AHL: QA with Petri Kontiola

Petri Kontiola led Tappara Tampere of the Sm-Liiga in scoring the past two seasons, but the 2004 seventh round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks is skating in the AHL for the Rockford IceHogs in 2007-08 and picking up where he left of in Finland. Averaging around a point per game in the AHL, Kontiola has also earned two recalls to Chicago this season. McKeen's recently had the opportunity to chat Kontiola prior to the AHL All-Star Break and talked about his transition to the AHL, his stints with the Chicago Blackhawks, his development in Finland, representing his country, and a few of his old teammates.

McKeen's: Well, you are averaging about a point per game in your first season in the AHL. What has helped you adjust so well so far?

Kontiola: I don't know. I started pretty slow here and didn't go that well, but I think I learned the style pretty fast and that's helped me a lot. We have a good team here so it's easy to play with these guys.

McKeen's: Who are some of your teammates on the IceHogs that you feel you have a lot of chemistry with so far?

Kontiola: Well, there's a lot of guys. On the powerplay, I think it's great, [Martin] St. Pierre, [Troy] Brouwer, and [Derek] Nesbitt, who came from "The Coast" (ECHL). All those guys, I like to play the powerplay with those guys. The lines, those change a lot. We have a lot of guys get called up, like right now there's seven guys there. I don't really know. I like to play with everybody who's out playing.

McKeen's: Speaking of recalls to Chicago, you yourself have been recalled to Chicago twice. The first time was in November for one game. What was getting that first call like and how was that game?

Kontiola: Yeah, I got called up. We had a road game in Chicago and they told me that I've got to go to Vancouver after the game. So, I went there, we had a game the next day. We had like, three games before that with the IceHogs so I was pretty tired when I went there. But the closer the game came, I was so excited, so I didn't feel anything. I was like a new guy out there.

McKeen's: Skating on that adrenaline. Now, in the second recall you played eight games, December 18 through January 5, and you had three assists in your first four games. What was that like and how did that stint go for you overall?

Kontiola: Well, I think it was pretty weird. I went there, and they told me I'd play third line center, but when the game came, coach told me in the morning during the pre-game skate that I'd play winger that night with Robert Lang and Martin Havlat. So, it was easy for me. I get the easy points with those guys. I started pretty well there, like I said, it was easy to play with guys who are so good, and that was the best line I've ever played on. But, I didn't do as well in the rest of the games, so I understand why I'm here right now.

McKeen's: What are some of the things that the Blackhawks want you to improve on while you are here?

Kontiola: I think they want me to play hard, play harder. I'm not really, I don't check so much, so they just want me to play harder. I shoot the puck and I try to find somebody who's in a better place than me and pass the puck with. I've got to shoot more and play harder.

McKeen's: On the flipside, what do you feel are the strengths of your game?

Kontiola: I move the puck pretty well. Skating is getting better. I was pretty slow when I came here. I think I'm a better player than last year, and that's the main thing that I wanted to be when I came here.

McKeen's: Is there anything in particular that has helped you improve your speed and skating while you have been here?

Kontiola: We have great coaches, like, off-ice coaches. We have some speed skater, I don't remember his name, though.

McKeen's: I know Dan Jansen works with the Blackhawks, is that him?

Kontiola: Yeah, he was in the beginning of the season, but there's somebody else. I don't remember. It's hard to remember the names. But, we work hard off the ice too, not just on-ice. I think that's a big thing.

McKeen's: You played the last four years with Tappara in the Sm-Liiga. What are some of the biggest differences you have noticed between the Sm-Liiga and the AHL?

Kontiola: Well, this game is a little bit faster I guess, because the rink is smaller here. The guys play hard, they try to hit all the time. There's a lot more skilled guys, like tape-to-tape game over there. So, it was a little weird in the beginning, but it's getting better. But, it's a little bit faster.

McKeen's: Now, you did have some personal success in Tappara, as you led your team in scoring. What helped you achieve that personal success there and what were some of the developments you made in your game over that time?

Kontiola: Those four years, I grew up like a rocket out there. I moved on every year. I got a lot of icetime over there. Like, Janne Ojanen, he's an old player over there…

McKeen's: He played for the Devils back in the day.

Kontiola: Yeah, he helped me a lot. He's a great center. I played with him, and he's helped me a lot over there. My personal coach, Ville Nieminen, if you remember him, he would teach me a lot, too, on and off ice.

McKeen's: Yeah, if anyone needs a Finn to teach them about being gritty… (pauses) maybe one could have Jarkko Ruutu work with them, but Nieminen was pretty scrappy.

Kontiola: Yeah, but I try to keep my style on the ice and just try and work hard with those guys.

McKeen's: Last year you also played for Finland at the World Championships and did fairly well, finishing third in the team scoring. Tell me about taking home the silver medal and how the tournament went for you.

Kontiola: Well, I started pretty well. I guess, the first two games I had like six points or something. So, it was an amazing start for my first World Championship games. We had a great team over there. We had a great goalie. Because of our goalies, we got to the finals. I started pretty well, played a couple bad games, they threw me out of the lines, but I came back for the finals and it was amazing to just be there.

McKeen's: In the future, what sort of player do you see yourself as in the National Hockey League?

Kontiola: I don't think about it that much. I just want to go there, play there, do my job, whatever the coach wants. I think my skill level is NHL level, but, like I said, all the other stuff I've got to work on a little bit more.

McKeen's: What sort of player were you when played with Tappara?

Kontiola: A skilled player, powerplay, a little bit selfish, too.

McKeen's: Who was your favorite player growing up and why was that?

Kontiola: My favorite player was, do you know the Finnish player Raimo Helminen?

McKeen's: Oh, yes. He holds the record for the most national team games played.

Kontiola: Yeah, he's my favorite player. He's awesome. He played with Ilves, the other team in the city where I came from. So, we played a lot of games against each other. He's a great guy off ice and on ice. I try to like, copy his style sometimes.

McKeen's: He is a legend in international hockey for sure. Who are some other players in the Sm-Liiga that North Americans do not get to see that often but that are really good and probably NHL-skill level?

Kontiola: There's a lot of guys who could play here but didn't have that chance and they play somewhere in Europe. There's a lot of players like that.

McKeen's: Who were some of your teammates on Tappara that you feel, if they had a shot here, could do well?

Kontiola: Definitely Teemu Nurmi and, in the future, there's Jonas Enlund and Jori Lehtera. Those two guys, they dominate that league right now, that's what I heard. Nurmi, I played with him when we were in juniors. We were good friends over there. I want to play with him here, too.

McKeen's: When you were drafted in 2004, as a 20-year-old, you were a seventh rounder, so you have done pretty well. Tell me about when you found out about that, what your reaction was, and what the Blackhawks told you.

Kontiola: Well, at the time, I was doing my army in Finland and my agent just told me that you've been drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks. First of all, I didn't know what was going on, but I figured out later that it was a great thing and a great organization.

McKeen's: Tell me about that, about how in Finland young men have to serve and how that works with young hockey players over there.

Kontiola: Well, you've got to go there. At the time when I did that, you had to be there one year, playing and the army, doing that thing. It was nice, you get a lot of new friends. I went, like, sports army, so that wasn't that hard, as the other guys. We had fun over there and I got a lot of friends. You've got to be there the whole year. I missed two games in the regular season. These days it's going better, you only have to be there half the year. You get a chance to practice and go to games.

McKeen's: Lastly, what are some of the adjustments you have had to make off the ice coming to North America?

Kontiola: I think, in Finland we practice, like, together all the time. Here, you've got a chance to do, yourself, what you want a lot of the time. Like I said, we have coaches that workout with us off the ice, so those guys know what to do off the ice, so I trust those guys and then do what they say.