Champion coach Pekka Virtra’s new employer is the Swedish Nybro Vikings.
Pekka Virta will coach until the end of the season in Sweden. EMIL ELO / AOP
Nybro Vikings plays at Sweden’s third highest league level in Hockeyettan. The team’s new head coach is Pekka Virta.
Nybro is the central district of the Nybro municipality of the same name. It is located in Kalmar county and the historical province of Småland in southern Sweden.
The municipality has less than 15,000 inhabitants.
– I made a five-month contract, i.e. a contract for the rest of the season. This is a gig. They needed help here, Virta tells Iltalehte.
– I had no acquaintances here before. I took on an agent for the first time in my career. Through him, a couple of companies came into contact. Here are some interesting points for the future. This is a good way to get to know Swedish hockey.
In any case, Virta mainly lives in Stockholm.
– The wife works there, and we have an apartment in Stockholm.
A new boom
Last spring, the Vikings missed out on being promoted from the league ladder to the Allsvenskan. At that time, the puck boom was on in the small town. Now the team has drifted into a four-game losing streak.
The team therefore sought help in the situation from Finland.
– I will meet the team on Tuesday afternoon and on Wednesday is the first game. It’s a local game against Kalmar, and the hall will reportedly be full. The hall can hold 2,500 spectators, the Turku resident says.
Four Finnish players play in the Vikings. They are Jesse Pelamo, Janne Väyrynen, Eero Savilahti and Juho Liuksila.
Nybro plays in Hockeyettan’s southern section.
Big name
Virta is a big investment from a small town team. The native of Turku has coached more than 900 matches in the League. His career began in the fall of 2006 as KalPa’s head coach.
Since then Virta has ordered Tepsi, Ässi, KalPa again, Lukko and lastly SaiPa.
The highlight of Virtra’s career is the Finnish championship won in Luko in the spring of 2021.