At the start of the season, HIFK head coach Olli Jokinen had to do without a dozen injured players for weeks. The result was a plunge to the bottom of the standings in the Finnish Liiga. Slowly, the team, reinforced by a few short-notice transfers and players from its own junior system, is recovering from this incredible streak of bad luck.
But despite – or perhaps because of – the difficult weeks, Jokinen remains defiant: “We will definitely be ready when the puck drops in Davos for the first time.”

At the start of the season, IFK head coach Olli Jokinen had to do without a dozen injured players for weeks. The result was a plunge to the bottom of the standings in the Finnish Liiga. Slowly, the team—reinforced by a few short-notice transfers and players from its own junior system—is recovering from this incredible streak of bad luck.
But despite – or perhaps because of – the difficult weeks, Jokinen remains defiant: “We will definitely be ready when the puck drops in Davos for the first time.”

From the beginning of the season, IFK Helsinki has been facing an enormous challenge. A whole series of injury-related absences – including key players such as Petteri Lindbohm, captain Jori Lehterä, Iiro Pakarinen, and starting goaltender Niko Hovinen – has significantly complicated the team’s sporting prospects. At times, head coach Olli Jokinen even had to manage for weeks without around twelve core players, including his entire first line and the whole captain group. “Unfortunately, injuries are part of this sport. At the beginning of the season, we had exceptionally bad luck with several players getting injured and being sidelined for longer periods.”

To be able to put enough players on the ice at all, IFK scoured the player market at full speed – a difficult task at a time when the European leagues had only just started their new seasons.
Nevertheless, IFK found what it needed and is happy with the additions, as Jokinen explains: “We had to bring in reinforcements from the player market, and we managed to sign players we had been monitoring for quite some time. Defenseman Kalle Ervasti and forward Jere Karjalainen settled into the team quickly and were immediate additions for us. Swedish goaltender Hugo Alnefelt had gone a long stretch without significant role in his previous team, but he has improved constantly and has been excellent lately. His fellow countryman Jakob Ragnarsson has also adapted to the pace of the league and brings reliability and physical toughness to our defense. North American forwards Tristan Ashbrook and Sean Josling add directness and intensity to our game..”
In addition, numerous juniors moved into the lineup. The 17-year-old twins Eelis and Anttoni Uronen, as well as Viljo Kähkönen, received their chance in the professional squad earlier than planned. “And now that injured players are returning, these young players are bringing healthy competition for roster spots”, Jokinen mentions this as another positive outcome of the whole situation.

It was to be expected that the short-notice roster changes would need some time before the results improved again. “Our lineup has changed a great deal during the first half of the season. Now the team is starting to build shared experiences in both practices and games, which allows us to perform more consistently from night to night. Our goal is to be playing in the playoffs in the spring — nothing less is acceptable.”
And indeed, Helsinki has been collecting more positive results again since early December. Most recently, the team earned 10 points from four games, finally moving away from the bottom of the table.

We will definitely be ready for the Spengler Cup

Given the challenging situation, it is remarkable that Olli Jokinen is already thinking about the Spengler Cup. “The Spengler Cup is a legendary ice hockey tournament. It is circled in big red ink on our calendar. The tournament is a great opportunity for the team to test itself against top European clubs and North American teams. We will certainly be ready when the puck drops for the first time in Davos."
In addition, "the tournament is a fantastic event also beyond the games themselves. It is a great opportunity for the team, the families, and the entire club staff to grow even closer together. Experiences like these are important for the overall story of the entire season.”

Text: Spengler Cup-Onlineredaktion    Foto: HIFK