Jussi Ahokka became Jurri Ahokas in Canada.
Jussi Ahokas is now creating a career in Canada. Jaakko Stenroos / AOP
Moved from the Ice Hockey SM League to Canada’s OHL junior series to become the head coach of the Kitchener Rangers Jussi Ahokas has gotten down to business.
The Rangers began training camp on Tuesday, which will last three days and include at least practices, physical tests and practice games.
In hockey-crazy Canada, the junior series is also a big deal, and the local CTV television channel went to the Rangers’ camp. The result was a three-minute TV storywhere Ahokas also spoke.
– I don’t really know the players yet, so for me the camp is all about getting to know them and seeing where they go, Ahokas told CTV.
– Here I have to be more patient because the young boys make more mistakes. But I know what it takes.
Apparently, the locals are still getting used to the Finnish head coach, because an amusing mistake had slipped into CTV’s broadcast, which Ahokas also caught on social media. Ahokas’ name was announced on the TV broadcast as “Jurri Ahokas”.
– The name doesn’t always go quite right, Ahokas wrote in the stories section of Instagram with a laughing emoji.
Jussi Ahokas got on a local TV broadcast to share his thoughts. Screenshot / kitchener.ctvnews.ca
Ahokka has big decisions ahead of him. According to CTV, more than 20 players have already been signed to the team for the upcoming season, and there are only a few spots left. There are more than 40 players at the camp, so the fight for the last places is tough. The OHL is one of Canada’s three big junior leagues.
One of the regular players of Kitchener Rangers last season was born in 2003 Matthew Sop.
– It feels good to see all the guys again. There is no better feeling than being in the home arena again. We did tests, met each other and got to laugh together, Sop beamed to the TV cameras.
According to CTV, Rangers training camp is open to the public.
Ahokka, 42, has two junior world championships (U18 and U20) and silver in the spring 2022 World Championship, and his dream is to become the head coach of an NHL team.