After three seasons in Kitchener, Ahokas will take a step up to the professional game.
The 2025-26 OHL season might have been Jussi Ahokas' magnum opus.
The Finnish head coach got a team of experienced, veteran players to commit to his system, and absolutely dominate their way to an OHL championship with a 16-2 record before an undefeated Memorial Cup triumph.
This turned the heads of many professional teams across North America, and on Friday, the AHL's Colorado Eagles has finally landed Ahokas as their new head coach.
In just three seasons, Jussi Ahokas became one of the most respected coaches in the OHL. (Photo: Steve Dunsmoor / CHL)The Oulu native grew up mostly coaching his native Finland's youth teams. He found a ton of success there, winning gold at the U18s in 2016 and then gold at the World Juniors in 2019.
Ahokas then turned to becoming a professional coach in Liiga, coaching KooKoo for two seasons and TPS for two seasons after that, winning a coach of the year award in 2020.
In 2023, he turned to North America, taking over for the Rangers after a few years of uncertainty around the bench, with GM Mike McKenzie serving double duty at times, and one year of Chris Dennis.
Immediately, results started going up for Kitchener. Ahokas brought the team a 41-win season in his first season, as the team ultimately bowed out to a powerhouse London in the second round.
In year two, the Rangers improved again with a 47-win regular season, but once again fell to a powerhouse Knights team, in the conference final this time.
But, in 2026, the cards fell right. Kitchener became the top dogs, acquiring experienced winners Sam O'Reilly and Jared Woolley from that London team around the trade deadline, among a few other notable additions like Dylan Edwards and Gabe Chiarot.
That gave Ahokas and his team all the ammunition they needed to truly take off. O'Reilly would win OHL regular season, playoff and Memorial Cup MVP, and the Rangers would bring home that elusive Memorial Cup trophy for the first time since 2003.
That's the legacy Jussi Ahokas will leave behind him in Kitchener, one of winning and a ton of success. He remains one of the top coaching prospects in the sport, and it would not be a surprise if he ends up behind an NHL bench in the near future.
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