Pekka Virta’s contract with Nybro Vikings, who play in Sweden’s third highest league level, was published on Tuesday. The coach who also won the Finnish championship is not going to give up his playing identity.
18:51•Updated 18:57
Nybro Vikings, who play at the third highest league level in Sweden, announced on Tuesday that they had signed a contract with the Finnish coach Pekka Virran with. Virra, who won the Finnish championship 2021 in Luko and terminated his contract with SaiPa in October, was a tough request from the lower division club.
– I don’t like to be in my place for a long time. An open-minded person, when he gets to play for a while, he immediately wants to coach again, Virta commented to Urheilu.
Nybro Vikings missed promotion to Allsvenskan last spring, but promotion remained a dream. According to Virra, the club really wants to move forward and the action is in line with that. Sweden’s open series system, where stakes remain until the end of the season, receives praise from Virra.
– In these years, it is some kind of value that the club strives for something. I have already seen it, that closed series are played and roughly in November we start selling players and planning the next season.
Foreign countries have been interesting for a long time
Virtra’s wife works from Stockholm, so she has spent a lot of time in Sweden since the end of SaiPa-pest. The champion coach also hired an agent for himself for the first time.
Virta visited a “small puck shop” and finally got excited about the offer after seeing the team play, after researching a little about the club’s background and after talking with Swedish puck people.
– I have no problems throwing myself into something like this. I don’t have to prove my skills to anyone anymore, and there is no “honor” that would prevent me from accepting the offer, Virta says in her own style.
Virta, who is now coaching abroad for the first time, wants to coach there in the future as well.
– It’s not a secret. It has been on my mind to go abroad for years.
Virtra also had the opportunity to coach in the Allsvenskan. However, he was not satisfied with that offer. He doesn’t coach the Vikings just out of love for the sport.
– I have never done anything with a discount in my career. The compensation is always in relation to the salaries paid in the series, and I believe it is appropriate in relation to my merits, Virta explains.
Do not give up puck control
Virtra’s first impression of the experienced team was good. Virta believes that he will be able to coach in the way he is familiar with. The team practices once a day in the afternoons.
– There is no need to drastically change hockey-related things here. We can do the same things that I have done with SM league players, Virta stresses.
His teams have become familiar with a style of play that relies on puck control, which he intends to strive for even now.
– Players always “buy” the game quite willingly, because who wouldn’t want to play with the puck, says Virta.
Nybro is a population of less than 15,000 people, but the 2,500-person Vetava hall is sold out, for example, in Wednesday night’s local match. The opportunity to play well into the spring also motivates the experienced coach.
– If things go well, there will be time to develop the activity and the game towards the possible qualifying games in the spring. There are also high financial stakes in them, and it is clear that we want to get to them.