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akamai · 03-21-2016, 09:46 PM

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2556 words and ready for grading!

Hello and welcome to the Kelowna Star, your #1 news source for all things to do with your Kelowna Knights!

The 28th draft day has concluded with some new friendly faces being welcomed into the fold here in Kelowna. One of the surprise names generating the most hype is Mikael Talo, Kelowna’s first-rounder and seventh overall pick.

Talo’s recent hot streak, demonstrated over the course of the prospect showcase and preseason, has vaulted him into garnering national attention, but the recency of his life in the spotlight means that he’s still an unknown quantity to many, even to those of us die-hard Knights fans.

With that in mind, we set out to do a little digging on the young star, finding out what makes him tick on and off the ice. Talo answered some of our standard profile questions, and then graciously invited us into the home he shares with the Knights’ Finnish goaltender Mikke Laukkanen to add a little color commentary to his basic profile. (Laukkanen, present for the interview, wandered in and out of the room with his mug of tea and occasionally interjected some humorous quotes of his own, for added spice.)

“Get to Know the Knights”

What’s your full name?: “Mikael Kalevi Talo.”

What position do you play?: “I’m a forward, specifically a centerman.”

Did you ever play any other positions?: “Not for long. Back then I was too small. And too slow. [laughs] My brothers were my left and right wingers. Christian [Talo, elder brother] was huge, Onni [Talo, younger brother] too. Both very fast. The coaches, they moved me around trying to figure out where I might do the least damage--I was horrible with the goalie gear on, the weak man on defense. The first faceoff I took was by accident, we had a couple kids out sick, with mono. I remember the coach, he told me, ‘Talo, you just try to get the puck away from that guy, do your best, if you accidentally get it, pass it to your brothers as fast as you can and let them take it up the ice.’”

And it worked?: “No! Not at all. I fell in love with having the puck. [laughs] I carried it up the ice myself, got it stripped away the second I crossed center ice--we lost that game. On the ice, Christian was so mad. ‘I was right there!’ he said; he had his hands in my jersey, in the--neck, the collar, shaking me. I shouted ‘it was mine, it was mine!’ [laughs] I still remember feeling like that.”

He was angry?: “Oh, yes! It was the first time I ever yelled right back at him. I thought for sure he’d beat me up when we got home. In the locker room he and Onni didn’t say one word to me. Then we get in the car and Mama asks us how it went. Christian and Onni both shout “Mik had the puck, Mama, Mik got the puck, he got it out like lightning, you should’ve seen it,” yelling over each other, hugging me, all happening at once, very fast. They were slow out to the car because they had been talking with our coach about how they would make sure I knew it was a team sport next time. [grins]”

What did [your mother] say?: “She never played hockey. She was very confused. ‘So you...won?’ [my mother] asked, and they both said ‘no,’ but very impatiently, like it didn’t matter at all. So I felt a little better about that. Then when we got home, they dragged me out of the car before Mama could call us in for dinner, and we practiced what happens after a faceoff for about two hours. It just had never occurred to anyone that I would be fast enough to do anything. [laughs] I’m not fast, but I am quick!”

Where were you born/where did you grow up?: “I was born and grew up in Rauma, Finland. It’s a small town--besides hockey, we’re known for our ice fishing industry, which my parents grew up working in as a kid. My papa ended up playing a little hockey, but he came home to Rauma when my mama was ready to settle down.”

[Author’s Note: His father is Joonas Talo, and ‘playing a little hockey’ is Talo’s way of saying that he played three years as a professional goaltender in the Finnish Hockey League.]

On the ice, you list your strength as faceoffs, puck handling, scoring, and your weakness as checking. [Talo nods.] So, can you tell us a little bit about your strengths and weaknesses off the ice? Give us a little insight into you as a teammate, a friend?: “Hmm. That’s a tough question! [laughs] I think, um...well, I can tell you for weaknesses, I’ve struggled a lot with anxiety. And of course, that builds--when I’m anxious I freeze up, don’t play well. Then that makes me more nervous...so I really struggle with changes to my routines, to my habits. Not that I can’t adjust, but I think I’m definitely the stereotype of the really superstitious hockey guy. [laughs]”

Some of Talo’s superstitions include:

--taps toe of right shoe against ground three times before entering a new building
“My great-grandmother was very superstitious, very conscientious about greeting protective spirits, some ancient traditions--who knows if any of it’s true or not--but when I was a little kid, I’d watch her do it, so I guess I picked it up.”

--always eats plain noodles with butter as a pregame meal
“This is just a nerves thing; I’ve always had a nervous stomach, especially before big competitions. It’s about the only thing where the smell doesn’t put me off if I’ve got an upset stomach.”

--lucky necklace
[Talo pulls it off his neck for inspection--it’s a large bear tooth, set in a woven gold holder.] “It belonged to my grandpa. I’ve had to have it re-chained three times because I fiddle with it, chew on it. It takes my focus off of the things going on around me, helps me pull my concentration inward, regulate my breathing. But I hardly ever take it off, pretty much just to shower.”

--special pregame music
“This one was actually my little brother’s idea--he plays in a metal band. Not my taste, but he knows what I like, said he’d make me a mixtape of just, like--environmental noise? He has a background in one of his band’s songs that I swear sounds just like the water under thin ice--I know that’s weirdly specific, haha! But he made it a whole track for me and it really helps me to concentrate. When I was still in school I’d use it before big tests and stuff too.”

--first to skate out behind goalie

“The goalie’s almost always first, but I like to be that next man out on the ice. Even if I’m not the youngest rookie anymore--I do better the longer I get to warm up, and my nerves settle a little bit as soon as my skates hit, so. I don’t mind being the rookie. [laughs]”

[According to Talo, this is only a short list. “He has a lot more,” roommate Laukkanen, (who grew up with Talo) gleefully informs us, but Talo tackles him before he can divulge more of his secrets.]

As for your strengths?: “I like to think I’m funny.” [Laukkanen, from other room: ‘You’re not as funny as you think you are. He’s not funny.’] “I am funny!” [Together, the boys chorus, ‘funny-looking,’ Talo laughing and rolling his eyes as he mocks his friend’s speech. Clearly this is a well-worn joke in the Laukkanen-Talo household.]

Besides the pre-game meal, what else do you like to eat?: “Anything Mikke cooks. I do okay, I can throw some stuff in a pan, but Mikke is really good. He keeps a lot of fresh herbs and spices around, the fussy stuff. So we cook together, take some of the burden out of it. I’m his sous chef. [grins] We eat a lot of carbs, out of necessity.” [Laukkanen: ‘Also, because you just really like pasta.’] “Also, I just really like pasta. [laughs]”

Outside of checking, what areas of your game are you trying to improve?: “You know, prior to training camp I would’ve told you defense, passing. But now I think I actually need to go the other way a bit--I feel like I’m much more of a balanced player, but I’m actually not as happy? I think by focusing on my defense and passing I lost a bit of what makes me the kind of player I am, my shooting and puck handling, so. And I’m still dealing with a large volume of information--new plays, new teammates, new players, a new city--so I think maybe I just need to get back to my basics for a bit until things settle down.”

Do you have a favorite SHL team, and if so, why?: “The New England Wolfpack is my favorite SHL team. They have a lot of players I know and look up to, a lot of my Finnish buddies and a couple of my new brothers in green as well. I have Mikke [Laukkanen]’s backup goalie jersey hanging in my closet. Don’t tell him I said that. I don’t want him to get a big head!”

Who’s one current majors player (SHL, NHL, et cetera) that you look up to, or model your game after?: [quickly] Bennett Jones. I guess you could say as my countryman that’s an easy answer, but his playing style is something I could actually emulate. [Jones] isn’t a hugely physical guy but is very strong mentally. Everyone talks all the time about his leadership capabilities as well--good captainship, and he’s a great steward for the game back home. I definitely admire that as well, and I would love to get better at that, at being able to really galvanize the room like that. As for the NHL--I mean, I think any breathing hockey player has to give huge props to Sidney Crosby’s mental game. He’s sort of similar to Jones, in that he’s not the biggest guy, but he’s got such a brilliant hockey mind and he’s an extremely hard worker. He really seems to care about getting young kids into the game as well, which is also pretty close to my heart.”

What are your SMJHL goals?: “Like everyone else, I want to make a serious push for the top with my team! Beyond that...overall development is my goal, I think. I want to make a statement for myself as an individual player, but I’d also like to improve as a teammate. And I need to get more comfortable at taking up space, both in terms of adding physicality to my game and in terms of getting more involved in the locker room.”

Do you see yourself playing in the majors at some point? What SHL-related goals do you have, if any?: “Oh, for sure, I’d definitely like to make it up there at some point. Ideally I would build on a successful SMJHL career. And maybe it’s--[looks to Laukkanen for word help]--uh, narcissistic to say this, but I’d really like to be someone that young players could look up to. There’s really nothing that remarkable about me--it’s just the dedication, really, being willing to put in the work and the kind of hours and physical strain it takes to have success at an elite level.”

What’s your morning routine like?: “I’m naturally an early riser, but I don’t like to talk to people when I first wake up. I usually wake up a couple minutes before my alarm goes off, but if I don’t I snooze it at least twice. I’ll put the kettle on for both of us and feed Arnold [Laukkanen’s Great Dane], let him out to go to the bathroom. Mikke is really good at giving me my space, mostly because he really isn’t a morning person. [laughs, Laukkanen nodding in agreement behind him] I’ll drink a little tea, just hot water if my stomach’s bothering me, and look out the window for a bit while Mikke throws breakfast together. We don’t have that much time in the mornings as a rule, so usually it’s just heating up leftovers or pouring a couple bowls of cereal if we’re home, at the hotel with the team if we’re on the road. But we’ll sit quietly and eat breakfast together, do a quick gear check, and then we go to the rink for practice. If it’s an off-day or we have afternoon skate, Mikke wakes up a little later, and I read or watch TV until he’s up and around.”

Your opponent has an empty net. You and a teammate are on a 2-on-1. Do you pass it, or take the shot yourself?: “Depends on the situation, but generally I’d take it myself. I don’t want to be selfish, but I’d rather be a little selfish than indecisive and I like to think my shot is pretty good. [grins]”

How long have you been playing hockey?: “Oh, forever. In Rauma, everyone plays, that’s just--as soon as you can walk you get your first pair of skates. And when it’s warm enough to not be too dangerous to go outside, you go put all of your gear on, go run out on the lake and play.”

What has been your favorite hockey memory?: “My U18 team, us winning stuff in international competition. Finnish hugs, especially with Ilmari [Määttä] and Mikke [Laukkanen], the whole crowd roaring. That’s my favorite. But I’m hoping to make more here!”

Tell us a random fact about you, your life, that you think your fans wouldn’t already know: “Anything? [laughs] I guess...uhhh, maybe people don’t know this, but I’m allergic to shellfish.”

Describe your dream date?: [Laukkanen, before Talo can answer: ‘He just wants someone to take him to the ice rink, and then to Barnes and Noble for five hours and not talk to him at all.’] “That’s not true! I’m not that bad.” [Laukkanen shoots Talo an unimpressed look, and Talo relents, laughing.] “Okay, I’m more of a ‘quiet-night-in’ guy. But I like the movies okay! I like bowling. I like to get up and walk along the beach. I dunno. I think I’m pretty normal.”

Do you have a celebrity crush? [grinning] “I mean, Mikke already cooks me breakfast, lunch and dinner. I don’t know if any celebrities can do better than that.” [Laukkanen, laughing: ‘Oh my god. You’re hopeless.’] “Uhhh, but seriously...I think--what’s her name, Mikke? The really pretty one, she’s the new Russian girl, NWHL-er--” [Laukkanen: ‘Belyakova? The one on the Rivs, right?’ Talo’s eyes light up, pink-cheeked.] “Lyudmila Belyakova, that was it. I really like her hockey, too.”

So, it’s all hockey, all the time with you?: [embarrassed] “Yeah, I can’t deny it. Anybody who’s gonna impress me--they kinda gotta at least know their way around hockey. Or something, you know, they gotta--they gotta be really passionate about something, good at something, I guess it doesn’t have to be hockey. I like people who like what they do.”

So, with that, hopefully we’ve all learned a little more about Kelowna’s newest centerman! We here at the Star would like to thank Talo again for participating in our interview, and hope it was enjoyable for him. We wish Talo and the team both luck in all of their future endeavors.