Training buddies

MONTREAL - Fresh off a standout rookie season, Artturi Lehkonen is back home in Turku, Finland preparing for his sophomore NHL campaign.

Shortly after the 2016-17 season came to a close, the talented winger headed overseas for some well-deserved rest and downtime with his family before getting back to work, looking to improve every facet of his game.
The 22-year-old Finn has spent his offseason grinding it out in the gym with trainer and physiotherapist Viljo Niemeläinen, who runs Turku's Sport Science Lab (SSL). The pair has been working together for the past four years, honing Lehkonen's physical capabilities to ensure he'd be a force to be reckoned with when he finally made the jump to the NHL.

He most definitely was - chipping in to the tune of 18 goals and 28 points during the regular season before adding two more snipes and four points during the playoffs - but Niemeläinen insists there's still plenty of progress to be made.
"What I talk about with him is focusing on balance and strength when it comes to one-on-one situations and getting in front of the net - one-on-one battles for the puck and strength. That's one thing, then it's focusing on the first two or three strides when you push off and start skating. He wants to be as explosive as possible," said Niemeläinen, a former goaltender in the Finnish ranks who played under Lehkonen's father, Ismo, before going on to work under him as a conditioning coach. "Those are the exact things that we feel he needs to get better at when it comes to the NHL."
Lehkonen is certainly in agreement there.
"I've got to work on everything. I've got to get stronger. I've got to get faster. I've got to be more versatile," said Lehkonen, who typically spends five days per week in the gym in addition to skating with his father two to three times each week. "I've also got to get more physical and stronger in my legs so I can win those one-on-one battles during games. I know I'm still young and I know I have a lot of things to improve. It's a good challenge for me, for sure. I've just got to make sure that I'm ready when training camp starts."
To help Lehkonen take that all-important next step, Niemeläinen is putting him through a rather unique workout regimen.
"It's hard to compare what we're doing to any typical weight training. It isn't a conventional system," said Niemeläinen, before expanding upon some of the key facets of the SSL program. "Basically, the machines that we have allow people to change direction in squatting-type movements very quickly. We're combining that with a lot of smaller and bigger weights to get Artturi's nervous system to act at a high level."

When Lehkonen resumed his training at SSL earlier this summer, Niemeläinen quickly observed that his pupil had changed - for the better - since calling Montreal home, both physically and mentally.
"Guys always grow when they spend a year in the NHL for the first time. They mature. The one thing I'm really glad about is that he allowed himself to take a break after the season. He wasn't in a hurry to start training again. He wanted to recover and take his mind off things for a while, to get fresh and then start working towards a new season. That was smart," said Niemeläinen. "But he's definitely bigger and more muscular. I don't think he needs to gain a lot more mass. The way the game is played, guys are leaner and faster. Being well-conditioned and being able to change direction, go up and down the ice and battle is so important. We want to make sure he's able to do that."
To say that Niemeläinen enjoys working with his fellow countryman and seeing him thrive with the Canadiens is a big-time understatement.
"We know each other so well. We always have a lot of fun. He's a happy guy, always in a good mood and very professional. He's always been very serious about his training. He's very motivated like that," said Niemeläinen. "We go back four years, so he's also a good friend. I'd be lying if I said it doesn't feel good to see the work we do together help him succeed. I'm proud."