HIFK has signed a two-year extension contract with head coach Ville Peltonen. The new contract extends to spring 2026.
HIFK announced on its website about the new head coach extension contract. The traditional SM league club caught on Ville Peltonen until spring 2026.
– HIFK is the place where I want to be. Its importance is great. This club, the Helsinki Ice Hall and the Stadium are my home. And when that feeling is mutual, it feels even better, says Peltonen.
Peltonen arrived as the club’s head coach for the 2021–2022 season. Before that, he worked for five years in Switzerland as head coach of Lausanne HC and assistant coach of SC Bern.
Before leaving for Switzerland, Peltonen worked for two seasons as HIFK’s head coach and in the U20 team’s coaching team.
– If you glance at the rear-view mirror, time has passed quickly. It has involved a lot of work, dramatic and wonderful moments experienced together, as well as disappointments. Building and strengthening trust between the team’s players and the entire coaching staff is the core of what we do every day.
Peltonen celebrates completion, attendance and the values of HIFK. He wants to invest in these things.
HIFK has started its season strongly. After almost a quarter of the regular season has been played, the Helsinki team is in second place in the league table.
– The preparation for the start of the regular season was successful and our tenacity is constantly being tested. In the booth, the spirit is really dense and strong. We have a mission that empowers everyday life. The development of the players and the game continues. All stones will be turned over, and we will not forget hunger, Peltonen emphasizes.
The club’s sports director Tobias Salmelainen is satisfied with the extension contract.
– Cooperation with Ville has been determined and planned from day one. We have been able to develop and move forward the activities and culture of the entire sports side. A journey like this can always have challenging episodes, but we have gone through them together. We are satisfied with Ville’s work and happy that the cooperation will continue in the next two seasons as well.