Alexi Piastri did not know that he would become a SHL player. Hockey just wasn't that big of a deal in his native Australia. Growing up, none of his peers in Australia even played hockey, let alone aspire to be professional hockey players. Piastri's father worked in Europe for Ferrari, so Alexi was introduced to the sport when he would spend time in Europe. Piastri eventually would attend a number of hockey schools. He played in Sweden, Finland, and Larvia. Piastri would team up with current Battleborn teammate Alekss Ivanova when he was playing in Latvia. The time that Alexi spent in Europe played a very important role in Piastri's development. There's no way that he could have prepared against quality competition if he had never left his homeland. The schools that he attended, along with the teams that he played for are a huge reason that Piastri was able to adjust to North American hockey so quickly.