A surprising leap to the juniors paid off for Marko Virtase, who continues in Luko – here is a list of SM league coaching contracts

Ice hockey coach Marko Virtanen and Lukko signed a one-year contract extension for next season 2023-2024 on Monday.

Usually coaches sign longer contracts, but Virtanen considers the new contract fair for both parties.

– This is where we started. We’ll see each other where we go. There is no need to get ahead of things any more. Let’s let things roll with their own weight, Virtanen sees.

53-year-old Virtanen belongs to the most experienced department of coaches in the SM league. In addition to Luko, he has been a responsible coach at JYP (2013–18) and TPS (2019–20). As head coach, Virtanen has won the youth Finnish championship in both JYP (2011) and Luko (2021).

– I was already an experienced coach when I coached Luko’s A juniors. However, I didn’t feel that it was somehow a step backwards. Vice versa. I personally felt that there was an opportunity to try some new things. I can honestly say that I have now dared to do those A-junnu-era things also in my own career as a league coach, Virtanen reveals.

The game look of the lock is steeled

Lukko recharged its batteries during the recent international break in November handsomely as the top team in the SM league. A year ago, after the championship hangover and the short era of their new coach (Virtanen), the raulai club was still outside the playoffs in 11th place during the same break.

According to Virtanen, the seed of Luko’s current winning hockey success was sown last season, when the team from Rauma went on a 12-game winning streak (December 11, 2021–January 28, 2022), which was also a club record.

Lukko, who finished tenth in the regular season, beat HPK in the 1st playoff round last spring, but succumbed to Tappara in the quarterfinals with a 1–4 win, which eventually progressed with a clear margin to the championship.

– I personally see that last year the seed was sown for this year. We could see that when we are together and do the common things, it works, Virtanen adds.

Challenging but effective gameplay

The lock’s style of play is largely based on the fact that it can defend the puck in 10–15 seconds, leaving it with 30 seconds to attack. In this case, the opponent often has to unload the puck roughly, while Lukko is the so-called on top of the game, pacing the flow of the game more than the opponent.

– We have a strong skating team that defends forward as aggressively as possible. Most goals are scored after exploiting play from the attack zone or after turning play, Virtanen knows.

Luko’s successful game system is partly supported by, among other things, the so-called advanced statistics (you switch to another service), where it ranks first. This statistic describes how the team has succeeded in efficiency with the sum of shooting percentage and save percentage.

– The style of play demands a lot from the players, and there must not be a single weak link in it. The team must be athletic, mobile and able to skate. It is also important that everyone is active and finds a common rhythm.

Regarding scoring, coach Virtanen points out that 80 percent of the goals are scored from a distance of about five meters from the goal.

Lukko has clearly conceded the fewest goals in the League. According to Virtanen’s philosophy, defending is not rocket science, and it doesn’t just start from your own defensive area.

– It is often thought that the team is good at defending its own defensive area. I personally feel that our defense has been good when it starts immediately, always with that loose puck. There are more than 200 loose pucks in a hockey match, and whoever wins more of them decides whether you attack or defend, Virtanen explains his views.

A big deficit in the Rauma attack

Lukko plays on a low budget and, in addition, its composition is currently insufficient, which brings its own challenges to the coaching team led by Virtanen. Among the regular attackers on the sidelines are Anrei Hakulinen, Josh Kestner and Oliver Sun.

There is still room in the club’s player budget for the end of the season’s specific acquisition, but both Virtanen and Luko’s sports director Kalle Sahlstedt are specific about the new player. There have been some skilled players on the market, but the club management above all values ​​playing values ​​and playing style, which must fit perfectly with the current group.

– For example Gabriel Fontaine we noticed that it wasn’t exactly a button season, but we knew that he is an extremely humble and receptive guy. This is how we were able to bring the number one name of the internal goal exchange to the team at the very beginning of the series.

The next five games will be a tough test period for Luko. This week, it will face Kärpät on Wednesday, then Tappara and TPS away, and at the beginning of December at home Ilves and Pori Ässät.

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