The Finnish Ice Hockey Federation has approved Jokerit's license application. The club left the top league FM-liga in 2014 to play in the Russian-dominated KHL.
"The squad will largely consist of Jokerit's own juniors. Then we supplement the team with some reinforcements. Our goal is to have a competitive team already next season, says Jokerit's majority owner Mikko Saarni in a press release according to Swedish Yle.
Ported from the Helsinki Arena
Jokerit's plan is to play fifteen home games in Kerava, 30 kilometres northeast of Helsinki, and the remaining nine in the Helsinki Ice Hall.
Playing in the Helsinki Arena (formerly Hartwall Arena) was out of the question given that the hall is owned by Gennadi Timchenko and Roman Rotenberg. The EU and the US have imposed sanctions on them.