Ice hockey | HIFK’s former sports director Tobias Salmelainen is moving to the NHL’s top club

Helsinki IFK’s former sports director Tobias Salmelainen career continues on the payroll of an NHL club.

According to the editorial information, the Edmonton Oilers have hired the 39-year-old Salmelainen for the player development and recruiting side.

At the Oilers, Salmelainen’s job description is extensive. The official title is European Player Development & Recruitment, which means that in addition to player development work, the tasks include the recruitment of players playing in Europe.

The job also includes searching for talent, so to speak As an amateur scoutwhich observes and evaluates players of reserve age in Europe.

Salmelainen will not directly replace another Finn in the Oilers scouting department Matti from Virmawho retired from the Oilers organization after last season.

Virmanen, 63, who worked as the Joker’s long-term CEO, was the Oilers’ talent scout for 14 years. He also served as Vaasa Sport’s player coordinator in recent years.

The Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup finals last summer, where they lost in a thriller-like seven-game series to the Florida Panthers.

Salmelainen resigned as HIFK’s sports director last April. Salmelainen started as HIFK’s sports director in November 2017.

Salmelainen led HIFK’s sports side for almost seven seasons. Criticism was harsh at times, because the success fell by the wayside. During his time, the Helsinki club, which operated with a large budget, advanced to the semifinals Four times and won two bronze medals.

Before becoming HIFK’s sports director, Salmelainen worked as a player agent at the Acme World Sports Finland agency, which was sold to the American Wasserman in the summer of 2020.

Salmelainen’s older brother, former top player Tony Salmelainen43, is in his third season as a talent scout for the NHL giant Toronto Maple Leafs.