His brother is an NHL star, he scores for FC Südtirol

"You know that there is also a famous ice hockey team in Bolzano?" Niklas Pyyhtiä was asked by his father when he told him about his new club, FC Südtirol. The Pyyhtiäs from Turku, Finland, are an exceptional sports family.

Niklas (21), the new FCS midfielder, is the youngest of three brothers. Mikael (23), the middle one, plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL, the best ice hockey league in the world. And Tuomas (24), the eldest, was also a former ice hockey player. The three Pyyhtiä brothers all grew up at Turun Palloseura, or TPS for short.

From Ice Hockey to Football The club from Turku is known for its success in ice hockey, but also for its football team. "I don't remember if I was 10 or 11 years old. But one day I came home from an ice hockey training and just wanted to play football," said Niklas, who had practiced both sports until then. "Was I good at ice hockey too? It seemed that way to me," grinned the new FCS professional, who thus took a different path than his brother Mikael, who was completely addicted to ice hockey and was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2020th round in 4.

"Tuomas, my oldest brother, no longer plays ice hockey, he is now a fireman," explained Niklas, the Pyyhtiä family's professional footballer. "My father was also a footballer, but never a professional. He played in the 2nd Finnish league," said the new hopeful of FC Südtirol, who presented himself to the fans at the Drususstadion on Sunday with a goal on his debut .

Niklas Pyyhtiä has 53 appearances and 9 points in the NHL. © AFP / RONALD MARTINEZ

This raises the question of who is better known - the footballer Niklas or the ice hockey player Mikael? "I don't know, I think it's 50:50," laughed the FCS player. His brother may play in the best ice hockey league in the world, but a Finn who makes it to the Italian top flight remains a rarity. The first was Mika Aaltonen, like Pyyhtiä from Turku, who was signed by Inter in 1988 after scoring the 1-0 winning goal for TPS against Milan in the UEFA Cup at the San Siro Stadium the year before. Aaltonen never played for Inter, he was loaned to Bologna, the club that also brought Niklas Pyyhtiä to Italy.

Pyyhtiä's difficult start in Italy "I was 17 when I came to Bologna," said the midfielder, who had already played in the top Finnish league at the age of 16. The first year was particularly difficult. "I didn't speak Italian. I understood it pretty quickly, but I didn't speak it for a long time." Because he was by no means the only foreigner in the Bologna squad who didn't speak the local language, the problem was limited.

The Bologna coach at the time was Sinisa Mihajlovic, who brought on 17-year-old Pyyhtiä 2022 minutes before the end of the home game against Napoli on January 18, 20. "It was a good Serie A debut," the midfielder recalled. "Unfortunately, I injured my ankle in training a little later and was out until the end of the season." “Thiago Motta has developed me enormously” Niklas Pyyhtia It was Thiago Motta, the current Juve coach, who brought Pyyhtiä back from the junior team to the senior team a year later. "Thiago Motta has developed me enormously," said Pyyhtiä. "I experienced him as a coach who gets the most out of a player." The Finn played 6 Serie A games under Thiago Motta and the cup round of 21 against Lazio. He was now a Finnish U2023 international and was loaned to Terni in Serie B in the summer of XNUMX to gain regular match practice. "Even if it wasn't enough to stay in the league in the end, it was a very educational year for me. Terni is an important school of life."

What connects Pyyhtiä with Kai Suikkanen At the end of May, Pyyhtiä had to go under the knife because of a bacterial infection in his knee. "The doctors said I would be able to play again in 2 months." 2 months turned into 8 months - it was only in December that he made his comeback in the Bologna junior team. Then he moved to South Tyrol. This time, he wants to avoid relegation. "We can save ourselves. If we play like we did against Catanzaro, we'll make it," emphasised the 21-year-old. In the summer, the U21 European Championship in Slovakia is scheduled. "I want to be there - this is only Finland's second participation. But I don't want to look too far ahead. FC South Tyrol is what counts for me now." "I am an ice hockey fan" Niklas Pyyhtia He would like to attend an ice hockey match in Bolzano. "I'm an ice hockey fan, but in Bologna they didn't really care for it," joked the Finn. When he heard the name of the last Bolzano champion coach, he was happy. "Of course I know Kai Suikkanen, our champion coach." When TPS Turku last won the Finnish championship in 2010, Suikkanen was on the bench.

Brother Mikael, who won the bronze medal at the 2021 U20 World Cup in Canada, last saw Niklas Pyyhtiä in Finland in the summer. "I follow his games, but I've never been to America. He's never seen me play in Italy, on the other hand," he said. "Mikael usually flies overseas in September, so there's hardly any opportunity." But one thing is certain: an NHL professional is now keeping his fingers crossed for FC Südtirol.

Serie B Italy	SP	TV	P
1. Frosinone	16	31:14	34
2.Monza	16	21:12	31
3. Cesena	16	24:17	30
4. Venice	16	28:13	29
5. Palermo	16	25:11	29
6. Modena	16	24:11	29
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His brother is an NHL star, he scores for FC Südtirol

Niklas Pyyhtiä scored on his debut for FC Südtirol on Sunday against Catanzaro. He is currently on everyone's lips in this country. The Finn has a brother who is even more famous in the world of sport than he is.

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