The son of a former Montreal Canadiens captain is making waves overseas.
Over the summer, news broke that Saku Koivu’s son Aatos was developing into a bright young player in Finland. As it turns out, he is eligible for the 2024 NHL Draft, which is set to take place a little over 10 years after his father announced his retirement.
And last name aside, Aatos looks like the real deal so far.
With five goals and 15 points in his first 15 games with TPS in Finland’s U18 SM-sarja league, the 17-year-old was recently called up to play in the U-20 league. And despite being a literal boy among men, the young Koivu’s production has not slowed down one bit, netting three goals and four assists over seven games.
The centre’s offensive performances could also earn him a spot on the Finnish national under-18 team at the upcoming World Junior Championship in Sweden.
While Aatos, who measures in at 5-foot-11, is already four inches taller than his father, he may encounter issues in the weight department as multiple scouting sites have him listed at 126 pounds.
With that said, that number’s likely to jump up in his next weigh-in.
And when draft day does arrive, it would certainly be something if the Canadiens called Aatos’ name a little more than three decades after selecting his father in Quebec City with the 21st overall pick.
Certainly, the stars would have to align, but it wouldn’t be the first time a father-son duo ended up with the Habs.
Both Emile Bouchard and his son Pierre played for Montreal in their respective eras. There’s also former Habs enforcer John Ferguson’s son, who was drafted by the team in 1985 but never managed to suit up for a game.
Then there’s the case of Canadiens legend Bernie Geoffrion, whose son Danny played for the Habs during the one season his father was behind the bench as head coach.
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