Finnish coach Petri Matikainen succeeds Rostislav Čada in the position of Head Coach at HC SLOVAN Bratislava.
Petri Matikainen, the experienced forty-seven year-old coach, has agreed contract terms until the end of this season in the Kontinental Hockey League. Matikainen, who spent two seasons in another KHL organisation, Avangard Omsk, and latterly with Austria's Graz 99ers, will already take his place on the Slovan bench in Wednesday's home game against Medvescak Zagreb, which starts at 19:00 h.
"From the group of candidates for the position of head coach, we have chosen Petri Matikainen based on excellent references," said Maros Krajči, HC Slovan General Manager. "He is an experienced Finnish coach, an excellent motivator and strategist, with the added bonus of experience on the bench at Avangard Omsk. Our new trainer promises to bring us a more attacking style, especially at home. A strong Slovan support team is already at Matikainen's disposal today, ready to do all they can to help him adapt to our country as quickly as possible."
The experienced coach began his coaching career in 2003 on the bench of junior team Pelicans Lahti, and also worked as an assistant to the national team for 20 years, with whom he achieved a world championship bronze medal. A substantial part of Matikainen's coaching work took place at Finnish team Espoo Blues, where he worked as assistant coach until the 2006/07 season, then spent the next four years as head coach. He took the Finnish unit to the playoff finals in the 2007/08 and 2010/11 seasons, receiving the Best Coach award in Finland's highest competition. In 2010, he served as assistant coach to the Finland national squad and, at the World Championships in Bratislava and Košice a year later, won gold medal with the team. After a year's assignment leading IFK Helsinki, he then spent two years at Avangard Omsk in the KHL, finishing third in the regular season. He spent last season as coach of Graz 99ers.
HC Slovan Bratislava welcomes Petri Matikainen to the coaches' bench, and wish him a successful new chapter in his KHL career here in Bratislava.
| P | Tím | Z | B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | CSKA Moscow | 38 | 81 |
| 2. | Jokerit Helsinki | 38 | 68 |
| 3. | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | 40 | 77 |
| 4. | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | 39 | 67 |
| 5. | HC Sochi | 39 | 65 |
| 6. | Dynamo Moscow | 39 | 65 |
| 7. | SKA St. Peterburg | 38 | 62 |
| 8. | Dinamo Minsk | 38 | 56 |
| 9. | Medvescak Zagreb | 40 | 56 |
| 10. | HC SLOVAN Bratislava | 40 | 55 |
| 11. | Spartak Moscow | 39 | 50 |
| 12. | Vityaz Podolsk | 39 | 46 |
| 13. | Dinamo Riga | 37 | 46 |
| 14. | Severstal Cherepovets | 38 | 40 |
