The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to embark on a new era of the franchise after firing head coach Craig Berube earlier this week. While there was speculation that there was a chance he could be brought back to get another chance under the new regime of John Chayka and Mats Sundin, it would have been a massive error considering how poorly the Leafs performed with Berube behind the bench.
Who exactly Chayka chooses as the next head coach remains murky at this time, given that he was tight-lipped on what exactly led to his decision to fire Berube and what he is looking for in the successor. Beyond the note that having experience in big markets would be an asset, Chayka told reporters at his media availability that it would be a wide search and a thorough process.
The Leafs could easily go in many different directions with who to bring on as their next head coach, and it should not be limited to only those with prior NHL experience. They would be wise to explore up-and-coming options that could provide a fresh perspective on the game while aligning with the vision Chayka and Sundin have for the team. That’s why it would be in their best interest to consider Kitchener Rangers head coach Jussi Ahokas.
Ahokas has been the man in charge of the bench for the better part of two decades, spent mostly in his native country of Finland before making the move to North America in 2023. Before joining the Rangers, he coached Finland’s U18 and U20 teams, was an assistant for the women’s senior team, and then coached in Liiga for KooKoo and TPS. Some of his accolades include a bronze at the 2010 Olympics with the women’s team, a silver at the U18, gold at the 2019 World Juniors, and Liiga’s coach of the year in 2020.
Rather than stick in his comfort zone, Ahokas decided to challenge himself by moving to Kitchener and becoming the first-ever European coach in 2023. At the time of his arrival, the Rangers were a middling team who had losing records in four of their last five seasons and made only one third round apperance in a decade. Since Ahokas’ appointment, the Rangers’ fortunes have changed, and they have been among the most dominant teams in the OHL. The last two seasons in particular have seen Kitchener be among the league leaders in goals for and goals against, and this year saw them clinch a spot in the Memorial Cup for the first time since 2008.
For his efforts, Ahokas was named the OHL Coach of the Year in 2025.
What makes him stand out as a coaching candidate is his innovative style of
positionless hockey through high-IQ puck management, controlled breakouts, and a five-man attack. The Rangers will often regroup or circle back in the defensive zone to ensure they have a five-man numerical advantage before crossing the blue line. Ahokas is a modern coach who is tactical, calm, and analytical. He works well with integrating young, high-skilled players into the lineup without killing their creativity.
He is big on having his players use the full ice surface and on variable speed. He will encourage his defencemen to pinch up into the play while preaching to his forwards to rotate to the back to ensure coverage at the blueline. Above all else is their active defence in the neutral zone, where Ahokas instructs his players to break up plays before the opponent can set something up.
Ahokas has a Finnish word that can best sum up his coaching style: Sisu.
“You don’t really have a comparison to it in English, but it’s close to grit,”
Ahokas said in 2023 when asked what the translation of sisu is. “That’s what I want, the team to work hard. We have to play structured, good, fast hockey.”
The primary objective of Ahokas’ system is to get
everyone involved in the overall execution. From the players to his coaching staff, he preaches giving everyone a fair shake in providing their perspective on what can be brought to the table. He knows that he alone won’t be enough to execute his overall vision, but he feels that getting contributions from everyone gets the best out of them and leads to overall success for the team.
“
I think that you really can take the players involved. They really buy in when you take them and make them do things. So it’s not really only us coaches who tell from up from the top,” Ahokas said in 2024 about building culture. “ Of course, you teach things, but then you make them speak and give them a voice also, and then also building leadership through that. That’s for me the big thing. If you can build leadership for the players and you can get the ownership for the players, I think then you’ll do really well and I think the players will enjoy the season way more.”That insistence on collaboration and giving the players a voice in the process could mesh well with the vision that Chayka and Sundin have for this team. While the newly appointed GM has only been on the job for over a week at the time of filing, Chayka has stated that he views his relationship with players as a partnership with the goal of alignment on the vision and strategy of the team. Having a coach who can help with that mantra while also building the culture the new front office wants to install will be crucial, and Ahokas’ views on hockey could be a good fit.
It is worth noting that there is already some familiarity between Ahokas and the Leafs. He
attended Game 3 of their first-round series against the Boston Bruins in 2024. He was later invited to their 2024 development camp as a guest coach and oversaw parts of the event. Afterwards, he expressed enthusiasm for being involved in the festivities while labelling the Leafs as ‘
a great organization.‘
Ahokas would represent a bold new direction for the Leafs and an innovative system that would be a breath of fresh air from the dull and predictable style that Berube implemented. It would be in their best interest to consider Ahokas to be their next head coach.
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