According to Ilta-Sanomi, the former head coach of the Finnish national ice hockey team, Jukka Jalonen, is moving to Italy.
22:53•Updated 23:06
Jukka from Jalos will be the new head coach of the Italian national ice hockey team, reports Evening News on Friday night.
The 61-year-old Jalonen’s tenure as head coach of the Finnish national ice hockey team ended at last spring’s World Cup, where the Lions’ tournament ended with a loss in the quarterfinals.
According to Ilta-Sanomi, Jalonen’s task is to lead Italy to the 2026 Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy.
The last time Italy played at the highest level of the World Cup was in the spring of 2022, after which it was relegated to the 1st division.
Jalonen has coached the Finnish men’s national ice hockey team in 2007–2013 and 2018–2024. In 2022, he led the Lions to the first Olympic gold in history. The Lions won the World Championship under his leadership in 2011, 2019 and 2022.
The news is updated.