The Jokers have not yet said their plans for the future. Return to the Finnish Championships would probably only be possible for the period 2023–24.
6.4. 15:12 • Updated 6.4. 15:17
The Jokers confirmed on Tuesday that it would leave the KHL league. The club has not yet announced its future plans. Many hockey lovers would like to see the Jokers in the Finnish Championship League again, where they last played in the 2013-2014 season. There have been no formal discussions on this issue.
– There has been no official contact with the Finnish Champions League from the Jokers. It is still unclear to us which body will be discussed and when, the chairman of the Finnish Championship Heikki Hiltunen told Sport.
Hiltunen has informally discussed the main owner of the Jokers Jari Kurrin with.
– I have had a short discussion with him on issues related to league licensing and league corporate affairs. I have opened the process for him.
If the Jokers wanted to go back to the league, what would it practically require?
– They need to make their ownership arrangements transparent and such that joining is possible from a business perspective. The current Jokerit HC has sanctioned owners, so of course it doesn’t work. Second, there must be competent management who can lead the professional sports business. In addition, there must be a team to start the series. It must be competitive at the league level and cooperation with the junior organization is also required. The hall conditions must also be in order, Hiltunen listed.
Next season is coming too soon for the Jokers.
– A league license is applied for once a year for the end of October. The process is dead for next season. The next process for 2023-24 will end in October. The Jokers could go in if the conditions are right.
Hiltunen leaves a small spark of hope for the Jokers for next season.
– There is a small theoretical possibility for next season if the Jokers have prepared things so far that they have a very finished performance very quickly, which is quickly acceptable.
Ultimately, the decision to approve the Jokers would be made by the general meeting of the Finnish Championship, in which the shareholders of all the league companies are represented. The jokers’ departure from the Finnish Championship League was controversial at the time. The Finnish Championship League clubs considered that the Jokers had violated the league’s shareholder agreement. However, Hiltunen believes that the Jokers would be accepted.
– We have no disagreement. If the Jokers come with the right setup (plan), I’m sure it’s welcome in the league. But it’s hard to give a definite comment on this when the details aren’t clear.