Toni Söderholm is in no hurry to decide about his future as national ice hockey coach.
“One must not forget: I still have a contract until June, after the World Cup. There is still time,” said the Finn on “Eurosport”. But he understands “that the question is now interesting”.
The national team had already failed in the play-off round at the Olympic Games in Beijing after disappointing performances. The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) would like to continue with the 43-year-old beyond the World Championships in Söderholm’s home country (May 13th to 29th).
“We had very good talks,” said Söderholm. Recently there was a “rest period”, new discussions would come: “Then we’ll see where it goes. It’s about several factors, and if they all fit, then it will be fine.” At the moment “everything has been said, everyone knows the situation”.
At the end of 2018, the national coach succeeded Marco Sturm, who sensationally led the DEB team to silver in Pyeongchang in 2018. After an internship in the NHL, Söderholm is toying with the idea of switching to club ice hockey.
His entire focus is still on the DEB team. “A lot of good things have happened in recent years,” emphasized Söderholm: “I want to give 100 percent over the next few months. It’s an honor to work with these players.”