With Edward Little and Thornton Academy both having veteran senior goalies on the roster, coaches Norm Gagne and Jamie Gagnon gave their younger goalies the nod in Wednesday's matchup. Also, St. Dom's boys finding the back of the net early, Eliza Beaudin leads the way in local ties on Team USA, while Thunder veteran forward chooses to play college hockey at Bowdoin.
Originally posted on Pro Hockey Rumors | By Zach Leach | Last updated 2/15/21
Who needs coaching experience when you have 17 seasons of NHL playing experience on your resume? Jukurit of the Liiga, the top pro level in Finland, has announced that former NHL star Olli Jokinen has been hired as the club’s head coach beginning next season, inking two-year deal with a third option year. Jokinen, who retired from the NHL in 2015, is the founder and head coach of the South Florida Hockey Academy youth program, but has not coached at the professional or junior level.
Jokinen, 42, had enough talent as a player, as well as the respect of his teammates, coaches, and competitors, to warrant this major career move. The 1997 No. 3 overall pick began played his developmental hockey at home in Finland, but jumped to North America to join the Los Angeles Kings right after he was drafted. Thus began an 18-year pro career that included 1,231 NHL game