HS analysis: The long-awaited Jokerit have four problems in the SM-liiga

Jokerit’s eagerly awaited return to the SM-liiga has begun with two defeats and a blunt verdict: the team has been built poorly. A shootout loss to Sport brought one point, but Lukko made the gap clear on Saturday by winning 7-2. There was little left for Jokerit to explain away.

The imbalance could already be seen before the season began. The club invested heavily in attack by SM-liiga standards, less in defense and very little in goalkeeping. After two games, the goalkeeping problem looks particularly severe. Veini Vehviläinen and Olle Erikson Ek have not been able to protect a defense that is also struggling.

The article also questions whether head coach Tomek Valtonen is ready to coach at this level. Dismissal could become necessary, but a rapid change would reflect poorly on Jokerit’s management. Two years ago, the club moved head coach Tero Määttä to an assistant role after the first Mestis game and hired Risto Dufva. A second set of quick dismissals in such a short period would already look like a pattern.

If Jokerit changes coaches, the club may also need to ask whether its sporting leadership is stable enough. Sporting director Olli-Pekka Yrjänheikki has held the position throughout Jokerit’s time in the Mestis, but weaknesses in the squad-building process were visible in advance and have now become concrete.

Money creates two further problems. Jokerit began selling individual tickets unusually early in the summer, partly to keep the club in the public mind and partly to generate cash. The article says this reflected a cash-flow problem, not necessarily poor finances, but some current-season revenue has already been used. A similar pressure shaped the club’s agreement with Veikkaus, signed last year and running until 2031. According to insider information cited by the article, Jokerit received about half a million euros from Veikkaus for its Mestis season.