Carolina Hurricanes: From 1 to 101; Reliving 5 Memorable Aho Goals

November 12th, 2016 vs. Washington Capitals

To kick off this list let’s go way back to November 12th, 2016. A time where the Carolina Hurricanes were a team in transition without a playoff appearance in recent memory and just a glimmer of hope for the future for the fans. A then 19 year Aho was still adjusting to the North American style of game and the smaller ice surface.

Every young hockey player dreams of playing in the NHL and scoring their first goal. For Aho, that dream became a reality in his 15th career game against the Washington Capitals. On a play where his high hockey IQ was on full display, he found fellow Fin Teuvo Teravainen left open in front of the net. As soon as he completed the pass he beelined behind the net for a possible rebound.

Teravainen one touched the pass to Jordan Staal, who was in a prime shooting position. Staal’s shot was initially saved by Caps goaltender Philipp Grubauer, but Aho was there to jam home the puck for his first ever NHL goal. Sebastian would follow it up with his second, an empty netter, later on in the third period.

Teuvo assisting on Aho’s first two career goals was a bit of foreshadowing the future, with the man known as “Turbo” assisting on 50 of Aho’s 101 career goals including number 100. The two Fins have be dynamite when paired together dating all the way back to day one.

January 31st, 2017 vs. Philadelphia Flyers

In his rookie season Aho would go on to score 24 goals, good enough for second on the team only behind Jeff Skinner who had 37. With 20 goal scorers difficult to come by, putting up 24 in year one is an impressive feat.

Currently with three career hat tricks, the most recent just this past Saturday against the Wild, Aho’s first came back in January 2017. In what was the Hurricanes first game after the all start break, Sebastian’s first three goal game propelled the Canes to a 5-1 victory of the Flyers.

His first of the game was a result of a strong net drive. Staal found Sebastian at full speed who beat Steve Mason with a nifty move in tight. His second of the night all started with an excellent defensive play. Aho forced a turnover at the Flyer’s blueline, resulting in a give and go with Elias Lindholm. He finished the play off with a rocket of a one timer.

The hat trick was completed with a power play goal in the second period. This time Aho had ample time to settle a Lindholm pass before shooting it bar down over Mason’s blocker side. Each goal in the hat trick illustrated Aho’s elite skill set at a young age. Although it’s technically three goals, we’ll let it slide.

September 28th, 2018 vs. Chicago Blackhawks

September 28th, 2018 was an emotional night for some Canes fans as long time Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward made his first appearance at PNC Arena as a visitor.  At the time the Canes were on a 1-4-2 skid, with their only win coming a few days earlier against the same Hawks team.

With a total of 18 career game winning goals, his overtime winner against Ward has to one of the more memorable. Spoiling Ward’s return, Aho showed extreme patience waiting out Chicago’s defenseman Brent Seabrook.

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Once he beat Seabrook Ward’s five-hole opened up, allowing him to sneak the puck under for the overtime winner. You could see the pure emotion of his face once the puck went in for his first goal in over a month (13 games). Given whom the goal was scored against, it earned a spot in the top five memorable goals.

March 1st, 2019 vs. St. Louis Blues

One of the more memorable Aho goals came as a result of an unlucky bounce, or mishandle, of the puck by Blues’ netminder Jake Allen. The Hurricanes were on the penalty when Teuvo cleared the zone. Allen was caught severely out of position when he left his crease to play the puck.

With the game tied and the team on the pk, Aho could have easily let the time go off the clock and regroup. Instead he pounced on Allen’s miscue, and used his speed to score a wrap around goal on the empty net, which was ended up being the game winner.

The coaching staff decision to play Aho and “Turbo” together on the penalty kill has been a good one. The duo’s even strength success has bled over to special teams, with the two among the league’s elite penalty killing tandems. The Hurricanes currently boast the NHL’s second best pk and Aho is a big reason why.

With eight career short handed goals, Sebastian has been a threat for opposing teams in all situations. His three SH goals this season currently lead the league in that category. While this is impressive, the bigger story is the fact that the Hurricanes have only surrendered one PP goal against with “Seabass” on the ice.

Honorable Mentions

December 7th, 2016 vs. Anaheim Ducks

Aho has been known to have a break away or two almost every game. With any puck luck he could have hit the 100 goal mark a lot sooner. With that in mind, Aho’s fourth career goal came on a beautiful breakaway where he waited for John Gibson to make the first move. Just missing the top five, the poise with the puck he demonstrated as a rookie certainly deserves a mention on this list.

April 13th, 2019 vs. Washington Capitals

Just as his first career NHL goal came against Washington, his first career playoff goal came against the same Caps team. In round one, game two, Aho somehow managed to sneak the puck between Braden Holtby and the post from an extreme angle. At the time the goal knotted the game at two and shifted the momentum to the Canes favor.

April 24th, 2019 vs. Washington Capitals

Aho’s second career playoff came in game seven while the Canes were tailing 2-0. On a short handed sequence, Sebastian followed up his initial shot with a rebound goal. As we all know, Carolina would go on to win the game in double overtime, eliminating the then defending champs.  Any game 7 goal is definitely memorable and deserves recognition on this list.

November 18th, 2019 vs. Ottawa Senators

The most recent goal on this occurred about a month ago in a 8-2 rout of the Ottawa Senators. In what was his second of the night, Aho’s hand eye coordination was on full display when he took advantage of a lucky bounce.

The play would be briefly reviewed for a high stick, but Sebastian legally batted the puck out of mid air into the back of the net. While the shot was impressive, the goal was really a result of him being in the right place at the right time,  a common theme among his 101 goals.

The Carolina Hurricanes are 52-22-8 when Sebastian Aho scores. Given that he’s just 22 and under contract until the 2024, his best years are ahead of him. Hurricanes fans have already experienced numerous memorable goals from the Finnish star and should see him hit the 200 goal milestone in no time.

Did your favorite Aho goal make the list?