Finland women's national ice hockey team

Finland
Nickname(s)Naisleijonat ('Lady Lions')
AssociationFinnish Ice Hockey Association
General managerKimmo Oikarinen
Head coachJuuso Toivola
Assistants
CaptainMichelle Karvinen
Most gamesKaroliina Rantamäki (431)
Top scorerRiikka Sallinen (138)
Most pointsRiikka Sallinen (351)
Team colors   
IIHF codeFIN
Ranking
Current IIHF3 (21 April 2025)[1]
Highest IIHF3 (first in 2003)
Lowest IIHF4 (first in 2006)
First international
  6–0  Norway
(Copenhagen, Denmark; 26 December 1988)
Biggest win
  34–0  Czechoslovakia
(Düsseldorf, West Germany; 4 April 1989)
Biggest defeat
Canada  15–0  
(St. John's, Canada; 12 November 2010)
Olympics
Appearances7 (first in 1998)
Medals Bronze (1998, 2010, 2018, 2022)
World Championships
Appearances25 (first in 1990)
Best result Silver: (2019)
European Championships
Appearances5 (first in 1989)
Best result Gold: (1989, 1991, 1993, 1995)
International record (W–L–T)
356–251–13
Finland women's national ice hockey team
Medal record
Olympic Games
1998 Nagano Team
2010 Vancouver Team
2018 Pyeongchang Team
2022 Beijing Team
World Championships
2019 Finland
1990 Canada
1992 Finland
1994 United States
1997 Canada
1999 Finland
2000 Canada
2004 Canada
2008 China
2009 Finland
2011 Switzerland
2015 Sweden
2017 United States
2021 Canada
2024 United States
2025 Czechia
European Championships
1989 West Germany
1991 Czechoslovakia
1993 Denmark
1995 Latvia
1996 Russia

The Finnish women's national ice hockey team represents Finland at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Women's World Championships, the Olympic Games, the Four Nations Cup, and other international-level women's ice hockey competitions. The women's national team is overseen by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association and its general manager is Tuula Puputti. Finland's national women's program is ranked third in the world by the IIHF and had 5,858 active players as of 2019.[2]

History

Finland has finished third or fourth in almost every World Championships and Olympics, with one exception being a fifth place finish at the 2014 Winter Olympics and second place at the 2019 World Championship. They are ranked behind Canada (#2) and the United States (#1). Historically, Finland's primary rival was Sweden, which finished second to Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics. Finland finished fourth, losing the game for the bronze medal to the United States. Finland defeated the United States for the first time, at the 2008 World Championship in China, 1–0 in overtime. Finland defeated Canada 4–3 for the first time at the 2017 World Championship in the United States. However, Finland lost the semi-final game against Canada in the same tournament, proceeding to win the bronze medal game.

At the 2019 World Championship, Finland reached the championship final for the first time in tournament history after beating Canada 4–2 in the semi-final. During the gold medal game, Petra Nieminen scored in overtime but her goal was overturned after a video review for goalie interference. The IIHF released a press statement the next day citing rules 186 and 183ii as the reasons for overturning the goal. Finland finished as runners-up and won a silver medal after losing to the United States in a shootout.[3]

Tournament record

Olympic Games

Games Finish
1998 Nagano  Bronze
2002 Salt Lake City 4th
2006 Turin 4th
2010 Vancouver  Bronze
2014 Sochi 5th
2018 Pyeongchang  Bronze
2022 Beijing  Bronze
2026 Milan / Cortina
2030 French Alps Future event
2034 Salt Lake City / Utah

World Championships

Breaks indicate Olympic years.

Year Location Result
1990 Ottawa  Bronze
1992 Tampere  Bronze
1994 Lake Placid  Bronze
1997 Ontario  Bronze
1999 Espoo  Bronze
2000 Ontario  Bronze
2001 Minnesota 4th
2003 Beijing Cancelled
2004 Halifax and Dartmouth  Bronze
2005 Linköping and Norrköping 4th
2007 Winnipeg and Selkirk 4th
2008 Harbin  Bronze
2009 Hämeenlinna  Bronze
2011 Zürich  Bronze
2012 Burlington 4th
2013 Ottawa 4th
2015 Malmö  Bronze
2016 Kamloops 4th
2017 Plymouth  Bronze
2019 Espoo  Silver
2020 Halifax and Truro Cancelled[4]
2021 Calgary  Bronze
2022 Frederikshavn and Herning 6th
2023 Brampton 5th
2024 Utica, New York  Bronze
2025 České Budějovice  Bronze
2026 TBD

European Championship

Year Location Result
1989 Füssen, Landsberg am Lech and Kaufbeuren  Gold
1991 Frýdek-Místek, Havířov  Gold
1993 Esbjerg  Gold
1995 Riga  Gold
1996 Yaroslavl  Bronze

3/4 Nations Cup

  • 1995 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
  • 1996 – Won Bronze Medal
  • 1997 – Won Bronze Medal
  • 1998 – Won Bronze Medal
  • 1999 – Won Bronze Medal
  • 2000 – Won Bronze Medal (4 nations Cup)
  • 2001 – Won Silver Medal
  • 2002 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2003 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2004 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2005 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2006 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2007 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2008 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2009 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2010 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2011 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2012 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2013 – Won Silver Medal (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2014 – Finished in 4th place (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2015 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2016 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2017 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)
  • 2018 – Won Bronze Medal (4 Nations Cup)

Women's Nations Cup

Formerly known as the Air Canada Cup, the MLP Nations Cup and the Meco Cup.

  • 2003 – Won Bronze Medal (Air Canada Cup)
  • 2004 – Finished in 4th place (Air Canada Cup)
  • 2005 – Won Silver Medal (Air Canada Cup)
  • 2006 – Won Silver Medal (Air Canada Cup)
  • 2007 – Finished in 6th place (Air Canada Cup)
  • 2008 – Won Silver Medal (Air Canada Cup)
  • 2009 – Finished in 5th place ( MLP Nations Cup)
  • 2010 – Finished in 5th place ( MLP Nations Cup)
  • 2011 – Finished in 6th place ( MLP Nations Cup)
  • 2012 – Won Silver Medal (Meco Cup)
  • 2013 – Won Bronze Medal (Meco Cup)
  • 2014 – Won Gold Medal (Meco Cup)
  • 2015 – Won Bronze Medal (Meco Cup)
  • 2016 – Won Silver Medal (Women's Nations Cup)
  • 2017 – Won Gold Medal (Women's Nations Cup)
  • 2018 – Won Bronze Medal (Women's Nations Cup)

Canada Cup

  • 2009 Canada Cup – Won Bronze Medal

Current roster

Main article: List of Finland women's national ice hockey team rosters

Roster for the 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship.[5][6]

Head coach: Juuso Toivola

No. Pos. Name Height Weight Birthdate Team
1 G Sanni Ahola 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) 81 kg (179 lb) (2000-06-03) 3 June 2000 St. Cloud State Huskies
5 D Siiri Yrjölä 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) 68 kg (150 lb) (2004-09-08) 8 September 2004 St. Cloud State Huskies
7 D Sanni Rantala 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) 63 kg (139 lb) (2002-07-08) 8 July 2002 Frölunda HC
8 D Elli Suoranta 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) 75 kg (165 lb) (2002-06-17) 17 June 2002 Ilves Tampere
9 D Nelli Laitinen 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) 62 kg (137 lb) (2002-04-29) 29 April 2002 Minnesota Golden Gophers
10 F Elisa Holopainen 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) 63 kg (139 lb) (2001-12-27) 27 December 2001 Frölunda HC
11 D Oona Koukkula 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) 61 kg (134 lb) (2003-08-22) 22 August 2003 Brynäs IF
12 F Sanni Vanhanen 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) 62 kg (137 lb) (2005-07-01) 1 July 2005 Brynäs IF
14 D Krista Parkkonen 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) 64 kg (141 lb) (2002-06-25) 25 June 2002 Minnesota Golden Gophers
16 F Petra Nieminen 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) 70 kg (150 lb) (1999-05-04) 4 May 1999 Luleå HF
18 F Jenniina Nylund 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) 63 kg (139 lb) (1999-06-18) 18 June 1999 Brynäs IF
19 F Ida Kuoppala 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) 78 kg (172 lb) (2000-02-17) 17 February 2000 Skellefteå AIK
22 F Julia Schalin 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) 63 kg (139 lb) (2005-08-31) 31 August 2005 Mercyhurst Lakers
24 F Viivi Vainikka 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) 63 kg (139 lb) (2001-12-23) 23 December 2001 Luleå HF
27 F Emma Ekoluoma 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) 71 kg (157 lb) (2006-01-20) 20 January 2006 Ilves Tampere
28 D Ada Eronen 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) 70 kg (150 lb) (2004-04-13) 13 April 2004 Kiekko-Espoo
30 G Emilia Kyrkkö 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) 70 kg (150 lb) (2004-02-24) 24 February 2004 St. Cloud State Huskies
32 F Emilia Vesa 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) 66 kg (146 lb) (2001-01-03) 3 January 2001 Frölunda HC
33 F Michelle Karvinen 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) 65 kg (143 lb) (1990-03-27) 27 March 1990 Frölunda HC
34 F Sofianna Sundelin 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in) 58 kg (128 lb) (2003-01-13) 13 January 2003 St. Cloud State Huskies
36 G Anni Keisala 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) 80 kg (180 lb) (1997-04-05) 5 April 1997 HPK Hämeenlinna
40 F Noora Tulus 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) 62 kg (137 lb) (1995-08-15) 15 August 1995 New York Sirens
41 F Jan-Mikael Järvinen 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) 82 kg (181 lb) (1988-02-26) 26 February 1988 Porin Ässät
77 F Susanna Tapani 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) 68 kg (150 lb) (1993-03-02) 2 March 1993 Boston Fleet
88 D Ronja Savolainen 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) 76 kg (168 lb) (1997-11-29) 29 November 1997 Ottawa Charge
91 F Julia Liikala 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in) 64 kg (141 lb) (2001-03-20) 20 March 2001 HC Ambrì-Piotta

Awards and honors

World Championship

Directorate awards

All-Star teams

See also

References

  1. ^ "World Ranking". IIHF.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  2. ^ "IIHF Member National Association: Finland". IIHF. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Statement from IIHF". IIHF. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. ^ Merk, Martin (7 March 2020). "Women's Worlds cancelled". IIHF. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  5. ^ "Naisleijonat MM-kisoihin kokeneella joukkueella". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). 26 March 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  6. ^ "Team Roster: FIN - Finland" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 8 April 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  7. ^ a b Podnieks, Andrew (2009). Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10. Toronto: HarperCollins. p. 546. ISBN 9781554686216.
  8. ^ Collins gem Hockey Facts and Stats 2009–10, p.542, Andrew Podnieks, Harper Collins Publishers Ltd, Toronto, Canada, ISBN 978-1-55468-621-6
  9. ^ "Awards" (PDF). IIHF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
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