Hans Wallson Explained

Hans Wallson
Position:Forward
Birth Date:20 September 1966
Birth Place:Sweden
Shoots:Left
Height Ft:5
Height In:11
Weight Lb:181
Draft:undrafted
Career Start:1983
Career End:2005

Hans Wallson (born September 20, 1966) is a Swedish ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. He served as head coach of the ZSC Lions of the Swiss top-flight National League A (NLA) until December 29, 2017.

Career

Wallson spent most of his playing career in his hometown of Kiruna, turning out for IFK Kiruna and Kiruna HC. He made 62 appearances in Sweden's second division Allsvenskan, but mostly played in the third division. In the final years of his playing career, which ended in 2005, Wallson got into coaching. In 2009, he took up a coaching role in the youth ranks of SHL’s Skellefteå AIK and was installed as head coach of the club's SHL side following the sacking of Anders Forsberg in February 2013.[1] Wallson guided Skellefteå to its first Swedish championship title since 1978.[2]

In his first full season at the Skellefteå helm (2013–14), he led the team to another national championship, while being named Coach of the Year by the association of Swedish ice hockey writers.[3]

The 2014–15 season saw Skellefteå secure another trip to the SHL finals, where they fell short to the Växjö Lakers. He also coached the team to a semi-final appearance in the Champions Hockey League and received SHL Coach of the Year honors at the 2015 SHL Awards.[4]

In 2015–16, Skellefteå won the SHL regular season championship for the fourth straight year. Wallson's squad advanced to the finals but was defeated by Frölunda HC. In the Champions Hockey League quarterfinals, they were eliminated by HC Davos.[5]

In April 2016, he was named head coach of the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League A (NLA).[6] In the 2016–17 season, he guided the Lions to a second-place finish in the regular season, before falling short to Lugano in the playoff quarterfinals. Wallson was sacked for lack of success on December 29, 2017.[7] At the time, the ZSC Lions were sitting in seventh place in the league.[8]

References

  1. News: Anders Forsberg får sparken - DN.SE. Dagens Nyheter. February 4, 2013 . sv-se. 2016-04-09.
  2. Web site: Skelleftea AIK Champions Hockey League. www.championshockeyleague.net. 2016-04-09. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160416142125/http://www.championshockeyleague.net/club/skellefte-aik/74/. April 16, 2016. mdy-all.
  3. Web site: Hans Wallson, Skellefteå AIK, årets coach 2013/2014 - Hockeyjournalisterna. old.swehockey.se. 2016-04-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20160410123829/http://old.swehockey.se/Om-forbundet/Hockeyjournalisterna/Nyheter/HansWallsonSkellefteaAIKaretscoach20132014/. April 10, 2016. dead.
  4. Web site: Årets tränare 2015 - Hans Wallson, Skell... - SHL.se. www.shl.se. 2016-04-09. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160410123831/http://www.shl.se/awards/2015/arets-tranare. April 10, 2016. mdy-all.
  5. Web site: Genoni stonewalls Skelleftea, sends Davos into Semis Champions Hockey League. www.championshockeyleague.net. 2016-04-09.
  6. Web site: Wallson / Johansson: Schwedische Trainer für die... ZSC Lions. www.zsclions.ch. 2016-04-27. April 27, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160427141852/http://www.zsclions.ch/news/detail/wallson-johansson-schwedische-trainer-fuer-die-zsc-lions/. dead.
  7. Web site: Trainerwechsel bei den ZSC Lions ZSC Lions. www.zsclions.ch. de. 2017-12-29. December 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171229233512/https://www.zsclions.ch/news/detail/trainerwechsel-bei-den-zsc-lions/. dead.
  8. News: Wallson muss die ZSC Lions verlassen – Kossmann übernimmt NZZ. 2017-12-29. Neue Zürcher Zeitung. 2017-12-29. de-CH. 0376-6829.