Coached in the Ice Hockey Championship League and the national teams of the young Lions Jussi Ahokas moves to coach the Canadian junior league in the OHL. Ahokka’s address is the Kitchener Rangers, who play in the province of Ontario.
Ahokka will be the series’ first European head coach.
According to the Finnish pilot, the decision to move was easy, as he has had the goal of coaching in Canada.
– I know how respected these series are here. You can say that organizations are like league teams. For example, Kitchener works like a big league organization, says Ahokas.
The previous two seasons Ahokas coached TPS in Turku, but at the end of last season Ahokas was shown the door.
– Now that TPS got fired, it was a good opportunity to apply to North America.
Ahokas describes the new phase in his career as a long process. In the future, Ahokka’s goal is to coach in the NHL, where European head coaches have not been seen before Ivan Hlinka (Pittsburgh) and Alpo Suhonen (Chicago) in the early 2000s.
– Not many Europeans have been able to get here, and now, above all, I got my foot in the door and I get to help Kitchener.
Ahokka’s new contract has a duration of 2+2 years and includes an NHL and AHL option. When the opportunity comes, the Finn has the opportunity to move to the NHL or AHL in the middle of the contract period.
– I don’t get ahead of things. If you do things well here, then there is a chance to definitely get ahead.
For example, the current general manager of the Dallas Stars has become an NHL coach through Kitchener Peter DeBoerwho piloted Kitchener to OHL championships in 2003 and 2008.
NHL in miniature
Ahokas describes his future league, the OHL, as the best junior league in the world, together with the other Canadian Hockey League’s WHL and QMJHL.
– There are many good and talented players here. The structure of the game is a little different than in Finland. There is momentum and we go hard, as young men should.
– The OHL is a bit like the NHL in miniature. 68 regular season games, a high-quality series in all respects and large audiences. The series is really followed in Ontario.
Ahokkana’s Kitchener will play different hockey than, for example, TPS last season.
– We’re probably closer to the game that was drawn in KooKoo, of course with the little bowl of spices. Your own competence, personality, self-discipline and leadership skills are the biggest things. Tactical things are always just one part of coaching, Ahokas said.
Urheilu’s ice hockey expert Ismo Lehkonen Ahokas has to throw some of the European ways of playing in the trash. The small rink and the differences in scrambling and tackle play require adaptation.
– There are good things in Europe. Playing with puck control and high-quality five-man defense, he will probably take them with him, says Lehkonen.
Kitchener’s season kicks off with training camp starting August 28. Ahokka will have a lot to learn about local culture, people and practical issues.
– However, I believe that I can do well here, it doesn’t depend on my skills, says Ahokas.
A potential route to the top
According to Ismo Lehkonen, if Ahokas succeeds, he may open up more similar opportunities for Finnish coaches.
Lehkonen thinks that Ahokka’s place in the NHL is behind long and hard work. First, it is necessary to achieve a strong result in the A-junior series and develop top players.
– The next tick is the AHL. Can you get a position as a first coach there, or do you have to take, for example, an assistant coach position? It’s a tough job for a young European coach, but everything is possible, says Lehkonen.
European coaches have excelled in the NHL by their absence. The North American junior leagues can be a potential route to breaking into the top league.
– More and more people have come to understand that the A-junior leagues are very professionally built. The audience numbers are also huge. It’s hard play and business. I might believe that junior teams who want to develop in terms of business and coaching will be interested in good European coaches.
Having piloted the Lions to Olympic gold and three world championships Jukka Jalonen there has been a lot of talk about the possibilities of becoming an NHL coach.
According to Lehkonen, advancing towards the NHL through the A-junior teams would be the wrong choice for Jalose.
– Jukka has so many victories in Europe and there have been such tough men’s teams along the way that no European coach can beat those national team statistics.
– If Jukka desperately wanted to find a way to the NHL, I would argue that there would be an AHL head coach position available to him at the moment. I dare to say that many clubs would be interested in Juka’s services if they could tickle him, for example, to run an AHL team for a year.