Winnipeg Jets impressed with Joel Armia’s growth

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This article was published 22/01/2016 (3778 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Much remains to be learned about Joel Armia, about the player on the ice and the man off it.

But the more the Winnipeg Jets learn, the more impressed they’ve become with the growth shown by the 22-year-old Finn, who was acquired as part of the blockbuster trade with the Buffalo Sabres that sent Evander Kane and Zach Bogosian the other way. And it’s not just the Jets brass who are excited about the potential he brings, so too are his teammates.

“He’s stronger than I thought,” said forward Mathieu Perreault, when describing his 6-3, 205-pound linemate, adding, “He’s a pretty quiet guy, but he’s actually a pretty funny guy once you get to know him. And he’s got the fire in him.”

Like most who make it to the NHL, his story is a familiar one. Growing up in the small town of Pori, Finland, Armia’s love for hockey began soon after he learned to walk. It wasn’t long before he lived and breathed the game in a place he said, much like his current city, was the “biggest thing in town.”

Every weekend he’d sit with his family around the TV, eating breakfast and watching the only channel that showed NHL highlights. Most evenings, he and his friends would run down to the rink to watch the local professional team practise.

“And of course I went to all the games.” said Armia, who would later play three seasons with the very team he was watching, racking up 100 points in 149 games with Assat Pori in the Finnish Elite league.

Three years after being drafted by the Sabres with the 19th overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Armia felt he was ready to pursue his dream of playing in the NHL. The transition, however, was a difficult one; like most players travelling from Europe, his journey had its share of bumps. All of a sudden everything was different: the rink was smaller, the style of game much different.

“And all the skating too,” Armia added. “I remember the first time I came over I probably never stopped on the ice.”

He would spend his first season in the AHL, finishing second in rookie scoring on the Rochester Americans with seven goals and 27 points in 54 games. When he found himself there again the following year, he began to wonder when he’d get his chance.

“That first season I wasn’t probably ready yet to play NHL, but I think last year maybe should have had more opportunity than just the one game with Buffalo.”

After starting the season with the Manitoba Moose, Armia has played the last 16 games for Winnipeg. Playing mostly in a fourth-line role, he’s made the most of a recent promotion to the second line alongside Perreault and Nikolaj Ehlers. In his first game with them, he contributed a strong defensive effort in a 1-0 win over Minnesota.

In the two games since, Armia has flashed his offensive upside, factoring in on both of the Jets’ goals: a nifty top-corner shot in tight against Colorado Monday, and a seeing-eye pass that travelled two zones to the stick of Ehlers, who made no mistake on goalie Pekka Rinne in a loss to Nashville at home Thursday.

“He’s a different player today than he was in that first stint and in training camp,” said Jets coach Paul Maurice. “I think he took a lot in. Sometimes a player gets it in his mind where he finally decides “I belong, I can play here.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton