Mattias Ritola

Mattias Ritola was a creative forward with strong hockey senseArticle in SportbladetRead the sourceArticle in Siljan NewsRead the sourceArticle in SVT SportRead the sourceClose. Mattias Ritola’sArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose early hockey memories were of the outdoor rink in Sellnäs, he told Hockeysverige in 2022, while he grew up in Hovgården between Gustafs and Borlänge. Borlänge HFArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose was his formative club. Hockey was not his only childhood sport: in the same interview, he recalled playing football for Ulfshyttan until he was 12–13Article in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose.

Ritola looked up to Thomas Steen, and in the 2022 interview he said Steen had influenced his choice of Frölunda and a hockey gymnasiumArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose in Gothenburg, combining upper secondary studies with hockey. He attended it with Patrik ZackrissonArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose and Fredrik Pettersson. He also recalled that they lived in the same stairwell in GothenburgArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose.

Ritola returned to Borlänge HFArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose in the 2006/07 season to get more playing time, he said in his 2022 retrospective.

After working with Leksand’s juniors, Ritola was given a role on the senior coaching staff, according to the club’s announcement on 17 February 2026Article in Leksands IFRead the sourceClose. His responsibilities covered individual development and the power playArticle in Leksands IFRead the sourceClose. In the announcement, Jesper OllasArticle in Leksands IFRead the sourceClose highlighted Ritola’s technical expertise and power-play knowledge.