Antti Pennanen will be the head coach of the Finnish U20 national team as of the 2020/2021 season.
photo: Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images
The Finnish Ice Hockey Association has recently signed player legend Raimo Helminen to coach the U20 national team next season including the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic.
Now the FIHA plans further ahead and signed Antti Pennanen as head coach for the Finnish U20 national team for the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons.
Pennanen has been the head coach of Finnish Liiga club HPK Hameenlinna since 2016 where he spent his career as a junior player and was coaching junior teams until 2011. After that he also worked at senior level as an assistant coach of Helsinki IFK and as head coach of Jukurit Mikkeli before returning to Hameenlinna.
During the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship that Finland won on home ice in Helsinki he was the assistant coach of Jukka Jalonen. Like Helminen he’s also on the coaching staff of the men’s national team for this season.
Three coaches will split work of the age groups U16-U18. Mika Marttila is currently the U18 coach and will next season take over the class of 2004 for the next three seasons starting with next year’s U16 team. Anssi Laine is coaching the U17 team this season and will lead Finland to the U18 Worlds in one year while Petri Karjalainen coaches the U16 team this season.
Now the FIHA plans further ahead and signed Antti Pennanen as head coach for the Finnish U20 national team for the 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons.
Pennanen has been the head coach of Finnish Liiga club HPK Hameenlinna since 2016 where he spent his career as a junior player and was coaching junior teams until 2011. After that he also worked at senior level as an assistant coach of Helsinki IFK and as head coach of Jukurit Mikkeli before returning to Hameenlinna.
During the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship that Finland won on home ice in Helsinki he was the assistant coach of Jukka Jalonen. Like Helminen he’s also on the coaching staff of the men’s national team for this season.
Three coaches will split work of the age groups U16-U18. Mika Marttila is currently the U18 coach and will next season take over the class of 2004 for the next three seasons starting with next year’s U16 team. Anssi Laine is coaching the U17 team this season and will lead Finland to the U18 Worlds in one year while Petri Karjalainen coaches the U16 team this season.