Aho landed in Raleigh last season as a highly-touted prospect who had spent the last three seasons in the Finnish Elite League and turned many heads at the World Championships in May. His previous performances on the world stage had been so impressive, many observers felt the 19-year-old would land a roster spot with the Hurricanes right out of training camp, and that’s exactly what happened. In his rookie season, Aho found himself playing on the Canes’ top line alongside Jordan Staal and fellow newcomer Teuvo Teravainen, and finished with an impressive 49 points in 82 games. This included a team-best 17 points on the power play. Looking ahead, Aho has quickly developed into one of the Canes’ top offensive threats with plenty of scoring upside. Now at just 20 years old, he will look to build on his solid rookie campaign and lead the Hurricanes back to playoff contention.

At 19 years old, Aho has already spent three seasons playing pro hockey with Karpat of the Finnish Elite League – culminating his overseas career with a point-per-game effort over 45 games last year – before signing an entry-level contract with the Hurricanes in June. GM Ron Francis was so impressed with the Finn's performance at the World Championships in May that he seemed to guarantee Aho a roster spot, saying, “I would think based on everything he’s done, he’s certainly penciled into our lineup, if not in pen.” Of course, that's not official, so Aho's situation is worth monitoring as it takes shape over the course of his first NHL training camp.