BY SCOTT
HADDOW
Sudbury Wolves winger Akim Aliu stands six-foot-three, weighs
209-pounds and it's all intensity.
His OHL career has been a bit of a roller coaster ride since he
was picked sixth overall by Windsor in the 2005 OHL Draft. Huge
expectations were immediately tagged onto the robust forward.
He delivered with a strong skating style and hard, physical
play.
Then, just after the 2005-06 season started, Aliu was involved
with a nasty confrontation with Steve Downie over a hazing
situation and the two fought at a practice. Aliu had refused to
be part of a hazing ritual and wouldn't back down from his
stance. Aliu and Downie were eventually traded (Downie to
Peterborough and Aliu to Sudbury).
Aliu brought his game to the Nickel City and showed his promise
with seven goals and 13 points in 29 games as a raw,
16-year-old rookie.
Aliu really gained some respect in the playoffs by dropping the
gloves and fighting six-foot-seven, 245-pound Kingston defender
Justin Wallingford to avenge a dirty play by the opposing
player.
This year, Aliu set out to make amends for his tumultuous
freshman campaign and excel. He had two main reasons: One, he
wanted to play on a winning squad, and two, he wanted to shine
as it's his NHL draft year.
Again, Aliu got off to a rocky start as his emotions boiled
over in several games, which lead to a few suspensions.
Aliu got past the shaky start and has now put himself in a
position to be a high NHL draft pick in June.
In 27 games this season, Aliu has 12 goals and 28 points. His
game has really picked up over the last month as he has seven
goals and 16 points in his last 13 games.
Winning is what Aliu wants more than anything else and it
sometimes consumes him.
"I don't have a bad or negative attitude," said the right
winger. "The attitude and temper is just about how much I get
into each game. I'm intense. I want to win...I want to win so
badly. I don't try to make myself out to be a negative guy. I
just get so intense and sometimes I lose control."
The potential to be drafted into the NHL can be nerve wracking,
especially since highly rated prospects are almost always under
the microscope each game.
In a December report, Aliu was rated 39th overall by
International Scouting Services.
"I would be lying if I said it wasn't on my mind," said Aliu
about the NHL draft. "It's there, in the back, all the time. I
just don't think about it on the ice, don't put extra pressure
on myself, and go out and work as hard as I can. It can be
negative and positive. It gives me something extra to work hard
for. The negative is that it can drain you, especially if you
have a bad game or a few and the scouts are watching."
Aliu has an awesome set of tools and talents.
"Akim is a great skater," said Wolves head coach and GM Mike
Foligno. "He can get into situations and recover quickly
because of his powerful stride. He can shoot, score, hit...make
plays. He's also versatile. We used him on defence against
Oshawa and as a centre versus Brampton recently...he didn't
look out of place and did a great job."
Aliu still has work to do.
"The key with Akim is improving his social skills...and he's
working on it," said Foligno. "He wants to win every game and
sometimes he can get carried away. He's really starting to put
it together. He has to utilize players around him better as
well."
Aliu has savoured his time in Sudbury and is always blown away
by the reception the Wolves get at the Sudbury Arena.
"It's a small town, but a great hockey town," said Aliu. "I
have really enjoyed it here. The fans stand out the most. I
love playing here because the fans love hockey so much.
Hopefully, we can put together a winner for them this
year."
Aliu didn't start playing hockey until he was 11. He was born
in Okene, Nigeria and spent his first 11 years growing up in
Kyiv, Russia, which is now Kyiv, Ukraine.
"The move to Canada was a big change, but it turned out to be
for the best," said Aliu. "We moved to Toronto and all my
friends played hockey so I gave it a shot, and it seems to have
worked out well for me. I have no regrets."
