"This year he had a breakthrough season in the SHL, which is a very good pro league," said Islanders Head Amateur Scout Vellu Kautonen at the draft. "He's very skilled with the puck, very mobile. To me, he's a modern-style NHL defenseman. Smaller guy, but because of his skating and ability, he can play."
Aho echoed Kautonen's assessment. He said he likes to jump up in the play and feed the puck to his forwards. He was also grateful to get drafted by the Islanders, which he said was a bit of a surprise after going undrafted until he was 21. Aho was in Sweden watching a movie, rather than rounds 2-7, when he got the call. He was at Islanders Mini Camp only a few days later.
"It's been a fun week," Aho said at camp. "I haven't been on the ice since we were eliminated from the Swedish league. It was odd in the beginning, but as the week progressed it felt better and better. The coaches were great, they helped me and talked to me a lot."
It must have been a good introduction, as he signed his ELC less than a week after camp ended. He is now poised to make the jump to North America, the first step in taking back a piece of the Aho name.
