SaiPa has been the super surprise of the fall of the ice hockey championship league. The team from Lappeenranta, which has been at the bottom of the league in recent years, is now in the top spot. The head coach is usually singled out as the factor of success Raimo Helminenbut there are other important people in the coaching team.
One of the assistant coaches is Janne Hietaniemiwhich has tough sea rites. He was in the national team as a video coach between 2017 and 2024. During that time, Leijonat won Olympic gold and two world championships.
Hietaniemi, 36, started his coaching career in SaPKO juniors. Since then, he worked as a video coach for Jokerei in the KHL and TPS in the league, and as an assistant coach in HPK. Success also came in TPS, SM silver in spring 2021.
Last season, Hietaniemi was only in Leijon. In the summer, SaiPa appointed Helminen as coach. Helminen wanted the well-known Hietaniemi with him.
The start of the season has been fantastic. Currently, SaiPa is on a wild 14-game winning streak.
– It’s nice to be busy. We try to maintain that basic good everyday life, and at least so far the result has been quite good, Hietaniemi puts it modestly.
The best understrength in the league
Hietaniemi’s special responsibility is underpowered, but from his speeches you get the impression that the coaching team does a lot together and everyone is involved in everything.
– We do a little bit of everything and watch the games together. We try to keep the mood up and a certain level of demand towards the players.
– Let’s exchange ideas that no one needs to be alone. But I have Alivoima in my glove. I know I’ll handle it. Immonen Santtu takes care of the opponent’s scouting and makes clips for superiority and Ore hustles with the veskars.
Santeri Immonen is another of SaiPa’s assistant coaches and Antti Ore goalkeeper coach.
So Hietaniemi has special responsibility for Alivoima, and SaiPa has been the league’s best underpowered team based on statistics. Surprisingly, SaiPa, on the other hand, is the worst team in the league in the superiority statistics, even though it leads the series.
Helminen and the entire coaching team recently signed an extension for next season. According to Hietaniemi, it seems that the coaches already have to think a little about the construction of the next season, even though the main focus is on day-to-day activities.
The glow of SaiPa’s success has gone – in addition to the players, of course – to Helminen. Hietaniemi does not feel that he needs public recognition for his work.
– Sometimes it is good for the head coach, but if there is no result, then it will fall on the neck of the head coach, Hietaniemi pointed out.
Hietaniemi has been part of many successful teams. He finds a common denominator for these teams.
– A good atmosphere is a big deal, starting from the mutual atmosphere between the coaching staff and the management team and what kind of atmosphere they are able to create for the players. It has been a strong and visible thing in everything that he himself has been able to participate in successfully. And the fact that we trust each other, that everyone plays their own role.
Head coach position next?
Hietaniemi has come a long way in coaching since becoming an assistant instructor at SaPKO skating school.
– If there’s something I’m proud of, it’s that I’ve followed my own path from bottom to top. I’ve always had to do the work myself and have gotten ahead through work. There have been all kinds of lessons.
Last season was different when there were no club team assignments. Hietaniemi was with the Lions, but that meant there was a lot of time to be at home with the children. It was hard in its own way when he was used to working all the time. Then Helminen asked for SaiPa and the daily work started again.
Jukka Jalonen cooperation with Leijon worked so well that Jalonen asked Hietaniemi to join him as video coach of the Italian national team for the tournament played in the fall. The continuation has not been officially decided, but according to Hietaniemi, both parties were satisfied. It is possible that he will also be with the Italian team in, for example, the World Cup.
The next natural step in Hietaniemi’s career would be to become head coach. It’s interesting, but it’s not an obsession.
– Yes, it’s interesting, I’ve been aiming for it all along. But there is no rush to be the head coach by force. If there is an interesting place where you can make an impact, someone else can play a role, Hietaniemi said.
– At some point, when the right moment comes, it has to be used.