Story Summary
HIFK have strengthened their coaching group by appointing 41-year-old Vesa Petäjä to Tommi Miettinen’s staff with immediate effect. Petäjä is due to arrive in Finland over the weekend after beginning the season as head coach of Italian side HC Unterland in the Alps Hockey League.
Sporting director Janne Laukkanen said Petäjä will bring tactical expertise to the group. HIFK said the appointment completes their coaching staff for the remainder of the season.
Key Facts
- Vesa Petäjä, 41, has joined HIFK’s coaching staff with immediate effect.
- Petäjä began the season as head coach of HC Unterland in Italy’s Alps Hockey League.
- HIFK sporting director Janne Laukkanen said Petäjä will bring tactical expertise to the coaching group.
- Tommi Miettinen had wanted Petäjä on his staff earlier, but Petäjä first wanted to conclude matters properly in Italy.
- Petäjä and Miettinen previously worked at TPS, where Petäjä coached the Liiga team from 2021 to 2025 and Miettinen was head coach from 2023 to 2025.
- Petäjä has also been a head coach with Peliitat and coached Pelicans junior teams.
- HIFK’s coaching team under Miettinen includes Petäjä, Ville Viitaluoma and Jan Lundell.
IHM Discussion
The appointment reunites two coaches with a shared TPS background and gives Miettinen a colleague he already knows professionally. That prior connection is a meaningful element of a mid-season staff addition: Petäjä is entering an established group, rather than joining without familiarity with the head coach’s working methods.
Laukkanen’s emphasis on tactical expertise also identifies the intended contribution clearly. Petäjä arrives with recent head-coaching experience from HC Unterland, alongside previous work in Liiga, Mestis and junior hockey. HIFK have framed the move as the final addition to their staff for this season, with Viitaluoma and Lundell remaining part of Miettinen’s group.
Why It Matters
Coaching appointments can alter how much preparation and tactical detail a staff can handle across a demanding season. HIFK have added a coach with senior experience in several levels of Finnish hockey as well as a current season in the Alps Hockey League.
For Miettinen, the value is also in continuity of communication. Petäjä’s time alongside him at TPS means the two arrive with an existing professional reference point, while the club gains another coach specifically identified as a tactical resource.