However, English is primarily spoken in the locker room anyway, and he can also converse in German with coach Toni Söderholm. The Finn was once the German national coach and head coach of EHC Red Bull Munich.
Difficult Start
The start to the new adventure was not as smooth sportingly as one might initially assume.
At the beginning of August, Haudum sustained a muscle strain in his ribs during the "Pitsiturnaus," a traditional preparatory tournament in Rauma, and was out for a week.
A week after his return, the center suffered a mild concussion in a test game against HC Lugano after a hit from Mirko Müller. "A 'bucket' who thought he had to come from behind," Haudum can now joke about it.
Afterwards, he had mild symptoms for three days, but these quickly disappeared.
Center of the Top Line
At TPS - also known as "Tepsi" - the Upper Austrian immediately plays a significant role.
Haudum leads the first line as center, with two Swedish wingers, Lukas Wernblom and Lars Bryggman, by his side. "We harmonize extremely well; both also have exceptional qualities," he says.
After two games, Wernblom has already recorded seven points, a feat not achieved by any other player in 37 years. Bryggman leads the goal-scoring list with four goals. Haudum, meanwhile, is ranked fifth in the scoring standings.
Together, they were the most dangerous line in the first week of the Liiga. The Austrian beams: "It's really fun."
"Super Line"
Finnish media are already talking about a "super line." They show "truly exemplary ice hockey," says former player Topi Nättinen to the "Ilta Sanomat" newspaper.
Their play is not a "spectacular feat," but rather consists of consistently sensible, small decisions. Their movement and puck battles are at a high level, and each also contributes creativity and individual skill.
While Wernblom and Bryggman had already established themselves as star players in the Liiga, Haudum, however, is a "real surprise."
The "McDavid of the Liiga"?
His jersey number "97" has even earned him comparisons to Connor McDavid.
Das ist natürlich schön zu hören. Aber wir wissen alle, wie viel das bedeutet.
The Austrian "at least based on first impressions" has what it takes to become something like the "McDavid of the Liiga." Haudum winks and shrugs it off: "That's nice to hear, of course. But we all know what that means."
Nättinen, in any case, raves about his qualities: "A really smooth skater who bravely holds onto the puck, but is also willing to aggressively dive into game situations. He can also skate fast with the puck, which is not a given."
How Haudum Got the "97"
Haudum wearing the "97" was not planned. His preferred number "21", which he last wore with the Graz99ers and also has on his national team jersey, was already taken by Joel Määtta.
The 29-year-old wore "11" with KAC, but in Turku, it will soon be retired to the rafters in honor of long-time NHL player Saku Koivu. The same goes for Jukka Villander's "12". And Bryggman had already chosen "22".
So, in reference to his birth year 1997, only "97" remained. "I didn't want to seem too conceited right away," Haudum laughs. "But it's a cool number."
Biggest Difference to the ICE
Haudum sees the biggest difference compared to the ICE Hockey League in the pace. "There are definitely better skaters here on average. We have extremely good skaters distributed across all four lines on the team. The game is very fast," he explains.
This suits the Upper Austrian. Not only does he have no problems, but he can also play to one of his greatest strengths, for example, as a puck carrier on the power play or during forechecking.
The intensity also immediately struck him; even the first practice was "full-on." Nevertheless, he believes the top teams of the ICE could certainly make a good impression in the Liiga.
Hockey-Mad Finns
Haudum is impressed by the Gatorade Center, TPS's home arena. The first two home games against KooKoo and HIFK saw attendances of 5,360 and 6,708 spectators, respectively. The multi-purpose arena can accommodate almost 12,000 spectators.
The ÖEHV player raves: "There's a great atmosphere for playing in our arena because it's like a huge Coliseum. It has the flair of a World Championship arena."
Generally, one can see that Finland is a "hockey-mad country." "When we watch videos or highlights of other teams, there are quite a lot of people in the arenas everywhere. We're certainly in for some exciting away games."
Traditional Duels with Special Intensity
The encounter with HIFK was already an early highlight of the season; the team from the Finnish capital Helsinki is one of Turku's rivals.
Haudum recounts: "They have a reputation for playing really dirty in the 2010s. They want to maintain that mentality a bit." That's why HIFK isn't necessarily considered the most popular opponent league-wide.
Additionally, duels with Jokerit Helsinki are deeply rooted in Finnish ice hockey history. Both share a strong rivalry; this season, the two teams will meet again for the first time since Jokerit's exit from the Liiga twelve years ago.
Successful Start to the New Adventure
For Haudum, however, the focus is now on the everyday life of the league.
The first two games have indicated that the move to Finland might have been exactly the right one, sportingly speaking.
The season is still young, but the Upper Austrian is already providing initial answers as to why he was trusted to make the leap into one of Europe's strongest leagues.
