Charge hire Juuso Toivola as assistant coach
A man with loads of international coaching experience is joining the staff in the nation’s capital.
On Friday, the Ottawa Charge announced that the team has hired Juuso Toivola as the team’s new assistant coach.
Toivola joins the staff in Ottawa, led by head coach Carla MacLeod and assistant Haley Irwin. He takes the spot left by Dean Jackson, who returned home to North Carolina to be closer to his sons, as well as managing his private hockey consulting company, Delta Athletic Group.
Toivola has an extensive coaching pedigree in his native Finland. He has been part of the country’s national team programs since 2002. Along with serving as manager and head coach of the U-18 team at the first seven IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championships, the Seinäjoki native was also the assistant coach for Finland at the 2006 and 2018 Winter Olympics, with the team taking home the bronze medal in PyeongChang. Toivola also served as an assistant for the senior national team at the IIHF Women’s World Championships from 2015 to 2021.
Initially hired as the assistant coach for Suomi for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, Toivola stepped in as interim head coach for Pasi Mustonen after the opening game of the tournament. Toivala has been the head coach for the national team ever since. Along with winning an Olympic bronze in 2022, Toivola guided the Finns to bronze medals at the 2024 and 2025 Women’s Worlds.
Toivolva joins the charge staff to help run the defense. He’s elated at the opportunity to coach in the top women’s league in the world.
“I’m very excited to coach in North America for the very first time,” Toivola said in a release. “After all these years in women’s hockey, I am honoured to work with the Ottawa Charge players and staff. I can’t wait to share my knowledge with this team, but I’m also looking forward to learning more every day in order to keep improving as a coach.”
The Charge is coming off its best season in the young history of the PWHL. Along with reaching the playoffs for the first time, Ottawa advanced to the PWHL Final, ultimately losing to the Minnesota Frost in four games.