But Alinen’s time in Columbus wasn’t limited to Ohio State’s campus and the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound prospect, who is a native of Finland, also received a VIP tour of the Columbus Blue Jackets facilities. Alinen’s father, Klaus, is friends with Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen, also a Finland native.
The Blue Jackets have two players on their roster with Finland roots, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and forward Patrik Laine, and Alinen was able to speak with both of them.
“I was able to go there and meet some of the players and all that,” Alinen said. “It was a really nice experience to get to meet the guys and see how they like Columbus. (Talking to them) was really helpful. It’s good to talk to some people who have been there from your country and have experienced this before, it’s really helpful.”
Apparently, Alinen left an impression on them, too.
“That’s a big, big boy,” Laine told The Athletic. “Hopefully he comes (to school) here so we can get a little more Finnish presence in this town. It would be fun going to the games now and then to see a Finnish guy play. He’s in a great position where he can choose wherever he wants to go. If he decides to come here, I could try to help him out, if he has any questions.”
“I was able to see how he coaches and what type of things he coaches and how he interacts with his players,” Alinen said. “There’s some really good players out there, man. But I think they all enjoy working together as a group. There’s a great spirit they have as a team. I think they have a really good culture there and really good values on the team. You can really see how the players enjoy the place, there’s a family atmosphere in the facility.”
