H.C. Tochigi Nikko Icebucks Appoints Jesper Jalonen as New Head Coach

H.C. Tochigi Nikko Icebucks is pleased to announce that Mr. Jesper Jalonen will be appointed as the Head Coach starting from the 2026-2027 season. Mr. Jalonen possesses a high level of tactical understanding and analytical skills cultivated in Europe. He has an established reputation for building teams that emphasize speed, decision-making, and organizational strength in modern ice hockey. He excels at utilizing game footage and data analysis to construct flexible tactics tailored to opponents and game situations. Under his leadership, the team aims to play hockey with a high degree of reproducibility in both offense and defense. Furthermore, he is dedicated to youth development and improving individual players' abilities. We have great expectations for him as a key figure who will lead to the improvement of the team's overall competitiveness and continuous strengthening. We will proceed with building a new team, considering him an indispensable presence as the club aims for the championship. For details, please see below. ■ Jesper Jalonen Date of Birth: February 8, 1994 Place of Birth: Finland Playing Career: Nikkarit U-16 (Finland) -> Nikkarit U-17 (Finland) -> Nikkarit U-20 (Finland) -> Bruins (Finland) -> Nikkarit U-20 (Finland) -> Bruins (Finland) -> PT-80 (Finland) -> HC Giants Akatemia (Finland) -> PT-80 (Finland) Coaching Career: 2015-2016 P-H United U-17 Assistant Coach 2017-2018 HC Giants Assistant Coach 2018-2020 HC Giants Head Coach 2020-2022 JHT Head Coach 2022-2024 Hermes Assistant Coach 2024-2026 H.C. Tochigi Nikko Icebucks Assistant Coach 2026- H.C. Tochigi Nikko Icebucks Head Coach "I am very excited and honored to be trusted with this opportunity. I'm happy that I can stay with Icebucks, I really enjoyed my first two seasons. We will do our best to bring success to Nikko. I hope to see all our passionate and loyal fans supporting us at the Kirifuri Ice Arena. Let's make it an unforgettable season, together." I am very happy and honored to be entrusted with this opportunity. I am glad to be able to manage the Icebucks. The past two seasons have been truly fulfilling. We will do our best to bring victory to Nikko. I look forward to our passionate fans supporting us at the Kirifuri Ice Arena. Let's make this an unforgettable season together.