Emilia Kyrkkö

Emilia Kyrkkö
Kyrkkö with Team Black at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
Born (2004-02-24) 24 February 2004
Nokia, Finland
Height 169 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight 68 kg (150 lb; 10 st 10 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
WCHA team
Former teams		 St. Cloud State Huskies
Team Kuortane
National team  Finland
Playing career 2020–present
Medal record
World Championship
2025 Czechia

Emilia Kyrkkö (born 24 February 2004) is a Finnish ice hockey goaltender and member of the Finnish national team. She has played college ice hockey with the St. Cloud State Huskies women's ice hockey program since 2024.

Playing career

Kyrkkö began playing ringette as a child in Nokia. At age nine or ten, she joined the youth department of NoU Ringette, the ringette side of the multi-sport club Nokian Urheilijat (NoU).[1][2] In the 2015–16 season with NoU under-16 (U16), she played as a skater and was the youngest player on the team but she had fully switched to goaltending by the following season, which she played with NoU U14.[3] She continued playing ringette as a net minder with various youth teams of NoU and BLD Ringette, ultimately playing seven seasons of the sport.[4][5]

Youth

Around age eleven,[2] Sanni Vanhanen invited her to practice with the boys' ice hockey team Vanhanen played on in the youth department of HC Nokia and Kyrkkö decided to join as the only other girl on the team.[1][6][7] HC Nokia youth teams played in two or more skill levels (AAA, AA, A, etc.; see minor ice hockey) of an age class and each team’s players would be rotated through the various levels on a week-by-week basis while continuing to practice as a single unit.[8] This system gave Kyrkkö the opportunity to tend goal at three skill levels in the E1 (U12) leagues and two skill levels in the D2 (U13) leagues during 2016–17 season.[7][9][10]

Naisten Liiga

Ahead of the 2020–21 season, Kyrkkö joined Team Kuortane, the national women's development program of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Members of the team attend and live at the Kuortaneen urheilulukio, where they balance studies with 20–25 hours per week of training in addition to playing in the Naisten Liiga, the elite women's national league in Finland.[5]

NCAA

In March 2023, Mira Jalosuo, an assistant coach with the St. Cloud State Huskies women's ice hockey program and former Finnish national team player, indicated Kyrkkö had committed to play college ice hockey at St. Cloud State University as an incoming freshman for the 2024–25 season.[11]

International play

Kyrkkö served as the flag bearer for Finland in the opening ceremony of the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne.[12] She participated in the 3x3 mixed NOC tournament as the only female ice hockey player representing Finland at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics. With Team Black, a mixed National Olympic Committee (NOC) team of thirteen players from thirteen nations, she won a silver medal in the tournament.[13][14]

As a junior ice hockey player with the Finnish national under-18 team, Kyrkkö participated in the 2022 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship. She played in four of Finland's five games, securing two shutouts in that span, and recorded a cumulative save percentage of 95.86, the best save percentage of all tournament goaltenders playing more than forty percent of their team's minutes. Her excellent performance helped Finland claim a bronze medal victory and Kyrkkö was selected Best Goaltender by the tournament directorate and named to the Media All Star team.[15]

The following year, Kyrkkö was named to Finland's senior national team for the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship as the third goaltender behind Anni Keisala and Sanni Ahola. She did not play in any games during the tournament.

Personal life

Kyrkkö was born on 24 February 2004 in Nokia, Finland.[16] She grew up in Mutala, a village in the Ylöjärvi municipality of Finland’s landlocked south-eastern Pirkanmaa region, as the second-eldest of six siblings.[17][18] Her younger brother, Julius (born 2005), was her teammate during the seasons she played in the youth department of HC Nokia.[8]

Kyrkkö's elder brother, Hugo (born 2003), has played as a defenseman with the under-20 team of Lempäälän Kisa since 2021. Her younger sister, Fanny (born 2011), also a defenseman, made her junior national team debut at the 2025 IIHF U18 Women's World Championship.

Away from ice hockey, she enjoys video gaming and frisbee golf.[16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T Min GA SV% GAA SO GP W L Min GA SV% GAA SO
2020-21 Kuortane NSML 13 5 7 – 749:22 30 .934 2.40 1 2 0 1 74:56 5 .928 4.00 0
2021-22 Kuortane NSML 16 4 10 – 942:23 62 .904 3.95 0 – – – – – – – –
2022-23 Kuortane NSML 24 9 12 – 1430:18 56 .925 2.35 3 4 1 3 248:00 12 .937 2.90 0
2023-24 Kuortane NSML 6 2 3 – 302:25 14 .909 2.78 0 3 0 3 194:55 7 .907 2.15 0
2024-25 SCSU Huskies WCHA 18 7 7 3 1060:00 35 .926 1.98 3 – – – – – – – –
Naisten Liiga totals 53 18 29 – 3122:03 148 4 6 1 4 322:56 17 .934 3.16 0

International

Year Team Event Result   GP W L MIN GA SV% GAA SO
2020 Team Black YOG
2022 Finland U18 WC18 4 2 2 238:44 6 .959 1.51 2
2023 Finland WC 5th 0 – – 0:00 – – – –
2025 Finland WC 3 1 2 140:18 13 .827 5.56 0

Awards and honors

Award Year
International
World U18 Bronze Medal 2022[19]
World U18 Best Goaltender 2022[20]
World U18 All-Star Team 2022[21]
World U18 Top-3 Player on Team 2022[22]
World Championship Bronze Medal 2025
College
All-WCHA, Rookie Team 2024–25[23]
Naisten Liiga
Player of the Month September 2022[24]
Tuula Puputti Award 2022–23[25]
All-Star, First Team 2022–23[25]

References

  1. ^ a b Seppä, Lassi (24 October 2022). "Naiskiekon suuri suomalainen maalivahtilupaus kehittyy Kuortaneella − "Siellä oppii, millaista on olla urheilija"". Jatkoaika (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b Hyyryläinen, Jaana (23 November 2022). "Naisleijonien nuori maalivahtilupaus sai kiekko-oppinsa HC Nokiassa ja kehuu nyt seuran junioripolkua – "Sillä on valtava rooli naisten jääkiekon kehittämisessä"". Nokian Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Kyrkkö Emilia (Nokian Urheilijat Ringette)". Suomen Ringetteliitto. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  4. ^ Aarnivala, Pekka (3 February 2017). "Noora Rädyltä oppia ringettemolareille". Nokian Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  5. ^ a b Seppä, Lassi (26 October 2022). "Noora Räty seuraa lahjakasta Emilia Kyrkköä matkalla kohti Naisleijonia − "Paketti pysyy kasassa ja nopeus kontrollissa"". Jatkoaika (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  6. ^ Pellinen, Leeni; Schemeikka, Silja (6 June 2022). Mennander, Pasi (ed.). "#30 Emilia Kyrkkö". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  7. ^ a b Aalto, Markku. "Pelaajat: Emilia Kyrkkö". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Hockey Club Nokia 2017-2018" (PDF). HC Nokia. p. 20–21. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  9. ^ "2016-2017 E1 AAA, Häme – E1 AAA-jatkosarja – Kokoonpano: HC Nokia Oranssit". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). January 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  10. ^ "2016-2017 E1 AA, Häme – E1 AA-jatkosarja lohko 2b – Kokoonpano: HC Nokia Mustat". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). January 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  11. ^ Jalosuo, Mira [@MiraJalosuo] (21 March 2023). "Unfortunately only coaches are keeping track of the commits. 2023 Sundelin, 2024 Kyrkkö and Yrjölä are coming over so future is super bright 😎" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 March 2023 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Steiss, Adam (9 January 2020). "Flame On in Lausanne". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games – Mixed NOC 3-on-3 Tournament, Women – Team Roster: BLACK" (PDF). Lausanne 2020. 9 January 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  14. ^ Steiss, Adam (15 January 2020). "Stars are golden in women's 3-on-3". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  15. ^ Palojärvi, Otto (14 June 2022). "Tyttöleijonille MM-pronssia – kaksi suurlupausta iskussa". Päivän Lehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  16. ^ a b Seppä, Lassi (25 October 2022). "Emilia Kyrkkö asennoituu jääkiekkoon ammattimaisesti, muttei unohda huumoria − "Johtui maali virheestäni tai ei, takaisin sitä ei sieltä taululta miettimällä saa"". Jatkoaika (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  17. ^ Mäkinen, Ville (2 January 2023). "Mutalalainen Emilia Kyrkkö haluaa Naisleijoniin ja tähyää myös Pohjois-Amerikan yliopistopeleihin". Ylöjärven Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  18. ^ Suoranta, Outi (16 April 2022). "Ylöjärveläinen Johanna Kyrkkö ostaa viikossa maitoa 12–15 litraa, leipää 6–7 pussia ja puurohiutaleita 4–5 pakettia – lue vanhempien vinkit kasvavien lasten ruokahuoltoon". Aamulehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  19. ^ "2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship – Bronze Medal Game, Game 21" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  20. ^ "2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship – Best Players Selected by the Directorate" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  21. ^ "2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship – Media All Stars" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  22. ^ "2022 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship – Best Players of Each Team Selected by Coaches". International Ice Hockey Federation. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  23. ^ Moos, Brian (3 March 2025). "SCSU Goaltenders Collect All-WCHA Honors". KVSC 88.1 FM. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  24. ^ Mennander, Pasi (3 October 2022). "Team Kuortaneen Emilia Kyrkkö Naisten Liigan syyskuun pelaaja". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  25. ^ a b Mennander, Pasi (10 June 2023). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2022–23 palkitut pelaajat, valmentajat ja tuomarit". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
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