Is HPK among the top five in the regular season? This is how Mikko Manner responds.

Last season, HPK organized a huge surprise. With their strong goaltending and first line, the team from Hämeenlinna managed to drop Lukko in the first round of the playoffs and march all the way to the quarter-finals.

SuomiKiekko asked HPK’s head coach Mikko Manner what HPK’s team looks like for the upcoming season.

– We managed to keep most of the players we wanted. There were a few mandatory losses, which have been replaced with similar players. We have gained more skating speed and certain power play skills. Last year we were ineffective on the power play. Special situations need to be improved. Additionally, we expanded our goaltending department, Manner says.

It is easy to agree with the head coach’s analysis. Cameron Wright left for Germany in the summer, but he was replaced by Brendan Ranford, who has fit nicely into HPK’s first line. Among the big names from last season, the team continues with goaltender Kim Saarinen, defender Miska Kukkonen, and star center Sami Päivärinta.

According to Manner, HPK’s goal for the upcoming season is clear: to reach the playoffs and advance towards the Finnish championship.

Simply making the playoffs is a modest goal for a team of HPK’s caliber. I believe the team from Hämeenlinna will be the biggest surprise of the next season and will even make it into the top five in the regular season. (Read more)

– It would be nice to be completely in agreement, but when looking at the partners and logos, it will be a very even league, Manner says.

– The biggest thing is that we can find a winning rhythm from game to game. The crucial factor is how healthy we can stay. Our roster isn’t too large anyway. Of course, we have a strong belief in our own performance.

Manner admits that HPK has an exceptionally strong group, but one should not get ahead of things too much.

– We have 12 new players, so let’s give it time. Many players have come from abroad, so it is important for them that the team succeeds, so they feel important. If we don’t perform well right away, they might start feeling ashamed and create unnecessary complications, Manner says.

Manner sees that HPK is still starting from a challenger position.

– Nowadays, the setups are determined through money. Player budgets are compared, and those with smaller budgets challenge the bigger ones. Generally, the differences are not so black and white. I believe we can play relaxed, Manner assesses.

– At the same time, the biggest pressure must come from ourselves. We need to set the bar high enough that a mere sympathetic loss is not enough. We need to find ways to turn narrow losses into victories.

The league’s super season also presents a challenge for the head coach. Manner estimates that there will be more work than usual on the mental coaching side.

– Perhaps we need to work more on the mental aspect, given this super season and the fact that three teams will be eliminated after the regular season. Probably at least half of us will be in some sort of crisis and panic at some point. Three points for a win and zero for a loss can change the dynamics quite quickly. How we handle those situations together, so we don’t start to feel too nervous, for example, playing in front of a home crowd or fearing losses or mistakes in advance? This will certainly give coaches something to think about this year, so as not to worsen the situation and start forcing the team to succeed, as that is always the beginning of the end.