While the transition to college hockey can be difficult enough for most freshmen, no one may have had a tougher first-year on campus than Penn State sophomore forward Aarne Talvitie. Talvitie started strong on the ice, averaging almost a point a game, but that was all lost when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the IIHF World Juniors Championship last season.
It was not easy for Talvitie, who was looking forward to returning to Penn State after the tournament and building on a strong first half of the season.
"That was a tough blow," Talvitie said. "Especially after our tournament and feeling I was getting comfortable with playing here [at Penn State]."
Talvitie served as a captain and helped lead Finland to a silver medal at the U-18 World Junior Championship in 2016. He entered the 2018 tournament with a "nothing to lose mentality," which helped lead Finland back to the gold-medal game once again. They won, but it came at a cost for Talvitie.
While the tournament led to Talvitie missing the rest of the Penn State season, he describes it as a month he still wouldn't trade for anything.
"It was awesome and probably the best month of my life," Talvitie said. "It was a really good experience, but I had to pay a little price for it."
Much of the success Talvitie had prior to the injury at Penn State can be credited to the experience he had before joining the Nittany Lions. While the adjustment to the college game was difficult at first, that experience was something Talvitie could lean on and stood out to head coach Guy Gadowsky, who described him as someone who "oozes" with confidence.
"Not many people have the experience of being a captain of a gold-medal, world championship team," Gadowsky said. "That is an incredible experience that not many people get to have."
The road to recovery has not been easy for Talvitie, something that has tested his mental toughness every day. Gadowsky praised the mindset Talvitie showed throughout his recovery, recalling it was certainly more difficult than Talvitie let on.
"Rehab taught me a lot about myself," Talvitie said. "It was mentally and physically really hard."
There were plenty of times he wanted to push himself more, but realized it was best to listen to his body. Now with rehab almost in the rear-view mirror, Talvitie is eager to get back on the ice and pick up where he left off a season ago.
Looking ahead to this season, Talvitie, while only a sophomore, will have no problem fitting in with what will be a veteran Penn State team. While only playing half a season, he learned a lot from the upperclassmen. He also learned a lot about leadership captaining Finland in World Juniors, lessons he hopes to carry over to this season.
"You can learn a lot about leadership from the older guys," Talvitie said. "You can always learn from those guys who have played in this league for a couple of years and I learned a lot from those guys in a short period of time."
Gadowsky was sure to emphasize the value Talvitie adds both on and off the ice. While the on-ice value he offers is excellent, he is someone who is beloved by his teammates and described by Gadowsky as a fun guy, but of course in a hard-working way.
On the ice, Talvitie is set to take on a big role once again. He is excited to return to his natural position of center after playing on the wing last year. Gadowsky described him as someone he wants on the ice in all situations.
"He is a kind of guy you want in your defensive zone," Gadowsky said. "A guy you want in your offensive zone, a guy that is on the ice for important faceoffs, a guy that kills penalties."
Talvitie sees himself in a similar role, hoping he can add value wherever he can.
"I see myself pretty much in the same role as last year," Talvitie said. "Be a versatile player and now as a center be more of a two-way player and help on the defensive side. Also, be a big contributor on the power play and penalty kill. Maybe be a little bit more of a leader coming in with the experience from last year."
Veteran Chase Berger graduated following the 2018-19 season and Penn State will need to find a way to replace his impact. While Berger can never completely be replaced, having someone like Talvitie returning certainly helps.
"You don't just replace that," Gadowsky said. "But you feel a lot better in replacing those intangibles with a guy like Aarne."
With the season rapidly approaching, Talvitie knows exactly what he is most looking forward to.
"The first game," he said. "I've been waiting nine months for it."
For Talvitie, October 11 can't come soon enough.
