When asking the average fan, or maybe the diehards, who they would consider a superstar player in the NHL, they will most likely say Connor McDavid or Nathan MacKinnon. Some might even say Auston Matthews or Leon Draisaitl. While all of those players are superstars, there is one name that is constantly overlooked by national media unless you are in the Carolinas. The overall thought for the Carolina Hurricanes is that they don’t have a superstar player. Someone who can’t turn a game on its head or even be clutch when needed most. However, if you ask anyone who watches the Hurricanes as a diehard fan, local or regional media, Sebastian Aho‘s name will get mentioned as an underrated superstar player.
Over the week of Aug. 19, Aho was named to the NHL Network’s Top 20 Centers Right Now list and was announced to Team Finland’s squad for the 4 Nations Face-Off that will take place from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal, Quebec, and Boston, MA. Those speak to how good Aho is as a player and who should be ranked higher due to his play style and the impact he has on the Hurricanes along with the position of being a center.
Sebastian Aho Is a Top 10 Center
The NHL Network on Wednesday, Aug. 21 revealed their Top 20 Centers Right Now list and it placed Aho 12th in the NHL. The network described what defines a center as “Winning important face-offs, leading rushes up the ice, and setting up teammates are the hallmarks of an elite center.”
The thing that makes the list interesting is that Aho is 12th on the list but Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils was placed 9th on the list. When comparing the two centers, Aho is the more well-rounded center compared to Hughes. While the Devils forward only played in 62 games compared to the Hurricanes forwards’ 78, he does not fit the “winning important face-offs” criteria. Hughes last season only won 37.2% of his face-offs compared to Aho who won 54.1%. In fact, Aho has never dipped below 45% in his eight-year career while Hughes has never surpassed 40%, his best being his total last season. Furthermore, when setting up teammates, Aho had 53 assists compared to Hughes’ 47.
Taking a deeper dive, Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks had 55 assists and won 50.8% of his face-offs (the first time over 50% in his career) and he placed 10th on the Top 20 list. Nothing against either one of those players, but how can they be considered “elite” or “superstar” players but Aho is not even though he has comparable or even better stats than the guys who were placed 9th and 10th? Pettersson played in all 82 games and still finished with fewer goals than Aho (34 for Pettersson, 36 for Aho). They both finished with 89 points and averaged a one-second difference in average time on ice (19:39 for Pettersson, 19:38 for Aho). That being said, Aho should be in talks as a superstar player if his stats are comparable to those of guys like Pettersson and Hughes.
Related: It’s Time to Call Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho a Superstar
What makes a great center is playing a two-way game and Aho is one of the best to play that style in the NHL. His plus-minus in 2023-24 was a career-high plus-34 while Pettersson (plus-20) and Hughes (minus-12) were lower. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour has Aho in all types of situations throughout any given game. You’ll see him play on the special teams (power play and penalty kill) and in the defensive or offensive zone for face-offs. No matter what is going on at any time, Aho is the man Brind’Amour turns to when needed most.
The clutch factor is huge in Aho as well, especially when he had 11 power-play and 10 game-winning goals for the Hurricanes last season. His two most memorable games during the regular season were when he scored game-winners on Whalers Night versus the Devils in overtime and the game against the Florida Panthers in the dying minute of regulation. Both of those games finished 1-0 in favor of the good guys. Overall, Aho needs to be considered a superstar player and should be in the Top 10 when it comes to the center position for being the most well-rounded player at that position.
Related: Sebastian Aho Should Be on Shortlist for NHL Awards in 2023-24
There is no logical reason not to consider him for either of those opinions for what he has done in his career. Aho starts his new eight-year deal in 2024-25.
Aho Named to Team Finland for 4 Nations Face-Off
On Wednesday, Aug. 21, the NHL announced that more players were being named to their representative teams (Canada, USA, Finland, and Sweden) for the 4 Nations Face-Off that will take place in February 2025. Aho was named to Team Finland and was asked about being selected for the tournament and to get his thoughts on the format. He stated, “Everyone’s pumped. It’s not like a best-of-7 series. That would be a little bit tougher to go up against some of the matchups. Tournament hockey’s a little bit different.”
The game that will be circled for Finland is their game versus Sweden on Feb. 15 which will be played at 1 p.m. Eastern. That is considered primetime for both North America and Europe given the time difference between the two regions in the world. When asked about that game in particular, Aho stated, “Primetime. Unreal. That’s a big rivalry. I’m sure that in both Finland and Sweden, a lot of people are going to watch that game, and there will be a lot of buzz around that game. That’s special.” Talk about a rivalry game between the two Scandinavian powerhouses who are looking for bragging rights on a stage that everyone will get to witness.
As of now, there is no indication on the rest of the rosters as they will be fully announced from Nov. 29 through Dec. 2. Either way, it will be an exciting time for fans to get to see Aho play best-on-best in the 4 Nations Face-Off this upcoming February.
Huge 2024-25 Season Incoming for Aho
Aho looks to keep up the momentum that he had from the 2023-24 season and take it into the upcoming 2024-25 season. The goal is to hopefully see him tally 40 goals and 90-plus points for the first time in his career. If he can do that on a Hurricanes roster that is in a transition year, and one that can still make the playoffs, there is no reason why people can still deny that he is a superstar and a top-10 center in the NHL. The upcoming season will be a huge one for Aho, but he is someone who has risen to the occasion before and will continue that trajectory. It will be a season for fans of the Hurricanes and others around the league to keep an eye on the Finnish forward who is looking to lead Carolina to its second-ever Stanley Cup in franchise history.
