Jukka Jalonen guides his players during the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
photo: Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association and Jukka Jalonen have extended their contract. Set to expire after the home-ice 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, Jalonen will remain head coach of the Finnish men’s national team until the spring of 2023 with a mutual option for the 2023/2024 season.
“I really enjoyed coaching the ‘Lions’. We have great players and a very good and solid management team, where job satisfaction is at its peak,” Jalonen said in a statement.
The announcement comes just 11 days after Finland went home with silver medals from the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Riga, Latvia.
Jalonen has been involved with the national team program, with interruptions in club hockey, since 2007. Under his guidance, Finland won two of its three World Championship gold medals (2011, 2019) as well as silver (2021) and bronze (2008) in World Championship play, Olympic bronze in 2014 and World Juniors gold in 2016.
“It is also important to me that Finland always goes to big tournaments to fight for the brightest medals. It is good to continue working with this setup in the years to come,” said FIHA Chairman, Harri Nummela.
“The results speak for themselves. In addition to his role as head coach of the national team, Jukka does an excellent job of developing the Finnish ice hockey as a whole. Jalonen was clearly our number-one choice as the head coach even after the home-ice Worlds.”
The contract will like previously include an out-clause for an NHL job.
“I really enjoyed coaching the ‘Lions’. We have great players and a very good and solid management team, where job satisfaction is at its peak,” Jalonen said in a statement.
The announcement comes just 11 days after Finland went home with silver medals from the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in Riga, Latvia.
Jalonen has been involved with the national team program, with interruptions in club hockey, since 2007. Under his guidance, Finland won two of its three World Championship gold medals (2011, 2019) as well as silver (2021) and bronze (2008) in World Championship play, Olympic bronze in 2014 and World Juniors gold in 2016.
“It is also important to me that Finland always goes to big tournaments to fight for the brightest medals. It is good to continue working with this setup in the years to come,” said FIHA Chairman, Harri Nummela.
“The results speak for themselves. In addition to his role as head coach of the national team, Jukka does an excellent job of developing the Finnish ice hockey as a whole. Jalonen was clearly our number-one choice as the head coach even after the home-ice Worlds.”
The contract will like previously include an out-clause for an NHL job.