Jussi Tapola's team in great form - snapped at the media: "It was said that..."

Finnish coach Jussi Tapola has led HC Ambri-Piotta to start their season in Switzerland against expectations.

Before the season, Ambri-Piotta was predicted to be at the bottom of the NL. For example, the Swiss newspaper Blick estimated that the team would finish last in the league.

However, after six games, the situation looks completely different. Tapola’s team has secured four wins and collected 11 points. In the league standings, the team is currently in second place.

– It was said that we have the worst foreign players and that the team lacks quality, Tapola tells Blick while also responding to the pre-season assessments.

Tapola mentions that the pre-season evaluations have also been discussed with the team.

– We concluded that this is the best possible place to show that we are better than many believe.

Ambri-Piotta’s most effective player at the start of the season has been Finnish forward Roby Järventie, who has tallied 5+5 in six games. He is second in the league’s scoring race. Following Järventie, the next highest scorers are familiar faces from Liiga, Michael Joly (5+3) and Nathan Schnarr (2+4).

According to Tapola, the team’s strong start to the season is based on a strong team spirit and the belief of the players in the team’s efforts.

However, the club’s ambitious start to the season has not changed its goals. Ambri began the season in a financially challenging situation, and the club management announced in the spring that the goal is to stabilize operations without a specific league placement target.

– Our goal is to stabilize the club. The season is still long, Tapola says.

Tapola started as head coach of Ambri-Piotta last January.

Finnish star in great form in Switzerland: rose to the top of the scoring list – has already surpassed last season’s goal count

NL | 25.10.2026 09:26