Tobias Salmelainen, who received the top scorer from the NHL, is grateful for his years at HIFK

Salmelainen, 41, is one of the three by Stan Bowman from the assistant GM. He has worked for the Oilers for the past two seasons in European player development and player acquisition.

“The new role increases the responsibility. The organization wanted Europe under its own pillar, so to speak, and I am responsible for all areas related to hockey operations,” says Salmelainen.

The work still includes player development and player acquisition, but a large part of it is also following professional and junior players. Oilers’ personnel working in Europe work under Salmelainen.

In player acquisitions, Salmelainen’s role is part of a whole that moves decisions forward.

“At the end of the day, the GM makes the final decision. My job is to provide him with information so he can make the best decisions possible.”

Last in the summer, the Oilers made contracts with those who played in the SM league Viljami Marjalan and Atro Leppänen with. Also Josh Samanskiwho played a year earlier in the German DEL league, was one of Salmelainen’s discoveries in Europe.

Marjala and Leppänen spent their seasons in the AHL, but Samanski played 24 regular season games and five playoff games for the Oilers.

In May, the Oilers announced that they had signed the Kärppie forward Aku Rädyn with.

Promising players can be found from different parts of Europe. Getting to know professional players and following them is demanding work.

“I travel every week, and I’m on the move most of the season. I have to watch games in Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia,” Salmelainen lists.

According to Salmelainen, the top names playing in Europe can sometimes go a little under the radar, but there are usually several clubs after the biggest talents.

However, not all players who have excelled in Europe are successful on the other side of the field.

“It’s a big jump from the rinks of Europe to the rinks of North America. If you go there and there’s uncertainty about what you’re doing, the players will be eaten alive there. The competition is so fierce,” says Salmelainen.

“The players need to understand what it all requires.”

Same also applies to other employees of the organization, including Salmelainen himself.

Salmelainen worked as HIFK’s sports director in 2017–2024. He says that he probably wouldn’t have reached his current position without his years as HIFK’s sports director.

“As a sports director, I ran many different teams, and many people worked under me. I feel that my leadership qualities and the way I manage a large entity developed at HIFK.”

“In that role, you had to be responsible for a lot of things. I think that was one of the big reasons why the Oilers management saw me as suitable for this role.”

The position of sports director of a prominent Finnish club requires thick skin. In Salmelainen’s speeches, self-confidence and faith in one’s own work are emphasized.

Humble, confident and honest. That’s how Salmelainen describes himself.

“There are, of course, many things that I would do differently in retrospect,” says Salmelainen about his years at HIFK.

In a few seasons, the goalkeeping game declined, even though the rest of the playing was very good. Then came the corona years, which threw a wrench in the cart.

“I wouldn’t say I’m bitter, but it does sadden me that my seven-year period was hit by the corona virus. I would have liked to see how things would have gone without it.”

“It’s the thing that saddens us the most by far, when a few of our teams didn’t get the full potential out of them.”

Uppermost however, gratitude remained as a feeling from the HIFK years.

“Background support, criticism and how much emotion people shared in everything. I have to be grateful for that, because it developed me as a person enormously.”

“It’s also taught me and shown me what I’m ready for. And the confidence I gained from it still carries over.”

Salmelainen says that he does his work today in the same way as then. And he has no intention of changing that.

Salmelainen has not set himself any specific goals.

“I just try to do my job as well as possible.”

Belief in doing one’s own thing often recurs in Salmelainen’s speeches. Even if the situation would have looked messy from the outside and there would have been a lot of criticism, his confidence in his own work would not waver.

“However, the criticism I encounter at work is only directed at that work. And even that is usually based on very limited information,” Salmelainen points out.

“I’m lucky that I’ve had inner peace in my work. I’ve always separated the work-me and the home-me.”

HIFK appointed in May Janne Laukkanen as his new sports director.

Salmelainen has no advice to give to Laukkanen.

“He is a very experienced guy and has worked for a long time. I know he has thick skin and that he knows himself well. He doesn’t need my advice. HIFK hired a top professional,” Salmelainen praises.

Salmelainen would like Finland to understand how many good people work here in hockey.

“Finns are highly respected in North America and in the NHL. We have top professionals here who sacrifice a lot of time from their families.”

Salmelai is pleased that Finnish hockey knowledge and the people who work on it are getting the recognition they deserve in the world’s toughest ice hockey league.

In his opinion, it should be a matter of course in Finland as well.