Board member David Ceresa with the new coach Jarno Mensonen.

Next big name: Eppan brings back championship-winning coach

IHL club HC Eppan is causing a stir on the transfer market: The team from Überetsch has hired a new coach.

08 May 2026

From: det

It was leaked on Thursday that HC Eppan has strengthened its squad with a real top-class player: Tobias Brighenti, captain of the Unterland Cavaliers in recent years and most recently also a champion player of HC Gröden, will lace up his skates for the Überetsch team in the future. While this transfer is not yet official, another piece of information has come to light: The Pirates have a new coach.

Jarno Mensonen returns to Eppan as head coach, succeeding MacGregor Sharp. The Finnish coach is well-known in the wine-growing village of Überetsch and has also proven his abilities in Italy. In his first stint, he led HC Eppan to the Serie A2 championship title in the 2012/13 season, making club history. Upon his return in the 2017/18 season, he continued this success, winning the title again with the Pirates.

Worked at a top Finnish club

In addition to his successes in Italy, Mensonen also gained valuable international experience. At the traditional Finnish club Lukko Rauma, he worked extensively in youth development, training numerous talents for professional ice hockey as coach of the U18 and U20 teams. Mensonen is known for structured, fast-paced, and modern ice hockey and is considered a coach who builds teams and strategically develops young players.

“I know Jarno from my time as a player and I know how he works. He demands a lot of himself – and therefore also of his players. We have invested heavily in developing our own players in recent years, and now we want to place a stronger focus on the first team with a clear structure,” explains David Ceresa, board member of HC Eppan.