Aho's work ethic, consistency leads to 3rd All-Star Game appearance

WASHINGTON -- Sebastian Aho remembers being nervous when he walked into the locker room at SAP Center in San Jose for his first NHL All-Star Game in 2019.

"I was sitting next to Sidney Crosby the first time there," the Carolina Hurricanes center said earlier this month. "It was cool, but also you don't know what to do, what to expect. So, it was kind of stressful."

Aho expects to be more relaxed at the 2024 Honda (U.S.)/ Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Feb. 3. It will be Aho's third All-Star Game, including 2022 in Las Vegas.

He's always appreciated the significance of being selected.

"It means that you did something right and then you get kind of rewarded getting picked there," Aho said. "It's been a pretty good stretch so far and I'm just trying to keep it up."

Linemate Andrei Svechnikov believes it was a no-brainer that Aho was chosen to represent the Hurricanes. The 26-year-old leads Carolina with 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 42 games this season heading into a trip to TD Garden to face the Boston Bruins on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET; MAX, TNT, NESN, TVAS-D).

"He's an elite player, and he should be an All-Star every year," Svechnikov said. "That's what he's showing. Happy for him, and he's just going to keep crushing it."

Aho is on pace to finish the season with 96 points, which would surpass his NHL career-high of 83 in 2018-19. Skating mostly on a line with Svechnikov, who is currently out with an injury, and Teuvo Teravainen, Aho has been a driving force behind the Hurricanes' 11-3-4 surge since Dec. 12 with 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 18 games. Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning (33 points; 12 goals, 21 assists) and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (38 points;14 goals, 24 assists) are the only players in the NHL with more points during that span.

"Svech' and 'Turbo', we've been playing pretty good both ways," Aho said. "It's funny when you score a couple goals and then you have the patience to wait for your opportunities and you're not chasing the game. And, obviously, confidence helps. But you try to do whatever you can to win the games.

"It's always nice to produce, but I wouldn't feel anything if you lose these games. So, you just try to do whatever you can to win."

The Hurricanes (25-15-5) expected to be among the Stanley Cup favorites this season after reaching the Eastern Conference Final last season before being swept by the Florida Panthers. But as Aho noted, "We've had some hiccups."

Those included three consecutive losses Oct. 19-24 and a four-game losing streak Dec. 4-9 that dropped their record to 14-12-1. Carolina has responded each time and found the consistency in its play it's been seeking in recent weeks.

"In past years, we've been pretty good at staying in the moment and we always talk about taking it one day at a time, go 1-0 every day," Aho said. "It's easier said than done, but I think we've been better at that as of late. We're not worried about what happened or what's going to happen."

Aho has remained a steadying force while the Hurricanes have gone through their ups and downs.

"I don't see any difference in his game when he's getting points or not getting points, and that's really actually a good thing," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "He plays pretty much the same way every night, and sometimes they go in and sometimes they don't."

Aho's unrelenting work ethic is another reason he's a fitting representative for Carolina at the All-Star Game. His commitment at each end of the rink and to making sure he's doing everything he can off the ice to be prepared embody what Brind'Amour has tried to instill in the Hurricanes since becoming coach in 2018.

"There's no secret everyone on that team works 100 percent every day, and he's one of the leaders in that regard," Washington Capitals forward Max Pacioretty said.

Pacioretty saw it firsthand when he was with the Hurricanes last season. Although Pacioretty was limited to five games because he tore his Achilles tendon twice, he said Aho is one of the best players he's played with because of how hard he works.

"In this league, people catch onto your tendencies and it's really hard to build off of good years, but he seems to be getting better and better every year," Pacioretty said. "He does have that natural ability, but, at the same time, he works at it every day. That's the reason why he keeps improving."

A second-round pick (No. 35) by Carolina in the 2015 NHL Draft, Aho is fourth in Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers history in goals (234) and points (519) and fifth in assists (285) in 562 regular-season games over eight seasons. He could pass Kevin Dineen in goals (250) and points (544), and Dineen (294) and Brind'Amour (299) in assists, to reach third in all three categories by the end of the season.

"He's been here since he's been a kid and grown up in our system," Brind'Amour said. "Obviously, we love everything about him. He's a great player, but he does it right on and off the ice So, he's definitely a player that you can build around."

That's why Carolina signed Aho to an eight-year, $78 million contract on July 26 that begins next season and runs through 2031-32. Having the stability of that contract, and not facing the possibility of becoming an unrestricted free agent after this season, has helped Aho focus simply on playing and helping the Hurricanes win.

"It's not in your mind at all, so it's probably one of the reasons I'm having success," he said. "I don't have to worry about that stuff."

Aho acknowledged that some pressure to produce comes with a such a long-term contract. That doesn't bother him, though.

"The pressure is in my own head," Aho said. "I know when I've done my job. I just try to always push myself as much as I can, so it doesn't matter because I have my own expectations already as high as they could be. So, that's my pressure."