Sebastian Aho perseveres to reach 100-game milestone
Sebastian Aho #25 of the New York Islanders skates in warm-ups prior to the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at the UBS Arena on December 10, 2022 in Elmont. Credit: Getty Images
Sebastian Aho was in the Islanders’ lineup for the 39th straight time, meaning Thursday night’s match against the Wild at UBS Arena finally marked his 100th NHL game.
There were times the Swedish defenseman, who turns 27 on Feb. 17, had trouble imagining reaching any NHL milestone as he either played for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport or sat watching as a healthy scratch.
“Of course the mind plays some tricks on you,” Aho said. “It’s been quite awhile and it’s been a lot of games up in the stands just watching. I’m not going to lie, there’s been a couple of times where I’ve been like, ‘Maybe it’s not going to happen.’
“But I’ve had good people around me, family, friends, my wife. Even the people in the organization, they’ve always been here for me, supporting me and trying to give me the tools to become a guy in the top six. It happened and I’m enjoying it and just trying to make it stay that way.”
The slick-skating but undersized Aho was a fifth-round pick in 2017 and hopes were raised when he played 22 NHL games with a goal and three assists in 2017-18.
But Aho spent the next two seasons with Bridgeport, then dressed for only three NHL games in 2020-21. He played 36 games for the Islanders last season as COVID-19 impacted their roster. But he could never establish himself as a regular among former coach Barry Trotz’s top six defensemen.
Even this season, under new coach Lane Lambert, Aho did not win a top-six job out of training camp. The Islanders had two spots open after the retirements of Zdeno Chara and Andy Greene, and Alexander Romanov filled one after being acquired from the Canadiens for the 13th overall pick.
Robin Salo, a second-round pick in 2017 reassigned to Bridgeport on Wednesday, was in the lineup for the Islanders’ first four games. Aho was a healthy scratch for the season-opening 3-1 loss to the Panthers on Oct. 13 and then was on injured reserve with an upper-body injury the next three games.
But Aho, who had three goals and five assists entering Thursday, hasn’t come out of the lineup since being inserted for Salo in a 5-3 loss to the Lightning on Oct. 22. One big difference from past seasons is Aho has simplified his game to cut down on his turnovers, no longer looking for high-risk outlet passes. That has allowed the coaching staff to trust him in all situations, including late in the game while protecting a lead.
“His defensive game has gotten a whole lot better,” defenseman Scott Mayfield said of the 5-10, 186-pound Aho. “As a smaller guy, it can be tough. These guys they have to be a little bit smarter with how they use their body. They have to be smarter and more strategic. He’s learning that a little bit more.”
It has justified Aho’s decision to re-sign with the Islanders for a two-year, $1.65 million deal after becoming a Group 6 unrestricted free agent because he had played fewer than 80 NHL games at his age.
“You always want to think that the grass is greener on the other side,” Aho said. “But I felt I was going to have a really good shot of making the top six. And I like it here and my wife likes it here. We’ve been here a lot of years, up and down, up and down. It feels like a second home. I wouldn’t say that I was really looking elsewhere. I was pretty set on coming back.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
