Beyond his years

One day, Aron Kiviharju will be competing with and against players his age.
And when that day comes, it might feel a bit odd for the defenceman.

For years, ever since Kiviharju was young, he has played up a level, or
two, or three. At age 13, he was playing U16 hockey with TPS Turku and,
this past season, as a 15-year-old, he started with TPS’ U18 team before
moving on to the U20 club. His numbers – 30 points in 35 games – would be
deemed impressive for a 19-year-old forward, never mind a young defenceman
who only turned 16 in January.

At the 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup this week in Red Deer, Kiviharju once again
is playing up as one of three 2006-born defencemen on the Finnish roster,
in a tournament largely made up of 2005-born athletes. Team Canada, for
instance, has no 2006-born players and is made up entirely of 2005ers.

“Many people have been asking me about (competing against older players),”
says Kiviharju, who averaged a point per game (six assists in six games)
last April at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Championship. “But for me, it doesn’t
matter what the age group is, I just try to be myself on the ice, off [the]
ice, and I think that’s when the best things happen, is when I’m myself. It
doesn’t matter what the age group is.

“I’ve always known that I’m a few centimetres shorter or a few kilos
lighter, but just try to find a way to get out from under the pressure.
Just thinking all the way, like use your head when you’re in those
situations when your body is smaller than the other guys. Just use your
head and get away from the pressure.”

Talk to hockey scouts and coaches and Kiviharju’s ability to think on the
ice is a primary reason for his success. He’s currently touted by some to
be the front-runner to go first overall in the 2024 NHL Draft which, for a
teenager, must feel like a lifetime away.

But at just 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds, Kiviharju, one of the smallest
defenceman in Red Deer, has to have high hockey IQ and exceptional physical
skills to ensure he can defend and provide offence.

“Aron has amazing hockey sense, how he sees the game,” says Finland head
coach Lauri Merikivi, who has only gotten to know and see Kiviharju up
close over the past couple of weeks as the Finns prepared for the U18
showcase event. “It feels like he always knows what’s going to happen right
away. It looks very easy when he has the puck because he knows what’s going
to happen and where the players are going to move.”

So, the million-dollar question is, where does that hockey sense come from?
Kiviharju chuckles that it likely originated with his mom but notes his
dad, Jani, who spent eight seasons with TPS Turku, got a three-year-old
Aron on skates and, from there, curiosity kind of took over.

Merikivi says he doesn’t know where the hockey IQ comes from but is pleased
to see it on his team.

“That’s a good question and, if I had the right answer, I would probably
say that to all of these players,” he says with a laugh. “He played lots of
different games when he was young. He is very interested in the game, he
listens and he asks and he follows what other players do. And he’s curious
all the time in what’s going to happen and how different situations will
turn out. That’s the big thing.”

What that translates to on the ice is a player who seems to be a step ahead
of the play. Think of Walter Gretzky teaching a young Wayne to go where the
puck is going to be, rather than where it is at the moment.

Kiviharju describes himself as a defenceman who is strong with the puck and
best in the offensive zone. But that shouldn’t take away from his
more-than-capable abilities in his own zone keeping players, and the puck,
away from his net.

“He’s not so big, like everybody knows. But he’s strong enough,” says
Merikivi. “If I compare with other players the same age, he’s strong enough
and he will improve that. His timing is really good. He knows when is the
right time to hit and when is the right time to defend with the stick or
make the box out or play 1-on-1. That’s the thing. I can compare him to
Sebastian Aho, who is also not really a big player or really strong. But
the timing is so good.”

Following the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Kiviharju will head back to Turku and try
to crack the TPS roster and play in the Liiga, the highest level of the
game in Finland. Whenever he makes the team (and his current coach thinks
it could be this season), Kiviharju will be playing with and against men.
It’s incredible to think he could be doing so at the age of 16.

“I’ve been waiting for that for my whole life, since I started playing
hockey that I could be with the TPS men’s team,” he says. “I’ve been
looking forward to that.”