Goalkeeper Janne Juvonen has developed from a secondary commitment to a top performer at the Kölner Haien. However, his future in Cologne is uncertain.
The Christmas presents came for them Cologne sharks a little earlier this year. One day before Christmas Eve, the KEC received a generous gift – from the Löwen Frankfurt. After just three minutes of play, the Lions gave away the puck in their own third and Kevin Niedenz scored to make it 1-0 for the Sharks. In the 15th minute, Frankfurt completely lost sight of Parker Tuomie – 2-0. Patrick Russell increased the lead to 3-0 (20th) and put the Haie on the winning track early on.
In the end there was a clear 4-1 win for Cologne. Cameron Brace (28th) scored the consolation goal for the Lions, Tanner Kero scored the final score into the empty goal in the 59th minute. The Haie have thus extended their strong series and have now won ten of the last eleven games. The reward – and Christmas present – is second place in the table, level on points with leaders Adler Mannheim.
Goalie Juvonen gives Haien victory
However, the result in Frankfurt was higher than the course of the game would have suggested. Apart from the gifts in the first third, the home team played well. The Lions even had more shots on goal (56:55), had more power plays (6:4) and won significantly more face-offs (40:26).
There was a reason why the Kölner Haie only conceded one goal: goalkeeper Janne Juvonen. The Finn showed strong 31 saves with an outstanding catch rate of almost 97 percent. “Janne has brought out some top-class players. That’s very important in a phase like this,” said Haie captain Moritz Müller, who made his comeback in Frankfurt after a month-long injury break.
Juvons with strong statistics
But not only in Frankfurt, but also in previous games, Juvonen was a decisive factor in ensuring that the Kölner Haie rushed from victory to victory. With Juvonen in goal, the KEC has won 14 of 17 games. The 31-year-old only conceded 1.85 goals on average with a catch rate of 93.4 percent. For comparison: Juvonen’s back-up Tobias Ancicka conceded a whopping 4.09 goals on average in eight games.
In November, Juvonen had two shutouts and the Haie scored points in seven of eight games. The reward followed immediately: Juvonen was first voted Haie player of the month and then also DEL player of the month.
Juvonen actually came as a gap filler
With the signing of Juvonen, the Kölner Haien have achieved a real coup. The Finn actually only came to fill the gap. After regular goalkeeper Felix Brückmann injured his knee in the game against the Iserlohn Roosters in mid-October, the KEC needed to take action. With Ancicka, there was suddenly only one DEL-experienced goalie left in the squad.
However, bringing in Juvonen was fraught with a certain risk, as the goalie had not played a game since the spring and had only been keeping fit individually. Juvonen had previously played for Ambri-Piotta in the Swiss league for three years, but did not receive a new contract there because the club from then on only relied on local goalkeepers.
Because Juvonen received no other offers, he kept fit with the Finnish second division club Joensuu, but was only able to train there individually. “Everyone else was already playing and I was still sitting at home,” Juvonem told the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” about this time.
Shutout in the first outing
But then came the offer from the Kölner Haie. They had other candidates on their radar, but coach Kari Jalonen – also Finnish – spoke out in favor of Juvonen because he was part of the extended circle of the Finnish national team. And then everything happened very quickly, remembers Juvonen: “I arrived in Cologne shortly afterwards, only trained once or twice and then played straight away.”
And Juvonen delivered a perfect debut. He managed a shutout in the 5-0 win against the Löwen Frankfurt. Integration into the team went quickly. In addition to coach Jalonen, four other Finns play on the Haie team. Juhnai Tyrväinen already knew Juvonen from their time together at the Lahti Pelicans in Finland. The two are now neighbors in Cologne.
But the non-Finnish teammates also rave about their new support. “He’s brutal,” German-American striker Parker Tuomie said of Juvonen. “I saw him years ago at Ambri-Piotta and just thought what an amazing goalkeeper. It’s great that he’s with us now.”
Juvonen doesn’t want to decide about the future yet
The question, however, is how long Juvonen will stay with the Sharks. His contract only runs until the end of the season. Juvonen himself says: “I like Cologne, it’s a beautiful city.” But he doesn’t want to commit to where he will stay yet: “It’s too early to make a decision. I’ve only just arrived here and I’m concentrating on the games with the Sharks.”
The next game is already around the corner: On Boxing Day, the Haie will host the Fischtwon Pinguins from Bremerhaven, currently sixth in the table (2 p.m.). On the same day, two direct competitors of the KEC at the top of the table, Adler Mannheim and ERC Ingolstadt, will meet in a direct duel. So it’s quite possible that the Cologne team will end up at the top of the table after their soaring with the support of Juvonen.
Our sources:
- DEL website
- Cologne Sharks website
- Cologne City Gazette
- Cologne Review
Broadcast: “Janne Juvonen excels at the Kölner Haien”, WDR.deDecember 26, 2025, 10:30 a.m
