IS: HIFK has signed the head coach of a competitor – negotiations are already advanced!
HIFK is making a strong move for a coach for the next season. According to Ilta-Sanomat information, the Helsinki club is in advanced negotiations with Ilves’ current head coach Tommi Niemelä.
According to several insider sources from IS, the 43-year-old Niemelä is HIFK’s top candidate for next season’s head coach. The club aims to conclude the negotiations as soon as possible.
Niemelä’s contract with Ilves ends after this season. He has been coaching the Tampere club since 2024 and has achieved one SM bronze medal.
Before Ilves, Niemelä made a strong impact at Pelicans, leading them to the league finals twice in a row in 2023 and 2024.
HIFK’s sports director Janne Laukkasella has a shared history with Niemelä from Lahti. Laukkanen worked as the sports director of Pelicans for ten seasons before moving to Helsinki last summer.
Niemelä also has a strong connection to HIFK, as the former goalkeeper’s youth club is precisely the Helsinki club. In his coaching career, he has also won the under-18 world championship as the head coach of Finland in 2018 and worked as an assistant coach in the Swiss top league.
HIFK’s coaching plans changed last week when Olli Jokinen was fired. He was replaced by Tommi Miettinen, who was hired on a contract for the remainder of the season, which does not include an option for next season.
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