Jukka Jalonen will succeed Lauri Marjamaki, who announced in August that he will vacate the position after next year's Winter Olympics and World Championship. 

"As the selection process went on, Jukka became our number-one candidate and it’s great to have him back as head coach of the Lions for the upcoming season," Finnish Ice Hockey Association (FIHA) President Harri Nummela said.

Jalonen was coaching the FIHA’s younger junior selections in the 1990s before having his breakthrough as head coach in the top Finnish league.

In the 2007-2008 season, he came back to the FIHA as an assistant coach of the men’s national team.

It was followed by five seasons as head coach, which saw Finland claim Olympic bronze at the Vancouver 2010 Games and World Championship gold at the 2011 edition in Slovakia.

Jalonen then went onto coach leading Russian team SKA Saint Petersburg prior to guiding Finland to home gold at last year’s World Junior Championship in Helsinki.

He has been head coach of Kontinental Hockey League club Jokerit Helsinki since last season - a position he will hold until the end of this season before leaving for the national team.

Marjamaki, 40, has worked with Finland since 2013 - taking on the top job in 2015.

He has decided not to extend his three-year contract after Pyeongchang 2018 in February and the World Championship in Denmark in May.

During his time in the job, Marjamaki steered Finland to a silver medal at the 2016 World Championship in Russia.

They lost 2-0 to Canada in the final at Moscow's VTB Ice Palace.

At this year's World Championship in France's capital Paris and German city Cologne, Finland finished fourth after losing 5-3 to Russia in the bronze medal match.

Marjamaki has said he wants to take on a new challenge.

Finland have won six men's Olympic ice hockey medals in their history.

They won silvers in 1988 and 2006 and bronzes in 1994, 1998, 2010 and 2014.

The country also won a World Championship title in 2005.