Story Summary
Florian Pedevilla will remain at HC Innsbruck despite losing his position as an assistant coach following the departure of Ryan Kinasewich. The 39-year-old, who has spent 17 years serving the Sharks as both player and coach, is set to take up another role within the organisation.
Pedevilla was absent from the coaching group for the first training session under new head coach Ville Kolppanen and Daniel Mitterdorfer. His departure from the bench ends a six-year spell as assistant coach, but not his long association with Innsbruck.
Key Facts
- Florian Pedevilla will stay with HC Innsbruck in a different club role after leaving his assistant coach position.
- Pedevilla joined Innsbruck as a player in 2009 and represented the club in the second and top divisions until 2020.
- The 39-year-old then spent six years as an assistant coach with HC Innsbruck.
- Pedevilla worked under Mitch O’Keefe, Jordan Smotherman and most recently Ryan Kinasewich.
- Innsbruck finished third in the ICE Hockey League regular season in 2022-23 and qualified for the Champions Hockey League for the first time.
- Pedevilla said he wanted to promote Innsbruck’s youth-system players during his time as assistant coach.
- Ville Kolppanen has begun work as HC Innsbruck’s new head coach alongside Daniel Mitterdorfer.
IHM Discussion
Pedevilla’s continued presence gives HC Innsbruck an element of continuity during a clear coaching reset. Kolppanen and Mitterdorfer begin with a new structure behind the bench, while a figure who knows the club across 17 years will remain available elsewhere in the organisation.
Pedevilla acknowledged that the previous two years had been draining when results did not come, and he accepted that it was time for a change. He nevertheless framed his next step around helping Innsbruck progress positively and supporting the team’s success. He also expressed support for Kolppanen, whom he knows from their time sharing a dressing room as player and staff member.
Why It Matters
The decision keeps a substantial store of club knowledge in Innsbruck rather than ending Pedevilla’s connection completely. He has experienced the organisation as a player in different divisions, an assistant coach through several coaching changes, and a member of the staff during the club’s Champions Hockey League breakthrough.
For Kolppanen, the change still leaves room to establish his own ideas. Pedevilla has made clear that he sees the incoming coach’s opportunity to do that as important, while maintaining that the team must come before any individual.
Mini Q&A
Why has Florian Pedevilla left the HC Innsbruck coaching staff?
Pedevilla lost his assistant coach role after Ryan Kinasewich’s departure and the arrival of Ville Kolppanen and Daniel Mitterdorfer as Innsbruck’s new coaching pairing.
Will Florian Pedevilla remain with HC Innsbruck?
Yes. Pedevilla is set to remain with HC Innsbruck and take on another role within the organisation.
Coach Mark Comment
Pedevilla’s reflection on Innsbruck’s youth-system players is the detail that lingers. He wanted to push them forward and, looking back, feels he may have been able to press that case harder. That is an honest thought from someone whose own relationship with the club reaches back to 2009.
Leaving the bench while staying in the organisation gives that concern a different place to live. It is not a promise about any player’s future, but it shows that Pedevilla’s connection to Innsbruck has always included more than the job he held on a particular night.
What Comes Next
Pedevilla is due to continue working for HC Innsbruck in another role, while Kolppanen and Mitterdorfer take charge of the new coaching set-up.
IHM Final View
Pedevilla’s coaching chapter at HC Innsbruck has closed, but his 17-year service to the club is not ending. His move away from the bench creates a new start for Kolppanen and Mitterdorfer while retaining an experienced Innsbruck figure within the organisation.