Former St. Cloud State assistant coach Mira Jalosuo has been named head coach for the Huskies.
The 2-time Olympian returns to St. Cloud after serving to the Minnesota Frost (previously PWHL Minnesota) win back-to-back PWHL Walter Cups in every of the primary two seasons of the PWHL. She is the seventh head coach in program’s 27-year historical past and the second lady to guide the Huskies after Kerry Brodt Wethington, who was this system’s first head coach from 1998 to 2002.
Jalosuo takes over for Brian Idalski, who took a job within the PWHL earlier this month.
“We’re excited to have Mira again on our workers and main the ladies’s hockey program,” stated SCSU director of athletics Holly Schreiner in an announcement. “It was enjoyable to observe her success with the Minnesota Frost and win on the degree that she did. She will likely be an awesome addition to our already robust teaching workers for this coming yr.”
“To begin with, I need to thank St. Cloud State College president Larry Dietz and director of athletics Holly Schreiner for giving me this chance to guide the ladies’s hockey program,” stated Jalosuo. “Second, I need to thank Coach [Brian] Idalski for his mentorship over time – I’m excited to proceed constructing on the inspiration he constructed. Coach Idalski turned this system round in three years and now it’s my nice honor to maintain constructing this system. Realizing the gamers and training workers effectively, I imagine this will likely be a easy transition. That is an unimaginable alternative to guide a gifted and devoted group of student-athletes. I can’t wait to get to work with this group and meet all of the superb Husky followers. Go Huskies.”
A extremely adorned member of Finland’s nationwide staff, the two-time Olympian and five-time IIHF World Championships bronze medalist spent the final two seasons as an assistant coach with the Frost, serving to the franchise win every of the primary two PWHL Walter Cups.
Previous to changing into a coach for the Frost, Jalosuo spent a yr as an assistant coach for the Huskies underneath Idalski throughout his first season in 2022-23. She primarily labored with the defenders, whereas directing the penalty kill and aiding with recruiting efforts.
In her lone season with the Huskies in 2022-23, Jalosuo helped recreate St. Cloud State as top-of-the-line defensive groups within the nation. SCSU led the NCAA and set a brand new program report with 576 blocked photographs whereas holding opponents to 2.59 targets – their second-best mark in program historical past – and 32.24 photographs per recreation – their finest mark since 2015-16. St. Cloud State’s goaltenders anchored the rejuvenated protection, recording this system’s third-best staff save proportion at .920 and second-best goals-against common of two.58. The Huskies posted a program-record six shutouts in 2022-23, punctuating their stingy defensive work.
St. Cloud State’s younger defensive corps flourished underneath Jalosuo’s route as sophomores Dayle Ross and Grace Wolfe every took monumental steps ahead. Ross led the NCAA with a Huskies single-season report 104 blocks, Wolfe landed second within the nation with 83 and true freshman Regan Bulger completed fourth nationally with 78 blocks. Wolfe elevated her level complete by 15 whereas Ross went from three factors as a freshman to fifteen as a sophomore, every seeing elevated roles and productiveness within the offensive zone. Senior assistant captain Taytum Geier established new career-highs in assists, factors, plus-minus and blocks in her lone season underneath Jalosuo.
Jalosuo had been a gentle presence on Finland’s blue line till her retirement in 2018, skating for 12 years as a member of the senior nationwide staff. She appeared within the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Video games – incomes bronze at Pyeongchang in 2018 – and added 5 bronze medals on the IIHF Girls’s World Championships (2008-09, 2011, 2015, 2017). The defender performed in 193 video games for Finland, scoring 11 targets and including 22 assists for 33 factors as an anchor on the blue line.
From 2019 to 2022, Jalosuo spent three seasons main Stillwater Space Excessive Faculty women hockey as this system’s head coach. Below her route, the Ponies went 52-19-4 (.693) and boasted a powerful penalty kill. Stillwater killed 89.3% of their possibilities on the PK, together with 90 of 98 (91.8%) kills in 2019-20.
Previous to her time at Stillwater, Jalosuo had served as an assistant coach for Hamline after which Wayzata Excessive Faculty since 2015. She additionally coached with the Stillwater Space Hockey Affiliation, main the 12U A staff to a 42-6-2 report in 2018-19.
Jalosuo performed professionally following her collegiate profession from 2013-18, spending two seasons with SKIF Nizhny Novgorod within the Russian Girls’s Hockey League and incomes a championship in 2014. She then frolicked with Luleå HF within the SDHL earlier than becoming a member of the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Premier Hockey Federation in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Jalosuo additionally skated with Oulun Kärpät within the Naisten Liiga, the staff she performed with as a youngster previous to her time with the Gophers.
The Lieksa, Finland, native performed for Minnesota from 2009 to 2013. She appeared in 153 profession video games for the Gophers, recording 57 profession factors with 19 targets and 38 assists. A 3rd staff all-WCHA honoree as a senior, Jalosuo was a part of back-to-back nationwide championship groups as a junior and senior. She was a three-time WCHA all-academic honoree as effectively.
Raised in jap Finland, Jalosuo started taking part in within the premier Finnish ladies’s league with Oulun Kärpät at age 15 and was an all-star in 2007 and 2008. She served because the staff’s captain in 2008-09 whereas nonetheless attending highschool.
