IS: A big change at HIFK - Olli Jokinen reveals: "Root causes were sought extensively"

HIFK and JYP opened the Tampere Cup on Friday with a mutual match. JYP won the game with a final score of 5-3.

HIFK’s head coach starting his second season, Olli Jokinen, told Ilta-Sanomat after the match that the team’s starting conditions are now clearly different from a year ago. Although many new players have joined the team, only a few of them have not played under Jokinen before.

Additionally, one significant change right at the beginning of the training season is the number of injuries. Jokinen states that only defender Jesper Ahlroth is currently injured. Last year, the situation was already terrible at this stage.

– Eight players were injured then, Jokinen clarifies to IS.

In recent years, HIFK, which has suffered from massive injury crises, is currently an exceptionally intact group. Season after season, HIFK has seen a large number of injuries, and the absences have been long.

– We have conducted extensive research into why we have so many injuries at IFK. And not just last season, but for a longer period, Jokinen explains.

– The root causes behind them were sought extensively. In some way, we also got a hint. Reasons were found, Jokinen revealed.

In addition to Ahlroth, HIFK’s lineup was missing fresh forward acquisition Jake Leschyshyn, conscript Lassi Vanhatalo, and Ilari Melart for other reasons. Leschyshyn will arrive in Finland next week.

In the second match of the Tampere Cup on Friday, Tappara defeated Ilves 3-2 in overtime. On Saturday, matches between Ilves and HIFK, as well as Tappara and JYP, are scheduled.