Jukka Jalonen will say goodbye to the Lions in May.
Remind Jukka Jalonen moving after the Lions?
The question has been in the air for quite some time, when it was confirmed that Jalonen will leave Leijonat after the spring 2024 World Cup.
The 61-year-old Jalonen’s resume as a head coach is so impressive that he arouses interest in different directions.
Swiss magazine Solothurn newspaper recently wrote that Jalonen would be a candidate for the next head coach of the Swiss premier league club EHC Biel-Bienne.
According to the newspaper, among the remaining leading candidates, in addition to Jalonen, there would be Swedes among others Martin Philander and Tomas Mitell.
However, Jalonen says that he is hardly going to Biel’s helm.
“According to my understanding, they are looking for a foreign coach rather than a Finnish one. There has been a Finnish coach there for the last seven years,” says Jalonen in reference Antti Törmänen and Petri Matikainen.
Törmänen, who was ill with cancer, piloted Biel in 2017–2023. Matikainen, on the other hand, served as Biel’s head coach last season until he was fired in February.
Noble has spoken publicly about his interest in coaching a foreign club team. The last time he was the head coach of the club team in 2016–2018 in the KHL-Jokereis.
Jalonen says that his future designs are still completely open.
“There are all kinds of tunings, but there is nothing concrete that you can say about. There is nothing to report at this time. It could very well be that this is how we go into autumn,” says Jalonen.
Jalonen’s credentials as Finland’s head coach are unsurpassed. He has taken the Lions to three world championships in 2011, 2019 and 2022 and to a historic Olympic gold in 2022.
Jalonen has also won the youth world championship as head coach in 2016.
“Yes, I can get a job if I want to. Let’s think about it now.”
Jalonen The lions are in full swing at the World Cup camp. On Thursday, the team will face Sweden in the international match played in Jyväskylä. The countries will face each other again on Friday in Mikkeli.
The World Championships will be played in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic, from 10 to 26. May.