Jukka Jalonen will not continue as Leijoni’s head coach after next season.
Ice hockey season 2023–24 Jukka Jalonen finally as head coach of the Lions, reports Iltalehti.
According to Iltalehti, the matter was resolved during Midsummer week. The CEO of the Jääkieksliitto confirmed the matter to the newspaper Sami Kauhanen.
Jalonen, 60, has been the head coach of the Lions from 2008 to 2013 and again since 2018.
The culmination of Jalonen’s first stint as head coach was the 2011 World Cup in Slovakia, when the A national team celebrated the second World Cup gold in its history.
During his second stint as head coach, Jalonen has led the Lions to World Cup gold in 2019 and 2022 and to Olympic gold in 2022.
Jalonen has also coached Nuori Leijon. The U20 national team celebrated the World Championship gold under the leadership of Jalonen at the home games in 2016.
Managing director Kauhanen told Iltalehte that he is together with Jalonen and Leijonien’s GM Jere Lehtinen and the GM of the youth national teams Kimmo Oikarinen with started mapping out a new coach.
According to Kauhanen, coaching options are not excluded based on citizenship. The last time the Lions had a foreign head coach was in the 2007–08 season, when the boat was steered by a Canadian Doug Shedden. Jalonen served as Shedden’s assistant coach and then moved to head coach.
Jalonen’s head coaching career started already in 1992 with Tampere’s Ilveksesä. After that, his career included stints in, for example, Italy and England before rising to success at HPK. Jalonen piloted HPK to the Finnish champion in the 2005–06 season.
Tampere Ilves 1992–1995
Rauma Lock 1996–1997
Vaasa Sport 1997–1998
Alleghe (Italy) 1998–1999
Newcastle Jesters (England) 1999–2001
HPK 2001–2007
Lions 2008–2013
St. Petersburg SKA 2012–2014
Young Lions 2015–2016
Helsinki Jokerit 2016–2018
Lions 2018–
Olympic gold: Beijing 2022
Three World Championship golds: Bratislava 2011, Bratislava 2019 and Tampere 2022
World Cup silver: Riga 2021
Olympic bronze: Vancouver 2010
U20 World Cup gold: Helsinki 2016
Finnish championship 2006 in HPK