Ville Mäntymaa takes responsibility for the Finnish U20 national team.
Ville Mäntymaa takes command of Nuori Leijon. Vesa Pöppönen / All Over Press
Ville Mäntymaa40, is the new head coach of the Young Lions. The former league player worked as an assistant coach of the U20 national team this season.
– The opportunity to work with the country’s most talented players under the age of 20 inspires and motivates enormously. Our task is to create an environment where the players dare to realize themselves and their skills within the framework required by team play, Mäntymaa says on the Leijonat.fi website.
The man has previously worked in the League as the head and assistant coach of the Kärppi.
– Mäntymaa’s youth World Cup tournament and the events leading up to the tournament are familiar from the role of assistant coach, director of coaching and elite sports of the Finnish Ice Hockey League Olli Salo tells.
The Ice Hockey Federation announced at the same time that Tuomo Ropo starts next season as the head coach of the age group born in 2011 that makes up the U16 national team.
– On the other hand, Ropo has already done a great job with the current age group and together with the club coaches for the development of the players, Salo says.
Before coaching the national team, Ropo worked for two seasons as the head coach of the Imatra Ketterä Mestis team, five seasons as an assistant coach of the SaiPan Liiga team, and for several seasons as the head and assistant coach in the U20 and U18 leagues.
The head coaches of the youth national teams in the 2026–27 season
U16 – Tuomo Ropo
U17 – Lauri Merikivi
N18 Girl lions – will be confirmed during the spring
U18 Little Lions– Marko Kauppinen
U20 Young Lions– Ville Mäntymaa