Manitoba Moose blueliner Sami Niku adjusting to life in new country

WINNIPEG – It’s been a season to remember for Finnish defenceman Sami Niku.

The blueliner recently joined the Winnipeg Jets after his Manitoba Moose were eliminated from the playoffs. And it’s been a transition year both on and off the ice for the 21-year-old.

RELATED: Manitoba Moose Niku & Appleton chosen for AHL all-rookie team

Niku won the AHL’s defenceman of the year award in his rookie season and earned a brief call-up with the Jets where he made his NHL debut and scored his first NHL goal. All while adjusting to the North American style of game on the smaller ice surface.

“First maybe, five, ten games, a little bit hard,” Niku said. “Because I came here and ice is smaller and I have to make my decisions much quicker than in Europe”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "First maybe, five, ten games, a little bit hard," Niku said. "Because I came here and ice is smaller and I have to make my decisions much quicker than in Europe"

But Niku adjusted quickly and finished the campaign with 54 points, second among all AHL defenceman.

“We expected him to take two or three months,” Moose Head Coach Pascal Vincent said. “Usually it takes until Christmas for Europeans to get used to it, but it got way faster than that. His adjustment was really quick.”

For players from Europe, like Niku, the transition also includes getting used to life in a strange country and learning a new language. But some things, like video games, are the same everywhere.

“It has been nice. I play a lot of PS (Play Station), so it’s like same thing what I did in Finland. So it’s like normal,” Niku said. “There is cold too, like here, but of course the hardest thing is language.”

RELATED: Sami Niku scores 1st NHL goal as Winnipeg Jets earn 50th victory against Montreal Canadiens

Niku hasn’t been completely alone in an unfamiliar country though.

He was a teammate of Patrik Laine when Finland won the gold medal at the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championships and the two were roommates when Niku first came across the pond. Laine helped him find an apartment and a car.

“Sometimes I go there to eat,” Niku said. “His mom cook for us, so it was nice.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Sometimes I go there to eat," Niku said. "His mom cook for us, so it was nice."

They’ll be spending a lot more time together next season if Niku can make the jump to the NHL full-time.