ice Hockey
Ex-national coach Söderholm new coach at champions Munich
Former national coach Toni Söderholm becomes the new head coach in Munich. photo
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
The successor to master trainer Don Jackson at EHC Red Bull Munich has been settled. Former national coach Toni Söderholm takes over. The former player reveals what he was hoping for years ago.
The former national ice hockey coach Toni Söderholm will be the new head coach at the German ice hockey champions EHC Red Bull Munich. The Finn thus succeeds Don Jackson, who ended his successful career as a coach.
“I left the club in 2019 in the hope of one day being able to work there as head coach. The fact that I’m now returning to the Red Bulls’ organization is something very special for me and a great honor,” said the 45-year-old, according to the announcement .
Söderholm had last worked at the traditional Swiss club SC Bern. In November last year he gave up his position as head coach when selecting the German Ice Hockey Federation in order to be able to work at his ex-club in Switzerland. Harold Kreis succeeded him as national coach.
Munich past
“In Toni, we now have a man on the sporting command bridge who started his coaching career here in our organization. He not only knows our environment very well, but also our philosophy. His mentality, his expertise and his character are an excellent fit our requirement profile,” said EHC manager Christian Winkler. “With him we are best equipped for the upcoming tasks.”
In the 2015/16 season, Söderholm still wore the Red Bulls jersey as a player and celebrated the first German championship in the club’s history with the Munich side. He then moved to the team’s coaching staff. After more than two years as “development coach” for the Red Bulls and coach of the Munich cooperation partner SC Riessersee, Söderholm took over the position of national coach from Marco Sturm on January 1, 2019.
“I would like to thank Christian Winkler for the trust placed in me. On his initiative, after the end of my playing career, I switched to the coaching staff of the champion team at the time,” said Söderholm. “It was here that I had the opportunity and honor to learn from Don Jackson, among others. Now I will carry on his legacy with great respect.”