A Sit Down with Jarmo Tolvanen

2017.08.19. 16:00 |

Recently appointed head coach of the Hungarian Senior and Junior national teams Jarmo Tolvanen sat down and talked about what kind of coach he is, what early experiences he has, what he expects from the upcoming season and of course what was it like in Fehérvár.

Despite playing for both the Finnish U18 and U20 national teams, you had a short play, what was the reason for this?
They said that I  was talented but I had some issues with my back, I first had to take a year off when I was 23, after which it was really hard to come back. I was not able to perform the way a top athlete should. This time I also had an opportunity to start my studies, which I decided to concentrate on. After graduating from the Vierumaki Sports Institute in Finland I had the opportunity to be a head coach in the minor leagues in Finland.

How did you become involved with the Finnish youth program since you ended up coaching the U17, U18 and U20 national teams for Finland?
After starting and working in the minor leagues for about 6-7 seasons in the Helsinki area and we did a good job bringing in a number of young players into the team, players such as Jere Lehtinen, I coached him when he was 18-19 years old at the club level. I guess I did something well because they just invited me and had a chance to work with the national team program.

The age group that you first started working with in the federation were the player born in 1972-73-74-75 and a few years later a number of them were members on the historic 1995 World Championship team, was this a special age group in Finland? 
Yes you are right, this players born in 72-75 became NHL players, really really great international players. This age group picked up a large number of medals and trophies throughout their careers. Players such as Lehtinen, Saku Koivu, Ville Peltonen, Kimmo Timonen and many more were all in this age group. Finland had 3-4 very strong age groups one after the other and I was very lucky to have a chance to work with those boys at that time.

How would you describe your coaching style in regards to your relationship with your players?
I am an experienced coach who is now getting older in age, but I try to understand the younger generations, the younger kids who are coming into hockey have a different way of thinking and have a different life compared to 30-40 years ago, no matter where you are. You need to understand that the kids are different now and need to be handled differently compared to when I first got into coaching. I try to be open as possible and I try to listen to them. I really believe that teamwork is one part of my off ice coaching the other part is being able to lead my group and my players, especially as a head coach. I really believe that what is needed to be a good leader has not changed over the years, this has stayed the same. You have to be fair, you have to be logical, you have to be open. People, society, kids are all changing but the leadership qualities are pretty much the same. This is what I see myself as being a coach.


The last four Hungarian senior national team coaches have all been North American, what can the Hungarian hockey fans expect from you, being a Finnish coach?
I have not coached in Finland for some time now, so I would say that I do not coach the tradition Finnish system. I would say that I have more of a mix of Scandinavian and North American style since I have been working with them as well, I was with the Calgary Flames for three seasons. Something what is important to keep in mind is how much hockey is changing very fast. The game is getting new dimensions, it is getting really hard at the top level. North Americans have been playing the game the same way pretty much for the last 100 years, in Europe each country had their own style that they played. The Finns, Swedes, Czechs and Russians all had their style but in the last 10 years they have changed a lot. The Czechs have moved more to a North American style, the Swedes are changing, they used to play a very tactical defensive, strict and structured  game, but now they have opened up the play and it is more of a “run n’ gun” style. They are really playing an open and offensive hockey. In Finland, they won a couple of World Championships playing defensive strict slow hockey, and offensively they played a strong puck possession game. They are also trying to play faster, a more linear style that is going south to north type of hockey. I also want to change as well, some parts of my game will be changing just like hockey is changing. We will see how it goes, I have not really had a chance to study how my team or the teams in Hungary have been playing. We probably will see some changes in the way we play, but right now it is too early to say in what way this will happen. We really need to be on our toes since the pace of the game is getting faster and faster regardless of the league are or playing in or international tournament you are in, we need to be able to keep up with this trend.

The U20 national team will be playing in a tournament soon, how do you plan on evaluating the players between now and the Division 1/A World Championships in December?
This will be a very tough job because of the time frame. This first tournament will be important for us, I hope to know the players better that will be here. My plan is to see as many games as possible, both junior and senior games. It will be hard work to gather information and to get to know my players as fast as possible.

There are a number of players, both at the junior and senior level that are playing outside of Hungary, how do you plan on keeping an eye on them?
This is also a good question, I need to find out where these players are how they are playing. This has not been brought yet, but I do want a system in place. Will we be using scouts over there or will I be traveling to see them play. Of course I am available to travel since I am here full time. I can’t answer this right now, but it is not just about seeing them play in national team tournaments and camps but also with their club teams?

What about your coaching staff, will their also be an evaluation process as you put your final staff together?
I starting off with an empty table, right now I will be looking at the coaches that I will be traveling to Sweden with but I also want to see other coaches, and see what other options I have. The transition period always takes time before you find the right guys for you, both on the U20 and the senior teams.

You have coached in some of the top leagues in the world, Liiga, SHL, DEL, and been associated with NHL, just to name a few, what has it been like to “taste” all these hockey cultures?
It has of course been a pleasure to coach hockey in all these countries and coached some top clubs. This is a part of me, this is something I bring, that I have experienced so many hockey cultures and leagues. I have also seen these cultures outside of hockey as I experienced the everyday people as well. I think this might be the best way to explain it.

During the 2009-10 season you were with Fehérvár, the club made the EBEL playoffs and won the Hungarian title under your leadership, what off ice experiences can you draw from to help you in Hungary this time?
I remember that people in general were very excited about hockey, and I don’t mean just in Székesfehérvár but in Hungarian hockey. I had a great feeling during the season and after, the people that were around were really excited. The fans, the media, the management, players and stay were great. Everyone knows that Fehérvár is a hockey town and I really enjoyed that season and it was a really great season.