Former St. Cloud State assistant coach Mira Jalosuo has been named head coach for the Huskies.
The two-time Olympian returns to St. Cloud after helping the Minnesota Frost (formerly PWHL Minnesota) win back-to-back PWHL Walter Cups in each of the first two seasons of the PWHL. She is the seventh head coach in program’s 27-year history and the second woman to lead the Huskies after Kerry Brodt Wethington, who was the program’s first head coach from 1998 to 2002.
Jalosuo takes over for Brian Idalski, who took a job in the PWHL earlier this month.
“We are excited to have Mira back on our staff and leading the women’s hockey program,” said SCSU director of athletics Holly Schreiner in a statement. “It was fun to watch her success with the Minnesota Frost and win at the level that she did. She will be a great addition to our already strong coaching staff for this coming year.”
“First of all, I want to thank St. Cloud State University president Larry Dietz and director of athletics Holly Schreiner for giving me this opportunity to lead the women’s hockey program,” said Jalosuo. “Second, I want to thank Coach [Brian] Idalski for his mentorship over the years – I am excited to continue building on the foundation he built. Coach Idalski turned the program around in three years and now it’s my great honor to keep building the program. Knowing the players and coaching staff well, I believe this will be a smooth transition. This is an incredible opportunity to lead a talented and dedicated group of student-athletes. I cannot wait to get to work with this group and meet all the amazing Husky fans. Go Huskies.”
A highly decorated member of Finland’s national team, the two-time Olympian and five-time IIHF World Championships bronze medalist spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach with the Frost, helping the franchise win each of the first two PWHL Walter Cups.
Prior to becoming a coach for the Frost, Jalosuo spent a year as an assistant coach for the Huskies under Idalski during his first season in 2022-23. She primarily worked with the defenders, while directing the penalty kill and assisting with recruiting efforts.
In her lone season with the Huskies in 2022-23, Jalosuo helped recreate St. Cloud State as one of the best defensive teams in the country. SCSU led the NCAA and set a new program record with 576 blocked shots while holding opponents to 2.59 goals – their second-best mark in program history – and 32.24 shots per game – their best mark since 2015-16. St. Cloud State’s goaltenders anchored the rejuvenated defense, recording the program’s third-best team save percentage at .920 and second-best goals-against average of 2.58. The Huskies posted a program-record six shutouts in 2022-23, punctuating their stingy defensive work.
St. Cloud State’s young defensive corps flourished under Jalosuo’s direction as sophomores Dayle Ross and Grace Wolfe each took monumental steps forward. Ross led the NCAA with a Huskies single-season record 104 blocks, Wolfe landed second in the country with 83 and true freshman Regan Bulger finished fourth nationally with 78 blocks. Wolfe increased her point total by 15 while Ross went from three points as a freshman to 15 as a sophomore, each seeing increased roles and productivity in the offensive zone. Senior assistant captain Taytum Geier established new career-highs in assists, points, plus-minus and blocks in her lone season under Jalosuo.
Jalosuo had been a steady presence on Finland’s blue line until her retirement in 2018, skating for 12 years as a member of the senior national team. She appeared in the 2014 and 2018 Olympic Games – earning bronze at Pyeongchang in 2018 – and added five bronze medals at the IIHF Women’s World Championships (2008-09, 2011, 2015, 2017). The defender played in 193 games for Finland, scoring 11 goals and adding 22 assists for 33 points as an anchor on the blue line.
From 2019 to 2022, Jalosuo spent three seasons leading Stillwater Area High School girls hockey as the program’s head coach. Under her direction, the Ponies went 52-19-4 (.693) and boasted a strong penalty kill. Stillwater killed 89.3% of their chances on the PK, including 90 of 98 (91.8%) kills in 2019-20.
Prior to her time at Stillwater, Jalosuo had served as an assistant coach for Hamline and then Wayzata High School since 2015. She also coached with the Stillwater Area Hockey Association, leading the 12U A team to a 42-6-2 record in 2018-19.
Jalosuo played professionally following her collegiate career from 2013-18, spending two seasons with SKIF Nizhny Novgorod in the Russian Women’s Hockey League and earning a championship in 2014. She then spent time with Luleå HF in the SDHL before joining the Minnesota Whitecaps of the Premier Hockey Federation in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Jalosuo also skated with Oulun Kärpät in the Naisten Liiga, the team she played with as a teenager prior to her time with the Gophers.
The Lieksa, Finland, native played for Minnesota from 2009 to 2013. She appeared in 153 career games for the Gophers, recording 57 career points with 19 goals and 38 assists. A third team all-WCHA honoree as a senior, Jalosuo was part of back-to-back national championship teams as a junior and senior. She was a three-time WCHA all-academic honoree as well.
Raised in eastern Finland, Jalosuo began playing in the premier Finnish women’s league with Oulun Kärpät at age 15 and was an all-star in 2007 and 2008. She served as the team’s captain in 2008-09 while still attending high school.
