FINLAND – There’s a lot that has been going on in the SM-Liiga. So here is a quick breakdown of what has been happening.
Firings and ticking clocks:
As predicted, TPS has fired its head coach a few weeks ago after the team had lost most of its games this season. The champions seemed to have gotten its act together by claiming its second win right after the coach was removed. However, a good game was followed by three bad ones, including a 8-2 blowout loss to HPK. Interestingly though, there is a new name in speculation for the head coach job at Turku.
Former coach Kai Suikkanen who left TPS at the end of last season to coach Jaroslav in the KHL has been fired as well. As to why is unclear as Jaroslav was second in its conference and had done admirably well. Suikkanen’s name has been linked with TPS and many fans wish he would return to fix the mess that he caused. Pro Hockey News will follow the news and report back once announcements are made.
The second coach to lose his job was the Pelicans head coach, Mika Toivola. Pelicans had slumped down to 12th place after a promising start. Under the new coach Pelicans showed good form until completely collapsing against TPS and losing the game 5-0.
Jokerit head coach Hannu Jortikka can hear his clock ticking down. Jokerit has (again) spent a lot of money on players for the season and the results have been far from admirable. In the last five games, Jokerit has conceded 22 goals, which included a 6-0 blow out to Pelicans. Jokerit has also lost three in a row. With the calibre of a team that Jokerit has, the team needs to perform better and it wouldn’t be surprising if Jortikka was replaced. I’d be inclined to say that Jokerit will make a move for Suikkanen as he is free now.
Another coach that is rumoured to leave his post mid season is HIFK’s Kari Jalonen. Not that Jalonen is under any threat of getting the boot, but he is attracting a lot of interest from the KHL and some reports are saying that he would leave HIFK midway through. Jalonen denies these rumours and has said that his number one goal is to win the title with HIFK this season.
Player of the Month: October
The player of the month comes from Rauman Lukko. Dallas Stars prospect Perttu Lindgren has been in flames and has hit the league like a hurricane. Lindgren’s stats for this season speak for themselves in 19 games this season, Lindgren has scored 9 times and assisted 19 others; impressive stats for the playmaker. Dallas take note, this is a prospect that will make an impact in the top two lines. Lindgren needs to play big minutes and he is of no use to any organisation if he rides the pine or plays in 3rd or 4th line capacity.
Either way, Lindgren’s October stats were impressive. In 13 games Lindgren scored 6 times and added 13 assists.
Another young player for you to watch is Porin Assat monster of a forward, Joel Armia. Armia is only 17 but is playing a lot bigger than he is. At 192cm he is on many NHL teams’ watch list and the NHL Central Scouting Bureau ranked Armia as the 15th skater, so perhaps another first round pick from Finland at this year’s NHL draft. In 16 games this year, Armia has put up 6 goals and 4 assists. The success hasn’t phased the young man and he comes across extremely down to earth in interviews.
Heading for a break:
Whilst the teams have gotten their first quarter of the season over and done with and many have added new players, mainly Martin St. Pierre (Karpat), Jeff Hamilton (HIFK). The most interesting or bizarre player acquisition has to go to HPK.
HPK had agreed terms with Aleksei Shavalev over a month ago, but it is only now that the player is scheduled to arrive in Finland. After numerous rounds of bureaucracy and paper work, Shavalev has boarded a train from Moscow to Helsinki where a representative of HPK will pick the player up.
Describing the debacle, HPK General Manager, Risto Korpela said, “This has been one of those adventures, that I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if only one person comes back from Helsinki.”
The SM-Liiga will head for a break while the Un-official European Championships take place in Helsinki between the 5th and 8th of November. The tournament in Helsinki is part of a four-nation tournament and mini tournaments take place in participating countries (Sweden, Czech Republic, Russia and Finland) throughout the season.
The final round of SM-Liiga before the break is tonight and the standings are as follows:
1. JYP 18 45
2. Ässät 19 43
3. HIFK 18 36
4. Lukko 19 32
5. Blues 19 30
6. HPK 20 30
7. KalPa 20 28
8. Ilves 19 27
9. Jokerit 18 26
10. Kärpät 18 24
11. Tappara 18 22
12. Pelicans 19 22
13. SaiPa 19 21
14. TPS 20 10
Contact Janne.Virtanen@prohockeynews.com
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