What is RINKADIA?

RINKADIA is the platform for professional ice hockey, where European clubs find and directly contact players and coaches, or the agents who represent them. Everyone on the platform is verified, meaning that both their identity and career are checked before a profile goes live. This way it’s assured that there are no fake profiles on the platform, and clubs can come together with players and coaches with trust.

RINKADIA was built to give a place for players and coaches to more widely be found by clubs across Europe, as well as making it easier and more efficient for clubs to find what they need. The platform is adding elements in how the hockey business works. A career in hockey shouldn’t depend only on who a player, coach or their agent happens to know.

Registration opens in October and the platform launches in November 2026. Players, coaches and agents register first, in October. Clubs come in when the platform launches in November.

Who is it for

Clubs. RINKADIA is a tool for ice hockey clubs to search and find exactly the player or coach they look for. A contact request goes directly to the person, or the agent who represent them.

Clubs can narrow their search by multiple filters and keywords, and save profiles to their own watchlist. When a status on that list changes, the club gets a notification, which makes it easy for them to make quick moves.

Players. For players, RINKADIA gives a wider reach to clubs in Europe. They are found in clubs’ searches by what they have done, what they are good at and what kind of player they are. A profile is a lot more than just the stats: position, strengths, what kind of player they are, what they're looking for next, and room for their own words. Players can be on the platform even if they are not actively looking: the status can be set to available, selective or unavailable. More on the statuses below.

Coaches. RINKADIA works as a unique platform for coaches in hockey to get their name out there and be discovered by clubs around Europe. Similar to players, coaches also have their own profile where they can fill in the relevant information about themselves, as well as upload a CV. Head coaches, assistant coaches, goaltending coaches, video coaches, skills coaches and strength and conditioning coaches are all welcome on the platform, at every level, as long as they are 18 or over.

Agents. RINKADIA gives agents a broader reach beyond their own network. The platform has an agent workspace where agents can list and manage their clients. If a player or coach works with an agent, it is the agent who keeps the statuses up to date and handles the conversation requests from clubs. The profile itself always stays the player's own.

How it works

First the profile is created, and this is done by the clubs, players, coaches and agents themselves. After that, and before it goes live, it has to be verified. A person at RINKADIA reads through and confirms the career history, and the identities are checked by a third party provider. Clubs are verified by their official registration or VAT number.

On the platform, clubs search for players and coaches by what they need. They can narrow down their searches with specific filters and keywords. The search results give anonymous cards with basic information, and only after a club opens a profile, it sees the name and the complete profile in detail. No contact details are shared at this point. If a club wants to contact a player or coach, it sends a conversation request, that the player or coach, or the agent who represents them, either accepts or declines. If accepted, the contact details are shared, and the conversation can start from there. If declined, nothing is shared.

What verified means

Verification is not a judgement about how good someone is, or if they suit a specific job. It is a confirmation that a person is who they say they are, and that the career history is true.

Every player and coaches’ identity and career get checked. The career is checked by someone from RINKADIA and the identity by a third party provider. Clubs and agencies are checked as companies, by their official registration or VAT number. The verification process is what keeps fake profiles off the platform.

What a player or coach controls

Every player or coach can choose their status from three options: available, selective and unavailable. Available means they are looking and clubs see them. As selective, they are not actively looking but could be open for the right move. As unavailable, no conversation requests can be sent, but the profile still shows up in search results and can be saved by a club. If a player or coach works with an agent, it is the agent who changes the statuses and keeps them up to date. The status can be changed anytime.

Players and coaches can hide from their current club, or any other club they choose. A hidden club can’t see them in search results at all.

The profile is made by the player or coach themselves, even if working with an agent. An agent can't make any changes to it with two exceptions: the status, and the agent’s note. Once a profile is linked to an agent’s workspace, the right to set the status passes to the agent.

What it costs

RINKADIA is free for players and coaches. Clubs can choose between a free version and Club Pro. In the free version, searching, filtering and saving profiles are free, and a club pays for each profile it opens. This includes the agent side: a free club sees the same anonymous cards there and pays the same way to open one. Club Pro includes more information about each player and coach and unlimited opens. Agents use RINKADIA free for the season 2026-2027.

What RINKADIA is not

RINKADIA is not a job board, nor does it negotiate contracts, represent anyone or take a share of any deal. No names are published, and search results cannot be bought.

When it opens

Registration for players and coaches starts in October 2026. The platform launches in November 2026.

Who built it

RINKADIA was founded in 2026 by Ville Kolppanen, who is former professional goaltender of 14 seasons (Liiga, KHL and SHL among other leagues) and coach in Austria. Read more about Ville and the team: Who is behind RINKADIA?