Hartford bids Maatta "Hyvästi, ja kiitos!"
Jul 21, 2019 15:59:30 GMT -5
Scott-New York and Matt-Colorado like this
Post by Jedediah-Hartford on Jul 21, 2019 15:59:30 GMT -5
“Going into my first draft, Olli Maatta was the guy I wanted. When I was planning how I wanted to build this team, my first inclination was to build from the blue line up while also seeing if I could pick up anything else in the process. I saw him as the first step in that direction.” - Hartford owner/GM Jedediah Folks
The first player drafted under the current Hartford ownership is no longer a Mariner. Along with fellow defenseman Dominik Masin, Olli Maatta was sent to Hershey earlier today in exchange for the Bars’ 3rd and 4th round picks in the ongoing 2019 GHL draft, a casualty of the ongoing efforts to build the next era of Mariners hockey. His impact on the club’s most recent run of success will be long remembered by the Hartford faithful who watched him.
It was the 2014 offseason when Jedediah Folks assumed ownership of the Hartford Mariners, a roller coaster of a GHL franchise that had endured rebrands, relocation, and controversy. The start of the decade began with the end of the club’s existence in Wilmington. Following their move to Hartford, a first year boost to 82 points in 2012-13 for the newly renamed Mariners proved to be a false dawn, and the club fell back to familiar struggles the following season. Despite that, there were solid pieces in place, and the new owner felt that backing those pieces with a solid defense corps would be the first key step towards postseason contention.
The 2014 GHL Draft was filled with solid defensive prospects, with the likes of Seth Jones, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Murray, and Rasmus Ristolainen to pick from. Holding the 2nd overall pick, there was no doubt that Folks would be able to add the young blueliner he wanted to start of the new era. There was so much talent in fact, that the Hartford brass believed they could move down in the draft and still get their target. A trade with Philadelphia netted them an upcoming forward in Boone Jenner and the 11th pick in exchange for the 2nd, and when 11 came around, there was Maatta, right where the new owner hoped he would be.
After getting into 32 games his rookie season, Maatta had to deal with the disappointment of injuries and healthy scratches as he only played in 9 games the following year. 2016-17 was poised to be a tense make-or-break year for the young Finn, but the team around him was rising fast. The first season of the Folks era had seen the club qualify for the postseason, and a first playoff series win came the following year, both after regular seasons of 100+ points. Fellow 2014 draftee Vincent Trocheck had progressed as well as Jenner, the piece that had come with the pick that landed Maatta. With a solid goaltending tandem in place in the form of Brian Elliott and Ryan Miller, Folks executed a series of ambitious moves throughout the 2016 offseason to augment the existing core.
Maatta took the next step into becoming a team regular during the 2016-17 season, nabbing 35 points while not missing a single game and holding his own within a squad that was a mix of youth and veteran leadership. More important though were his key contributions in the postseason. It was Maatta whose key assist led to Ryan Getzlaf’s triple-overtime winner in Game 4 of the Campbell Conference semis to give the Mariners a commanding 3-1 series lead over Philadelphia. Another assist to Joe Pavelski gave Hartford a much needed two-goal lead in their eventual 5-4 Game 2 win in the conference finals against Quebec. Further highlighting his effect on the ice was the near blowing of a 3-0 series lead by the Mariners in that series in the aftermath of Maatta’s Game 4 injury, the defense clearly missing something during the only 3 games he missed all season long. However, back again and healthy in the finals, Olli was providing a big moment again, scoring what would prove to be the decisive goal in a 4-3 Game 4 win in Alaska.
While not as heralded as most, Olli Maatta was an important source of consistency in Hartford’s Cup triumph in the spring of 2017. While the two post-Cup years saw Hartford enter into a rebuilding stage, Maatta continued on as a reliable mainstay in the Hartford lineup. As the club looked to turn things over to a new wave of players, it was not a surprise that Maatta’s name began surfacing in trade talks that concluded with this morning’s move. His time in Hartford is now over and he looks forward to a new chapter in his career, but his role in the Mariners’ story will not quickly be forgotten.
The first player drafted under the current Hartford ownership is no longer a Mariner. Along with fellow defenseman Dominik Masin, Olli Maatta was sent to Hershey earlier today in exchange for the Bars’ 3rd and 4th round picks in the ongoing 2019 GHL draft, a casualty of the ongoing efforts to build the next era of Mariners hockey. His impact on the club’s most recent run of success will be long remembered by the Hartford faithful who watched him.
It was the 2014 offseason when Jedediah Folks assumed ownership of the Hartford Mariners, a roller coaster of a GHL franchise that had endured rebrands, relocation, and controversy. The start of the decade began with the end of the club’s existence in Wilmington. Following their move to Hartford, a first year boost to 82 points in 2012-13 for the newly renamed Mariners proved to be a false dawn, and the club fell back to familiar struggles the following season. Despite that, there were solid pieces in place, and the new owner felt that backing those pieces with a solid defense corps would be the first key step towards postseason contention.
The 2014 GHL Draft was filled with solid defensive prospects, with the likes of Seth Jones, Jacob Trouba, Ryan Murray, and Rasmus Ristolainen to pick from. Holding the 2nd overall pick, there was no doubt that Folks would be able to add the young blueliner he wanted to start of the new era. There was so much talent in fact, that the Hartford brass believed they could move down in the draft and still get their target. A trade with Philadelphia netted them an upcoming forward in Boone Jenner and the 11th pick in exchange for the 2nd, and when 11 came around, there was Maatta, right where the new owner hoped he would be.
After getting into 32 games his rookie season, Maatta had to deal with the disappointment of injuries and healthy scratches as he only played in 9 games the following year. 2016-17 was poised to be a tense make-or-break year for the young Finn, but the team around him was rising fast. The first season of the Folks era had seen the club qualify for the postseason, and a first playoff series win came the following year, both after regular seasons of 100+ points. Fellow 2014 draftee Vincent Trocheck had progressed as well as Jenner, the piece that had come with the pick that landed Maatta. With a solid goaltending tandem in place in the form of Brian Elliott and Ryan Miller, Folks executed a series of ambitious moves throughout the 2016 offseason to augment the existing core.
Maatta took the next step into becoming a team regular during the 2016-17 season, nabbing 35 points while not missing a single game and holding his own within a squad that was a mix of youth and veteran leadership. More important though were his key contributions in the postseason. It was Maatta whose key assist led to Ryan Getzlaf’s triple-overtime winner in Game 4 of the Campbell Conference semis to give the Mariners a commanding 3-1 series lead over Philadelphia. Another assist to Joe Pavelski gave Hartford a much needed two-goal lead in their eventual 5-4 Game 2 win in the conference finals against Quebec. Further highlighting his effect on the ice was the near blowing of a 3-0 series lead by the Mariners in that series in the aftermath of Maatta’s Game 4 injury, the defense clearly missing something during the only 3 games he missed all season long. However, back again and healthy in the finals, Olli was providing a big moment again, scoring what would prove to be the decisive goal in a 4-3 Game 4 win in Alaska.
While not as heralded as most, Olli Maatta was an important source of consistency in Hartford’s Cup triumph in the spring of 2017. While the two post-Cup years saw Hartford enter into a rebuilding stage, Maatta continued on as a reliable mainstay in the Hartford lineup. As the club looked to turn things over to a new wave of players, it was not a surprise that Maatta’s name began surfacing in trade talks that concluded with this morning’s move. His time in Hartford is now over and he looks forward to a new chapter in his career, but his role in the Mariners’ story will not quickly be forgotten.