The upcoming season will be the second for Monto in Katowice. The decision to stay in Poland was quite simple and easy for the Finn – “I didn’t even search for any other team to move to; I’ve really been enjoying my time in Katowice and we have a great group of guys here. Many other players have also stayed on to play for the club this season.”

Since the club handled everything so well, the decision to keep playing for the Polish team was a no-brainer for Monto. He had no complaints and the familiar and pleasant environment in Katowice also helped during his decision-making process.

“Katowice have turned out to be a really nice city as well, so it is nice to return to a familiar place. Before I moved here, I knew that Katowice was a great place and that many Finnish players have been playing here. I received good feedback from them. There are plenty of nice restaurants and plenty of things to do, so that made it easier for me to settle in,” explained Monto.

Some fellow countrymen were, and are going to be, on the same journey with him.

“We had a good group of Finns playing here last season and many have stayed on for next season. The club also signed Niko Mikkola, another Finn, for next season,” said Monto.

Katowice will participate in the CHL for the very first time this season. Their path to the CHL Playoffs will not be easy, but Monto sees possibilities.

“I feel good about the CHL. I find it awesome to get the opportunity to play against the top teams in Europe. The Draw gave us some pretty neat teams to face in the Group Stage,” said Monto with excitement.

Katowice will face the ZSC Lions Zurich, 2021/22 CHL Champions Rögle Ängelholm and Hungarian side Fehérvár AV19 in Group D.

“This is also a great chance for the team and the organisation as well. We won the Polish championship last season, which was the first time in like over 50 years. I have understood that Katowice have always had a good team, but they just haven’t been able to capitalize on their chances,” explained Monto.

The team is looking forward to competing on the international stage. Some players, including Monto himself, have played in the CHL before.

“There are a couple of Polish players who have had the chance to compete in the CHL before, so it will be cool for them. I also played a few games in the CHL with HPK a few years ago. As I followed the Group Stage Draw, I hoped we would face maybe one Finnish team in our group, nevertheless, it will be fun to see how we compare against elite clubs. We might find ourselves in a hurry on the ice a few times, but we’ve got nothing to lose. We will be the underdogs because Fehérvár are also a tough team.”

There will be an exciting encounter along the way as one of Monto’s Finnish teammates will be facing a family member during one of their CHL Group Stage games.

“It will be fun to play against the ZSC Lions Zurich, because there will be a clash of Lehtonen brothers. Matias plays for us and Mikko Lehtonen, his brother, for Zurich. I suppose they haven’t played against each other in an official match before,” explained Monto.

Poland isn’t regarded as one of the biggest hockey nations, but that doesn’t mean that Poles aren’t enthusiastic about the sport.

“I have been talking to a few Polish teammates of mine and they sure are excited about the CHL. I have also been following things on social media and it seems that the club and the fans are also eagerly awaiting the games. They have never had the chance to cheer for their team on such a stage before,” said Monto.

Monto still has plenty of years of his career in front of him. One of his biggest wishes is to be able to play professional hockey for as long as possible.

“I will most likely be playing hockey outside of Finland for the rest of my career. I might move to over places, but the main thing is to stay healthy,” ended Monto.