Jarmo Kekäläinen, who has worked for several NHL organizations, says he intends to critically examine the clients as well.
There will be interesting times for the upcoming SM League’s upcoming league system. It took less than a month from the top of the hundreds of hockey influencers for the future seminar of the top hockey of the top hockey.
HIFK, Jokerit, Tappara and TPS decided to launch a study on the development of a Finnish top hockey and the best possible series system.
The report to implement Jarmo Kekäläinenwho has been operating in North America in recent years. He joined the HIFK expert group last year.
– The league has started its own strategy process and as a result, the clubs contacted me, Kekäläinen tells Sports.
– They asked for research, not just about the serial system, but the hockey state in general: how it could be taken forward and improved constructively in collaboration with the league’s own process. This is an interesting project for me and I agreed to it.
To safeguard the condition of action
According to the clubs, the teams are not economically sustainable at the moment.
In the survey, four key areas include securing the operating conditions, a functional player path, entertainment and responsibility.
-I focus holistically on hockey, hockey entertainment and how to move the sport forward and how it can be improved in every area. The work is just in the early stages, says Kekäläinen.
Experience
Kekäläinen collects material through interviews, but as a big part of the material is his experience in the SM League, many other European series, North America and NHL.
– Of course, I’m going to interview a lot of people from different clubs, the league, the actors and the stakeholders with whom the Finnish series have to work daily.
According to Kekäläinen, the study is intended to be as detailed and constructive as possible. The aim is to add value to the league’s own process.
– The aim is to find out where we are and where we need to go as possible.
Kekäläinen, who has worked in several NHL organizations, says he intends to look at different opportunities constructively, but, if necessary, critically.
– This is an impartial study done by four clubs, but it also does not mean that the activities of the commissioners are not critical. I am constructively and critically examine all parties, including commissioners.
Changes Valid 2027-28
One of the key issues in the SM League has been the number of teams.
According to the release, a recent study examines the benefits and challenges of both 10+10 and other possible models.
Kekäläinen’s report is scheduled to be completed in May and will be handed over to the SM League’s own strategy process.
The goal of the SM League has been to get decisions on the upcoming series form this year.
The decisions are in a hurry, as the series’s television agreement ends in 2027. Chairman of the SM League Jyrki Seppä Indeed, therefore, the reforms must be in force in some form as early as 2027-28.