A decade on from his move to Raleigh from Finnish Liiga side Karpat Oulu, it was perhaps not the fairy tale playoff campaign that Aho was hoping for, as the 28-year-old came under heavy criticism for his form in front of goal.
Even the Hurricanes head coach, Rod Brind'Amour, spoke openly at the start of the Finals about how the Finn was not scoring enough for the team.
In 18 playoff matches, the centre registered 12 points - five goals and seven assists - en route to lifting the trophy. He was not able to add to that total in the shutout win on 15th June that secured a 4-2 series win, but for Aho, the main thing is the team getting the job done, no matter who scores.
"Even though you watch this game, it was a textbook away game, the way we want to play, specifically as a team, how we play as a team," Aho said.
"I've noticed over the past few years that it doesn't matter who scores the winning goals or who decides the outcome. This feeling, what it is now, is absolutely incredible. You learn things like that along the way. It might not have been the same the first year. You just have to believe and grind and grind. Of course, experience helps."
There were also no hard feelings between Aho and his head coach despite the pressure applied on him, as he celebrated immediately with Brind'Amour as soon as the final horn sounded.
"He was probably the first one that came to mind. Of course, we've been doing this with Rod for a long time. The same group has been involved here, and he has been there too. I don't know how much this means to him and how much he wanted this championship for us. This feels absolutely incredible."
Next up, the Rauma man wants to celebrate the achievement with his family, who were in the stands to watch him in game six.
"I've been waiting a long time to celebrate something like this with them," confessed the 2026 Winter Olympics bronze medalist.