which he has begun to grow fond of over the course of the season. With personal workouts finishing up, the players are finally returning to their everyday lives just in time for what could be the biggest day of their professional lives.

Aittokallio stated in his workouts with teams he’s been asked to do cardio workouts, make routine saves, and some more unconventional ones. While he continues to work and find ways to increase his popularity among the league while developing his strengths into a more complete goaltender, he has determined himself to be a top prospect in the upcoming draft.

This confidence may only last so long, as the netminder finds himself facing uncertainty moving forward in his career. However, this Finnish sensation has nothing but great things to say as he continues his journey toward the top of the mountain where John McBride and Brandon Sawyer sit.

“I’m very proud of my time in Detroit and will always love my teammates and general managers here,” said Aittokallio. “I feel I developed greatly as a goaltender in my time here, and the coaching staff has helped me immensely. Hopefully I can make them all proud at the next level.”

Aittokallio has continually been positive about his time in Detroit, and soon will join a locker room of new faces and personalities where he hopes to blend in. His professional work in Finland has helped prepare him for this day, and now as he moves closer to draft day he now becomes more weary of the incredible opportunities ahead.

Draftees of all shapes and sizes will convene on one central location in Los Angeles as the SHL begins the entry draft. For some, this will be the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. For others, they hope to continue writing the same book and same chapter as it was in the NWJHL. The opportunities are limitless, and continue to grow as the time passes by.

With every second the players grow ever more excited, and soon it will be heard:

“With the first pick in the SHL’s Thirteenth Entry Draft, the Minnesota Chiefs select….”

And then it begins.</div>

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I hope you've enjoyed this. It was another easy write. If I can figure it out, I might do one more pre-draft. If not, I have a bunch of ideas for post-draft. Good luck to everybody in the draft, I look forward to seeing you all in the SHL in the future!