Larmi looking for 'right balance' with aggressive style of play taken at PPG Paints Arena (Penguins)

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Emil Larmi in Wilkes-Barre's training camp.

Emil Larmi plays an aggressive, athletic style for a goaltender

I went back and looked at what I wrote from the very first time I saw him play, in the Penguins' development camp scrimmages in July, a month after he signed an entry-level deal with the Penguins:

He was able to use his athleticism to make a number of impressive, quick saves amidst a flurry of shots. He showed some of the aggressiveness he plays with, coming far out of his net twice to cut down the angle and challenge shooters. The move paid off the first time and he was able to knock the puck away, but the second time he missed the mark and got stuck far from the crease.

Larmi's play his first season was par for the course in that regard. He's entertaining to watch with his athletic saves, but he'll probably do something to give you a heart attack every other game or so. 

We saw that in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's first preseason game this year, a 5-1 win over Binghamton on Saturday. Larmi was nearly perfect, making 21 saves on 22 shots, drawing praise from head coach J.D. Forrest after the game.

"Hey, I thought he was excellent," Forrest told me of Larmi's game. "He made some big stops for us, on the penalty kill, some plays that were scrambling around in front of the net. ... He was really good, solid for us. He gave our guys a lot of confidence, knowing that he's going to make that first stop, sometimes a second or third. I thought it was a really good game from him."

The one goal he did let in came from one of those heart attack-inducing moments, when he came far out of his net in an attempt to get to a puck first to clear it from the Penguins' zone. He was picked off by Devils prospect Reilly Walsh and unable to get back to the net in time before Walsh scored.

While some moments like those can occasionally be expected, Forrest said that they aren't looking to see Larmi change his game too much this season.

"It's also one of his attributes," Forrest said of Larmi's aggressive style. "We've got to cultivate, help him grow in those situations. The aggressive nature of his game is also something that really helps him. Once and awhile we're going to have a mistake on the other side of it. He's just got to know when to rein it in. That's something we see as a positive in what he does as a goaltender."

I asked Larmi what conversations the coaching staff has had with him about that style as he prepares for his second season in North America.

"I think my game, it's getting more calm, relaxed," he said. "I know it used to be really aggressive, and sometimes it would be too much. It's just trying to find the right balance with those things. I think I learned from that, but in the end I still want to be me and play like how I play. There's always the tiny piece of aggressive style. I just want to try to find the right balance."

Larmi looks to be the clear No. 1 to start the season in Wilkes-Barre, being the only NHL-contracted goaltender on the team.

That's quite the 180 from the way his rookie season went.

In his third start in Wilkes-Barre last October, Larmi started to faint in the locker room during an intermission, he suspected due to a concussion sustained earlier in the period. After the health scare, he was out of the lineup for three weeks. Then, after a rocky few starts following his return, he was assigned to Wheeling in December. In total, he played just nine games for Wilkes-Barre and 11 games for Wheeling before a global pandemic cut the season short. Even when he was in Wilkes-Barre, he wasn't able to get consistent playing time with Casey DeSmith unexpectedly clearing waivers and ending up there at the start of the season.

Larmi said Wednesday that his mindset entering this season as the starter isn't any different from his mindset last training camp.

"It doesn't really change me (being the starter)," he said. "That was my plan during the last season, but it didn't happen. ... I just want to play a lot, enjoy every day, get better every day. That's my plan, the results will come after that.

The "enjoying every day" part of that plan might be different, though. Larmi was asked if between the injuries and inconsistency in playing time last year he ever got frustrated.

"Yes, I was frustrated," he said. "A lot. At some times it was pretty awful, to be honest. But it is what it is, that's hockey. ... It wasn't fun, but I believe that's done. It's a new season. ... I like how it is right now, I'm just enjoying every day."

Even if Larmi was frustrated with the way his season went last year, Forrest said that he was still a great presence in the locker room.

"He shows up with a smile, he's happy, he's got a sense of humor," Forrest said. "I'm sure you've seen some of his social media stuff, he's into that. He's a unique guy, he walks to the beat of his own drum, as they say. But he's also real fun to have around. He can lighten up a room just by joking around and creating some levity there. He's a pleasure to have on the team."

Forrest believes that Larmi will continue to make strides with more consistent play this year. 

"He was playing really well last year before he dealt with that injury, and it took him some time to come back," Forrest said. "Consistency was hard to find. This year, we think he's already taken a step just looking at where he is coming into camp and what he's done in the past week with us. We're excited about what he can provide for us in net, and it's a a big season for him. I'm confident that he'll make steps in the right direction, and he'll be reliable back there for us for sure."

Larmi was able to spend part of his offseason playing for his former Finnish club, HPK, while waiting for the AHL season to begin. He appeared in 12 games and posted a 2.61 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage.

"Without that, it would have been like 10 months or so without games, so that was good for a couple of months, get some games. The big thing for me was being able to practice with a team, even if it was some small group, or workouts with a team. .... I'm really happy I was able to do that, I think it will help a lot."

Still, this shortened training camp with limited exhibition games presents a challenge when it comes to getting a goaltender's timing back up to where it should be. Larmi isn't worrying about that too much, though.

"For me, it helped that I had been playing, but still it was almost a month or almost two since I've played in Finland," he said. "So there's still a break. But I haven't been even thinking about if (training camp) is short or not. It is what it is and we can't do nothing about it. I just take it that way and keep going."

One of the biggest challenges for Larmi in this season? He'll be without his best friend, defense prospect Niclas Almari. Larmi and Almari have been close for years, going back to their time as teammates for HPK in Finland. Larmi is back in Wilkes-Barre this season, but the Penguins opted to leave Almari in the Finnish league this year where he'd be able to get more playing time.

I asked Larmi if this is the longest the pair have ever been apart, of course right after he got a text from Almari.

"I'm missing him," Larmi said. "I wish he's here, but he's not. This might be the longest time without him. He'll be fine. And I will be fine, maybe. ... I hope so."


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