Montreal Canadiens select Saku Koivu’s son Aatos Koivu No. 70 overall
The Montreal Canadiens selected Aatos Koivu in the third round, No. 70 overall at the 2024 NHL Draft.
Aatos is the son of former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu, who served as team captain for 10 years and played 13 in total with the franchise. Saku amassed 641 points in 792 games with the Canadiens from 1995-2009.
Avec le 70e choix au total, les Canadiens sélectionnent l’attaquant Aatos Koivu du TPS junior.
With the 70th-overall selection, the Canadiens have drafted forward Aatos Koivu from TPS JR.#GoHabsGo | #RepêchageLNH | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/f85SIUE1jR
Koivu spent the 2023-24 campaign with TPS in the U20 SM-Sarja league, where he compiled 16 goals and 31 points in 28 games with the club. He appeared in four LIIGA games, the Finnish men’s national league but did not register a point.
Koivu represented Finland at the IIHF World Under-18 Championships and tallied one assist in five games.
Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis ranked Koivu No. 91 overall.
“The son of former Montreal Canadiens Saku Koivu, Aatos Koivu had an up-and-down season. The highs were high, though, especially at the U-18 Five Nations in Finland back in February. Koivu has the same playmaking qualities as his father, and he also has a hard wrister that can devastate goaltenders in open ice – especially on the power play. The mix of speed, good hands and compete level is keeping scouts interested. He works hard and plays with pace, and now scouts are wondering how much more he can unlock out of his game. Right now, he can play any role, with that type of versatility coming in handy.”
Koivu joins Ivan Demidov, Michael Hage and Logan Sawyer as the Habs 2024 picks so far. Montreal is slated to pick next with the No. 102 pick.