“That’s for sure where the game is going.”
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In episode #238 of the Glass and Out Podcast, our team at The Coaches Site had the chance to visit the OHL's Kitchener Rangers facilities and sit down with Head Coach Jussi Ahokas.
Ahokas is currently in his first season in North America after spending the past four seasons as the Head Coach of TPS in the Liga, Finland’s top Professional league. During that time, he was named the Alliance of European Hockey Club’s Coach of the Year, the equivalent of the Jack Adams Award across all of Europe's top professional leagues.
Listen as he shares he shares the Finnish concept of "Sisu," why you'll always get better results when people enjoy the environment and why positionless hockey is the future of the game.
VIDEO TIMESTAMPS:
- 2:05 Getting better every practice
- 3:40 What information players need in practice
- 6:55 Where his team is structurally at after two months
- 9:10 Key habits for players
- 15:05 Creating an individual development plan
- 18:10 Gaining momentum throughout a game
- 20:45 Maintaining a lead
- 23:50 Allowing players to make plays
- 28:45 Allowing players to read and react
- 31:40 The future is positionless hockey
- 33:20 Setting a standard for culture
- 35:20 "Sisu"
- 39:20 Finding fun ways to connect with players
- 42:30 Helping players create belief in themselves
- 46:05 Learning from coaching youth hockey
- 49:50 Things he’s brought from Finnish coaching culture
- 52:30 Core values as a coach
- 54:00 Motivation to leave Finland for Kitchener
