In a city with two terrific hockey clubs, choosing one to follow could pose a challenge. Luckily, for Ilves Tampere captain and budding star Eemeli Suomi, this decision was an all-too-easy one.
He grew up watching Ilves, wanting to someday don the yellow and green sweater. Now in his fourth full year with the club, he has the honor of captaining the club in their first-ever Champions Hockey League appearance.
Ever since he was young, the organization has been like a second family to Suomi; it’s where he’s played his entire life, and he understands the opportunity he’s been given. ”I’ve been fortunate to wear the Ilves jersey ever since I started playing hockey,” he declared.
From youth hockey through the junior leagues and into the professional sphere, he wore the colors of Ilves and he wore them with esteem. For Suomi, ”Ilves is my home town club filled with amazing history and tradition. I grew up as an fan and now I’m proud to wear the jersey myself.”
He goes on to speak highly of his hockey club: ”Ilves as an organization has believed in me and given me the chance to develop as a player for which I’m very grateful. The organization works in a professional way and with great attention to detail so this is a great place to be for a player. Ilves has always been the first choice for me.”
As one of the youngest captains heading into the 2020/21 CHL season, the 24-year-old center has the privilege of giving back to an organization that has accorded him so much. Leading the club that finished fourth in the Liiga – earning their first-ever CHL appearance – is a responsibility he’s ready to take on. In staying true to his humble self, Suomi can only thank those around him for the success his club has achieved and speak simply saying, ”Being the captain of Ilves is a matter of honor for me.” This honor, however, has not changed his focus on improving himself and his team.
"The rivalry can be fierce, but I think it’s great that Tampere has two strong teams, who push each other forward."Eemeli Suomi
Suomi was awarded the ”C” in his third season with the club in 2018/19. While some players alter their approach to reflect their new role, Suomi recognizes that, ”Becoming captain brings you more responsibility,” but is quick to note that, ” as a player or person I haven’t really changed that much.” He goes on to say, ”I have always tried to help the team and my teammates in every possible way, play with my strengths, develop into a more complete player and represent the club as well as I can.” He embraces this same mentality as he continues to prepare for the CHL season stating, ”It is an honor to captain Ilves in the CHL as well,” and that he will ”lead in a way that feels natural to me.”
In just a couple of weeks, fans from all over Europe will be able to see what kind of player Suomi is. At 177 cm, he uses his size and speed as well as his smarts to great effect. ”I try to be both strong and smart on the ice,” he explained. The 2019/20 season was far and away his best as he posted 57 points in 57 games before the season came to an abrupt end due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regarding the pandemic and its influence on the upcoming season, Suomi was realistic: ”Of course the current situation has had some effects on the preparations, but it’s the same for everyone. We try to practice and prepare for the season as well as we can. It’s important to keep acting in a responsible way and we all need to do our own part.” Preparing and doing his part means that Suomi will have to take on challenges that he has yet to face in his young career.
Make no mistake, Suomi is no stranger to high stakes hockey. The Tampere native has taken part in the playoffs twice, and hopes to use this experience to help his team overcome the obstacles they’ll meet in the CHL: ”Playoffs experience and games against top teams develop you both as an individual and as a team.” He’s also aware that, ”It’s a new season and new team again so we need to keep developing practice by practice and game by game in order to be successful in the CHL and our domestic league.”
"Being part of the Champions Hockey League is great for us players and the whole Ilves organization. We are excited to challenge and compete against other European and Finnish top clubs."Eemeli Suomi
To be successful, Ilves might need to go through city rival and CHL alum Tappara Tampere. Considering that they not only share a city but the same arena, as well, the feud between Ilves and Tappara, according to Suomi, ”can be fierce.” But at the end of the day, he believes that, ”it’s great that Tampere has two strong teams, who push each other forward.”
It’ll be interesting to see how these intracity contenders will fuel the other’s performance when the puck drops in a couple of weeks. But what about when the CHL season ends? What does Suomi have in store for hockey?
Looking beyond, the Finn is excited for the international competition coming to his hometown in 2022 when the IIHF Worlds will be held in Tampere. International play has always piqued Suomi’s interest and the fact that his city is playing host to one of the most acclaimed championships in the world of ice hockey makes it even more special.
”It’s fantastic that Tampere is getting a new arena and will be hosting the IIHF Worlds in 2022. Making the national team was an important step for me and one of my dreams is to play in the World Championships some day. Obviously it would be great to represent Finland in my home city,” he admitted. In addition to this honor, it could be that Suomi might shift his skillset to a North American rink.
Recently, the Buffalo Sabres have been in talks of signing the young star. As a product of the Finnish Liiga, which Suomi heralds for its, ”great conditions”, from a developmental standpoint, this move only makes sense. The question still stands: will Suomi sign overseas or will he remain in Europe? It’s a tough sell since, from Suomi’s perspective, there are ”quality coaches and players in the Liiga. Teams practice well and it’s a very competitive league. These things together give players a great platform to develop and perform.”
"Ilves has always been the first choice for me."Eemeli Suomi
Regardless of his decision or his desire to change his scenery in the future, Suomi is focused on the task at hand – doing his part to help his team win – and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish that goal. As for the club’s competing in the CHL, Suomi couldn’t be more thrilled to share what Ilves hockey is all about. ”Being part of the Champions Hockey League is great for us players and the whole Ilves organization. We are excited to challenge and compete against other European and Finnish top clubs.”