The Espoo Blues have drawn German champions Adler Mannheim in the Round of 32. Mannheim is well-known for it’s crazy fans that packed SAP Arena in the group stage to break the attendance record in the CHL. Blues general manager Jarmo Koskinen was very pleased with the result of the draw.

by Niko Korkiokoski

HELSINKI – As runners up from Group F, the Espoo Blues have been drawn against the winners of Group I, Adler Mannheim, the German champions.

“It’s going to be really interesting for us,” began Blues general manager Jarmo Koskinen. “Mannheim is a very traditional German team and we know that their arena is going to be full and the atmosphere will be above the roof. It’s great that the second leg will be at their home arena. One of the reasons we’re in the CHL is to get different kinds of experiences and that will be one great experience.” 

This year is the first time the Blues are playing in the Champions Hockey League and so far they have gotten what they wanted from it. But there’s still some hunger left.

“Overall this is well-organized and a great league to play in. We wanted to come and see how this was made and it was great that we made it through the group stage, since that was are goal in the first place, but now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” Koskinen said.

The high level of the league plays a big role with the teams that participate in it. It’s a good stage to be on, especially for the young players.

“This is a good opportunity for the coaches and the players to grow, since we face so many different kinds of teams during this whole thing. It’s also a place to shine for the players, when they can go and show their skills on an international level,” the ex-defenceman added.

Koskinen isn’t that familiar with the team they will go up against and was in fact waiting to face a team of a different nationality. He also hopes to get some help from the fans in Espoo.

“I’m not too familiar with Mannheim myself, but maybe the players on our team know more. We’ll have to talk to them about it. I was actually expecting to get a Swedish team drawn against us, since their were six Swedish teams in Basket 1, but I’m more than pleased with the outcome of the draw.”

He would be even more pleased if his club can increase the number of fans that come to the game. Mannheim drew the two largest crowds during the group stage, averaging 8,481. Barona Areena, the Blues home, can't hold that number of people, but Koskinen would like to see a significant increase over the numbers they drew during the group stage.

“I really hope we get some help from the fans and maybe they will even travel with us to Mannheim to support us,” the GM said hopefully.

The first game of the Round of 32 will be played on Tuesday, 22 September in Espoo and if one thing is for sure, it’s that Koskinen already has his game face on.

“Mannheim better be prepared,” he warned. “We have a lineup of guys that will make sure there’s going to be a lot of sweat involved when they face us, so I hope they're  ready.”