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Mäkinen's Season in Review
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lilRegistered S30, S31 and S33 Challenge Cup Champion and Brigade Leader
What a difference a season makes. It seems like forever ago we sat down with the Knights’ Mainio Mäkinen, but it was just 50 games. When we saw him last, Mäkinen was cheerful, if nervous, and eager for a chance to prove himself. Now he’s certainly done that—“The Maniac†has become a fixture in Kelowna’s top 6, scoring more than twice as many points as any other Kelowna rookie, and he seems poised to go higher in the SHL draft than he did in the SMJHL draft (where he went 21st overall, in the third round).
Mäkinen’s proved himself, all right, and it shows. He’s smiling as much as ever, but there’s a new confidence about him these days. His head’s held higher, his English sounds more fluent. When asked about this change in his demeanor, Mäkinen demurs. “I suppose it comes with settling into a place, you know? Now I’ve been here a whole season, I’ve learned so much—I shouldn’t be as nervous as I used to be. If I was, I’d get chirped way more than I already do,†he says with a grin. Now that Mäkinen’s brought up the subject of nerves and settling in, I take the opening to ask him to take us through his slow start in the SMJHL. He offers a rare frown, but then nods, stirring his coffee thoughtfully. “It was a big adjustment. I knew it would be, but—the level of play is so much higher, and everyone’s so skilled. Plus it was a new team and a new system to learn in a language that isn't my first. I was a little homesick, and dealing with culture shock, probably. All that combined, no wonder my hockey suffered.†His expression turns wry. “And of course I felt the pressure of being the first true rookie drafted by Kelowna, getting paid the maximum salary, and not scoring. And not scoring. And not scoring.†Mäkinen’s face looks a bit like a the tragedy mask part of a theatre logo, and although he’s exaggerating for comic effect, the impression is clear just how frustrating it must be for a pure goalscorer to be on such a long cold streak. “It was even worse because, you know, we were losing a lot. Won our first four games, lost the next six, won one, lost one...But I guess, like Taylor Swift, 13 is my lucky number, because I finally scored in my 13th game. Guess I just had to, you know—†Mäkinen brings his hands above his head and makes an extremely poor approximation of a hip-shaking dance. “Shake it off, shake it off,†he sings tonelessly. The subject of our interview descends into a fit of giggles. “I did listen to that a lot as I was training, trying to remind myself not to get stuck in my head!†he admits. “But I think a lot of it was down to developing my defensive game. I am still—you know, I’m a goalscorer, I’m not big enough to be a hulking, two-way forward type of player,†he says, flexing and affecting a mean face, to complete the imitation. “But I’ve learned a lot from the other players in the locker room. I think Lundy especially taught me a lot about the importance of defense for a forward, and I’ve enjoyed playing on his line for the majority of the season.†Indeed, though Kelowna likes to line-blend with the best of them, the second line (which nearly always featured Mäkinen) was a dangerous bit of scoring depth for the Knights from the midpoint of the season onward. In games since Mäkinen’s first goal, the Knights’ second line has been responsible for 34 goals; Mäkinen himself scored 10 of those. Not only did his first goal come in game 52, but his second did as well, making him a worthy second star. But that was far from Mäkinen’s season high point. That came later, in game 124 against the Raiders, when he scored his first career hat trick (and became the first Knight to do so this season; in the regular season only one teammate, veteran defenseman Stacker Pentecost, has repeated Mäkinen’s feat). He was deservedly named first star, for the first and, thus far, only time in his SMJHL career (he has been named second star three times and third star once). When I mention this game to Mäkinen, his eyes light up. “Oh yeah, what a game!†he says excitedly. “I was on fire that night, I mean. I don’t think I did anything any differently than I usually do, but it was like I had magic hands. Everything I touched was going into the net. It was quite a celebration in the locker room afterwards, and then Maxi, Randy, Lundy, Kristjan, and Koro took me out drinking, which.†Mäkinen laughs, looking a little sheepish. “This is probably the part where I should say that I don’t recommend that to any young hockey players, but just a couple games later I got three assists, so...Everything in moderation?†Moderation might be a good word for Mäkinen’s season. The Knights had a frustrating series of ups and downs to start things off, as did Mäkinen along with them. Even now as he’s developed defensively and honed his skating, puck handling, and scoring, he’s yet to crack the top ten in rookie scoring. But Mäkinen seems sanguine about this. “If I cared about individual awards, I would have played tennis or something, you know? Hockey’s a team sport, and I only really put value on my success as a part of the team’s success. I’m putting up points and the Knights are second in the West—of course we’d rather be first, but I’m happy with this. And we’ve made a lot of moves right around the trade deadline that I think will help us in the playoffs.†The playoffs, of course, are the first thing on any SMJHL player’s mind this time of year. Mäkinen is appropriately consumed by preparation for them. “Coffee’s the only cheat I allow myself, this time of year,†he admits. “Otherwise it’s all lean proteins and carbs, plus hours in the gym and on the ice. You never sleep better than you do during playoffs, you know?†When asked his opinion on the Knights’ chances at the Four Star Cup, Mäkinen is as optimistic as befits a wide-eyed rookie. “Of course we can win it all. We’ve got a strong team, we’ve built up great chemistry—we can do anything, if you ask me. It just comes down to if we can outwork our opponents, make the puck bounce in our favor, and at the end of the day, score more goals than they score on us, you know? That’s hockey,†he says with a laugh. That’s hockey, indeed. Simplified, but accurate: even playoff hockey, as intense and over the top as it seems at time, is ultimately about scoring more goals than the other team scores on you. But the playoffs, even for the most successful team, aren’t that long. Is Mäkinen looking past them, to the offseason, which will contain his all-important SHL draft? “To be completely honest? Not that much, not right now,†he says with a laugh. “No teams have really approached me, and frankly that’s fine—I’m kind of a one thing at a time guy, you know? I’m just putting 100% of my energy towards doing everything I can to help Kelowna to the Four Star. And like I said, it’ll be an honor to go to whatever team drafts me. It’s not like I have a hometown team or somebody I grew up watching.†Of course, it’s likely that Mäkinen will spend another season in juniors, which he acknowledges easily. “Unless someone has a slot they need filled right away, yeah, it’s likely. And while of course I’d be happy to make the big show as soon as possible, I certainly won’t complain about spending another season here, maybe taking on a bigger leadership role in the locker room now that I have some idea of what I’m doing,†Mäkinen jokes. He demurs any suggestion of a letter; “There are lots of guys in line ahead of me for something like that. But it’s not just people with letters who lead—anybody can reach out to a rookie to make sure they feel welcome, help them develop, teach them about the game and the team and the league. Everybody in Kelowna’s done that for me, and I’d love it if I stayed down and got the chance to pay that forward.†So Mäkinen’s not visualizing his SHL debut, taking the ice for the first time in the big leagues? “It’ll come, you know? I’ll get drafted somewhere and within a few games I’ll never be able to imagine myself having gone anywhere else. No point in worrying about it when I can’t control it. What I can do is stay focused on the present and working hard to bring success to Kelowna, so that’s what I’m going to do. The draft will be what it will be.†Quote:WORDS: 1516 
RichModerators S30, S31, S39 Challenge Cup Champion
=D>
Mäkinen has a bright future. Really glad you're a Knight.
lilRegistered S30, S31 and S33 Challenge Cup Champion and Brigade Leader
lilRegistered S30, S31 and S33 Challenge Cup Champion and Brigade Leader Quote:Originally posted by Dangles13@Sep 19 2015, 06:13 PM Thanks!
MuertoRegistered S15, S16, S24, S34, S38 Challenge Cup Champion
great season! nice article!
![[Image: dZqcwmW.jpg?format=webp&width=710&height=473]](https://images-ext-1.discordapp.net/external/fiy5uVMPs6-wmjqg9c_CtnU1EL5AtG9gtu82CXkeurY/https/i.imgur.com/dZqcwmW.jpg?format=webp&width=710&height=473)  S76 SMJHL DRAFT 3RD OVERALL PICK  S77 SHL DRAFT 4TH OVERALL PICK  IIHF TEAM NORWAY
deknegtRegistered Senior Member
Makinen was a beast this year, and will be a bigger one next year, I am certain of that! >:D<
lilRegistered S30, S31 and S33 Challenge Cup Champion and Brigade Leader Quote:Originally posted by KezKincaid+Sep 19 2015, 06:28 PM--><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1' id='QUOTE-WRAP'><tr><td>QUOTE (KezKincaid @ Sep 19 2015, 06:28 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->great season! nice article!Thank you! <!--QuoteBegin-deknegt@Sep 19 2015, 06:43 PM Makinen was a beast this year, and will be a bigger one next year, I am certain of that! >:D<[/quote] Thanks! Here's hoping :-x
enigmaticTrading Card Team currently with big titles
lilRegistered S30, S31 and S33 Challenge Cup Champion and Brigade Leader Quote:Originally posted by enigmatic@Sep 19 2015, 07:17 PMAwwww, shucks :-x Hell yeah!  to go all the way!
AlucardRegistered S28 Challenge Cup Champion
I've nothing new to add, but I wanted to weigh in with a
! Mäkinen had a great rookie season; I'll be very interested to see where he goes in the draft!
lilRegistered S30, S31 and S33 Challenge Cup Champion and Brigade Leader Quote:Originally posted by Alucard@Sep 20 2015, 04:40 AMThanks! Hopefully a heroic cup run will boost his standing 
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