Ville Peltonen has seen it all! 4 times Olympic games participant, silver and bronze medallist, World champion, silver and bronze medallist at World Championships. NHL, KHL, Elitserien and Swiss NLA player. He is the most experienced player in European Trophy on international level and still one of the best being 39 years old. Since 2010 he's back with the club he startet his career at. We had the chance to get a tip of his thoughts. Thanks for talking to us, Ville!

If you look back on last season, what would be your summary of it?

Ville Peltonen: We had a bit slow start for the season but eventually got our game going the way we wanted it. Injuries played a part at the end of the regular season but we´re able to finish third. The playoffs were a huge disappointment for us and the highlight of the season turned out to be winning Jokerit at Winter Classic.

How did you spend your off-season and did you take a long vacation?

Ville Peltonen: I started preparing myself for this season with the national team´s camp for the World Championships where I was to the end of April. I laid back for a week or two and started training again and kept on going till the Midsummer. However the emphasis was on the recovery side and the actual summer training started individually when we started our 5-week vacation.

How would you compare European Trophy to other club tournaments you’ve played?

Ville Peltonen: It will be interesting to face top European Teams. International games are always a good yardstick for us and especially for our younger players a good place to develop. Other leagues have different tendencies on their game which is something to look forward to. The tournament system is good if you compare it to other pre-season scrimmages or tournaments where you play four games in a single weekend. On this tournament every point counts and that brings extra to the games. European Trophy is a good thing and very interesting and you get more excited from the games when you´re facing teams that you normally don´t play against. We´re focusing on European Trophy and are trying to win as many games as possible. We haven´t made it to the playoffs, yet. This year it is on our agenda.

Who will be your strongest rival for winning your division?

Ville Peltonen: Surely there are a lot of good teams but for us the most special one is the cross-town rival, Jokerit. We do play against them a lot during the regular season and plus that we´ve been up against on the playoffs for two years on the row now. Our derbys are the ones and this year we have a bone to pick with them. 

What will be your goal for the upcoming season?

Ville Peltonen: We are highly motivated to succeed and naturally our main goal is win gold in the Finnish Elite league. Our short-term goal is to play well and clinch a playoff-berth for the European Trophy. That would serve our preparation well for our own league, there´s no doubt about that. Personally I have no other goals but to help the team with my own input on the ice and on every way so that we´re ready when the season starts.