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After a disappointing rookie season with the Anaheim Outlaws, the Finnish centerman Kaapo Kampainen went back to his homeland to work on his craft to come back better than ever for his second season with the Californian team and let’s be honest, it is perfectly manageable. As a painful reminder for Kaapo’s fans around the SHL, your favorite Finn scored two goals and add one assist in 28 games, good for only three points. Nothing to write home about. While Kaapo was busy working out in his father’s garage in native country, he surprisingly received a call from his country to represent Finland in the World Junior Championship. Kaapo remembers not understanding why he received such an honor, but he gladly accepted it and laced up his skates proudly. To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Kaapo Kampainen played twenty games in the World Junior Championship, exhibition, round robin and playoffs included and he failed to register a single point and he ended up -1 despite minimal ice time. Kaapo described the incident as embarrassing and with a fire in his eyes, he vowed to get better and stop embarrassing himself on an international and national stage. It was now time for the SHL Draft and Kaapo silently sat through the first round, not even thinking about getting drafted so high. He was disappointed in himself and he understood why teams were passing on him. He ended up going in the second round and said to himself that he would make it his mission to make the other teams regret passing over him. Kaapo was his biggest detractor and he’s willing to push himself to the limit. 

Kaapo worked hard during the offseason and he was a changed player when he came back from the holidays. The team definitely took notice, but most people around the league were still skeptical of what he could really do with a SMJHL team.

Game 1 – Jet Blue Airways Arena, Detroit, MI versus the Detroit Falcons

Kaapo is nervous, he has put a tremendous amount of pressure on his shoulders, but he’s better than he was, he knows it. He’s playing center on the third line, alongside veteran Asclepius Perseus Flitterwind and rookie Max Müller. One minute and thirty-five seconds into the game and the coach tells him to get on the ice. He chases a dump in and he’s able to reach the puck first, small win for him. He keeps his head up and see Flitterwind entering the zone, it’s a risky pass but Flitterwind is able to hold on to it. He passes right back to Kaapo who dishes it to Müller behind the net. Müller gets the pass, but he loses the puck and the third line goes back to the bench. Kaapo is happy with himself. He gets back on the ice about a minute later and loses the faceoff against Deadalus James. James can’t find a teammate and shoots on the net and the shot is saved by goaltender Vincent Mietitore. Kampainen wants to get the back back from his goaltender, but James outmuscles Kaapo and he steals the puck. He passes to his teammate who scores immediately. Kaapo knows it’s his fault and he’s frustrated. He breaks his stick on the bench and he’s fuming, not the start he was hoping for. The rest of the game sees Kaapo Kampainen venting out his frustration by registering two hits. His head wasn’t in the right place and it showed in his performance. Anaheim lost the game 4-3. Kampainen takes the blame for that one.

Stats after one game: 0G 0A 0PTS -1 1 Shot 1 Blocked Shot, 2 PIM, 2 hits, 5 out of 14 in faceoffs.

Game 2 – Mile One Center, St. John’s, NL versus the Newfoundland Berserkers

Kaapo didn’t have much time to clear his head after his bad outing against the Falcons, as the Outlaws played the following day against the defending champions, the Newfoundland Berserkers. Kaapo’s first shift didn’t until the fourth minute, where nothing of note really happened. He first signaled himself about two minutes later when he blocked a shot and it allowed for a counterattack, but nothing really came out of it. Nothing of note really happened for the rest of the first period. For the first time this pre-season, Kampainen signaled himself mid-way through the first period, when he received a pass from Asclepius Perseus Flitterwind right in the slot and he was robbed by goaltender Hugo Gronroos. The rest of the game saw Kampainen trying to do something on offense, but none of his other two shots were able to get past Hugo Gronroos. Another frustrating outing for Kampainen, where he was also on the ice when the team allowed a goal, but at least the Outlaws won the game 5 to 3.

Stats after two games: 0G 0A 0 PTS -2 4 Shots, 3 Blocked Shots, 2 PIM, 5 Hits, 9 out of 26 in faceoffs.

Game 3 – Outlaw Saloon, Anaheim, CA, versus the Anchorage Armada

For their first game at home, the Outlaws had the tough task to face Anchorage. Kaapo seemed intimidated on the ice and not really sure of what to do, perhaps he was trying too hard to improve his game and thinking too much. The first period saw him miss a lot of passes and losing faceoffs. It looked like Kaapo Kampainen didn’t really change after all. In the beginning of the second period, Kaapo was sent on the ice to kill a penalty and he took control of the puck behind his own net. He tried to clear his zone and he was able to get the puck in the neutral zone. Kaapo went back to the bench and when he got his head up to look at the play, he saw his teammate Arsene Leclerc scoring a short-handed goal. To his surprise, he heard the announcer crediting him with an assist on the shorthanded goal, but Kaapo didn’t feel like he deserved it, but he’ll take it, it’s still a point for him and he wants to have those. The Outlaws ended up winning 4-2.

Stats after three games: 0G 1A 1 PTS -1, 4 Shots, 4 Blocked Shots, 2 PIM, 5 Hits, 1 GV, 12 out of 35 in faceoffs

Game 4 – Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO, versus the St. Louis Scarecrows

Kaapo was still searching for that good game in the preseason. While it’s true that it had been a while since he played competitive hockey, there was no reason for him to not improve his play compared to last year. It seems like he wasn’t able to find any sort of rhythm. However, he came in the game with a fresh attitude and hoped for the best. His coach sent him in the ice for an offensive zone faceoff, which he won cleanly. He sent the puck to Chet Hillier, his new line mate and he found Asclepius Perseus Flitterwind in the slot for the quick goal and Kaapo was really proud of himself, even more when you consider that he’s been struggling with faceoffs since the start of the preason. The Outlaws led 1-0 after that goal, but everything else fell apart pretty quickly, as the Outlaws lost 7-1.

Stats after four games: 0G 2A 2 PTS -1, 6 Shots, 4 Blocked Shots, 6 PIM, 5 Hits, 1TK, 2GV, 17 out of 45 in faceoffs.

Game 5 – Outlaw Saloon, Anaheim, CA, versus the Vancouver Whalers

Kaapo never had good games agains last season’s regular season champions, but he went in the game with a renewed optimism after he was able to get a point in two consecutive games (although his first one wasn’t really deserved). The Outlaws started the game on the wrong foot by allowing two quick goals, but they didn’t give up. Ryu Jones scored in powerplay to close the gap and the mood improved on the Anaheim bench. Kampainen then won an offensive zone faceoff and while the two defensemen passed the puck around, Kaapo charged Jon St. Ark’s net and jumped on the return of Kolja Kekkonen to score his first goal of the preseason and to even the score. Despite their best efforts, Anaheim ended up losing 3-2, but Kampainen played his best game of the preseason against one of the best team the SMJHL has to offer.

Stats after five games: 1G 2A 3PTS ±0, 7 Shots, 4 Blocked Shots, 6 PIM, 5 Hits, 1TK, 2GV, 25 out of 60 in faceoffs.

Game 6 – Mile One Center, St. John’s, NL, versus the Newfoundland Berserkers

Kaapo Kampainen’s last game against the Berserkers was frustrating and not really good, but he had a lot of positive things going for him coming into the game. He already had as much points as he did last season in only five games and he had three straight games with at least a point. Newfoundland took the lead with a goal by Jesse Trudeau and the coach sent Kampainen and his line mates out after the goal allowed, which was successful last season and they proved their coach right, after they equalized less than fifty seconds later, when Kampainen completed a passing play from Asclepius Perseus Flitterwind and Chet Hillier to score his second goal of the preseason. Kampainen also got on the scoresheet late in the second period when he connected with Asclepius Perseus Flitterwind in the slot to put Anaheim in front 4-2. This was the first multi-point game of Kampainen’s career and hopefully not the last. Anaheim ended up winning 5-4.
Stats after six games: 2G 3A 5PTS, +1, 9 Shots, 5 Blocked Shots, 6 PIM, 5 Hits, 1TK, 2 GV, 34 out of 74 in faceoffs

Game 7 – Outlaw Saloon, Anaheim, CA, versus the Kelowna Knights

Satisfied with his preseason thus far, Kaapo Kampainen was a less focused in his last preseason game, but it didn’t prevent him from a good game, even if it didn’t translate to the scoresheet. The Outlaws lost the game 3-1, but Kampainen had a solid game and proved his rugged side with a career-high five hits in the loss.

Final preseason stats: 2G 3A 5PTS, +1, 4 PIM, 10 Shots, 10 Hits, 3 GV, 2TK, 6 Shots Blocked, 41 out of 92 in faceoffs.

While Kampainen’s preseason was off to a bad start, things really started to come together after Chet Hillier replaced Max Müller on the third line. He had two more points in seven games than he did in the entire season last year. It’s not only his points total who went up, but his general play improved, which is a welcome change. While it remains to be seen if he can keep up the work in the regular season, Kampainen’s preseason was encouraging and a sign that better things are yet to come for the Finnish centerman.