Head coach Tommi Niemelä wants to see a team in the starting league season that cannot be easily taken away from their offensive zone.
The new men’s ice hockey SM-liiga season, which starts on Wednesday, will kick off without the interest rate restrictions familiar from the last couple of years.
The Lahti-based team Pelicans has increased its player budget by several hundred thousand euros since last season.
The team has been strengthened with Swedish players, among others. They want more fight and more power in the box.
– This year we have wanted to focus on fighting and goal-forward play. It has gone forward, which was already visible in practice games, he states.
Winning through goals
When head coach Niemelä asks about the team’s common goal, the answer doesn’t talk about getting to the playoffs or ranking.
– We want to win. When participating in a racing series, there can be no other goal.
The Pelicans have increased their player budget for this season to around 2.3 million euros.
– I hope our energy and freshness can be seen in the regular season as well, because we showed them quite well in the training games. The league will be very even. All teams are good, there won’t be any easy games, Tommi Niemelä of Pelicans estimates.
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