New York Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho was arrested for drunk driving in his home country of Sweden, according to Swedish outlet Norran.
Aho was arrested at approximately 10:30 a.m. Swedish local time on August 13, reportedly returning home from a friend's place they had visited the night before.
“I deeply regret and learn from this mistake and will definitely never drive again the next day,” Aho told Norran.
As a result of the arrest, Aho had his driver’s license suspended, and he was fined 40,000 Swedish Krona, which is the equivalent of $3,777.06 in U.S. dollars.
“We were made aware immediately of the situation regarding Sebastian Aho,” said Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello in a statement released on the Islanders' Twitter account. “We have a copy of the police report indicating that he registered a 0.03 blood alcohol content, which is .01 over Sweden’s legal limit of .02.
“Sebastian apologizes for his mistake, and as an organization we will work with him to make sure this never happens again.”
Aho’s 0.03 blood alcohol content would be legal in the United States, whose legal limit is 0.08, but is 0.01 over Sweden’s legal limit of 0.02.
Aho had a career year in 2021-22, establishing himself in more of an NHL role with 36 games, along with two goals, 10 assists and 12 points, all career highs. However, he struggled defensively, along with the rest of the team in what was a down year for the Islanders. Aho found himself on the wrong end of the ice more often than not last season, with a 43.49% shot attempt share and a 41.09% expected goal share at even strength.
Aho starts a new two-year deal with an $825,000 cap hit, a contract he signed on July 9, just before this offseason. He’ll be looking to continue to gain a consistent spot on the Islanders blue line, and help the team return to the playoffs after missing out last season.
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