Finland women's national ice hockey team

Finland

Nickname(s)	Naisleijonat ('Lady Lions')
Association	Finnish Ice Hockey Association
General manager	Kimmo Oikarinen
Head coach	Tero Lehterä (2025–26)
Assistants	Kari Martikainen Saara Kivenmäki Saija Sunnari Tuomas Tarkki
Captain	Michelle Karvinen
Most games	Karoliina Rantamäki (431)
Top scorer	Riikka Sallinen (138)
Most points	Riikka Sallinen (351)
Team colors
IIHF code	FIN
Ranking
Current IIHF	3 (21 April 2025) [1]
Highest IIHF	3 (first in 2003)
Lowest IIHF	4 (first in 2006)
First international
Finland   6–0   Norway (Copenhagen, Denmark; 26 December 1988)
Biggest win
Finland   34–0   Czechoslovakia (Düsseldorf, West Germany; 4 April 1989)
Biggest defeat
Canada   15–0   Finland (St. John's, Canada; 12 November 2010)
Olympics
Appearances	7 (first in 1998 )
Medals	Bronze (1998, 2010, 2018, 2022)
World Championships
Appearances	25 (first in 1990 )
Best result	Silver: (2019)
European Championships
Appearances	5 (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 ^[update] . ^[2]

Finnish national women's ice hockey team at the Women's Air Canada Cup 2008 in Ravensburg, Germany.

Finland against Russia in 2015 world championships

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 (age 25)	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 (age 20)	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 (age 23)	Frölunda HC
8	D	Elli Suoranta	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)	75 kg (165 lb)	(2002-06-17) 17 June 2002 (age 23)	Ilves Tampere
9	D	Nelli Laitinen	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)	62 kg (137 lb)	(2002-04-29) 29 April 2002 (age 23)	Minnesota Golden Gophers
10	F	Elisa Holopainen	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)	63 kg (139 lb)	(2001-12-27) 27 December 2001 (age 23)	Frölunda HC
11	D	Oona Koukkula	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)	61 kg (134 lb)	(2003-08-22) 22 August 2003 (age 22)	Brynäs IF
12	F	Sanni Vanhanen	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)	62 kg (137 lb)	(2005-07-01) 1 July 2005 (age 20)	Brynäs IF
14	D	Krista Parkkonen	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)	64 kg (141 lb)	(2002-06-25) 25 June 2002 (age 23)	Minnesota Golden Gophers
16	F	Petra Nieminen	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)	70 kg (150 lb)	(1999-05-04) 4 May 1999 (age 26)	Luleå HF
18	F	Jenniina Nylund	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)	63 kg (139 lb)	(1999-06-18) 18 June 1999 (age 26)	Brynäs IF
19	F	Ida Kuoppala	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)	78 kg (172 lb)	(2000-02-17) 17 February 2000 (age 25)	Skellefteå AIK
22	F	Julia Schalin	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)	63 kg (139 lb)	(2005-08-31) 31 August 2005 (age 19)	Mercyhurst Lakers
24	F	Viivi Vainikka	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)	63 kg (139 lb)	(2001-12-23) 23 December 2001 (age 23)	Luleå HF
27	F	Emma Ekoluoma	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)	71 kg (157 lb)	(2006-01-20) 20 January 2006 (age 19)	Ilves Tampere
28	D	Ada Eronen	1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)	70 kg (150 lb)	(2004-04-13) 13 April 2004 (age 21)	Kiekko-Espoo
30	G	Emilia Kyrkkö	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)	70 kg (150 lb)	(2004-02-24) 24 February 2004 (age 21)	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 (age 24)	Frölunda HC
33	F	Michelle Karvinen	1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)	65 kg (143 lb)	(1990-03-27) 27 March 1990 (age 35)	Frölunda HC
34	F	Sofianna Sundelin	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)	58 kg (128 lb)	(2003-01-13) 13 January 2003 (age 22)	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 (age 28)	HPK Hämeenlinna
40	F	Noora Tulus	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)	62 kg (137 lb)	(1995-08-15) 15 August 1995 (age 30)	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 (age 37)	Porin Ässät
77	F	Susanna Tapani	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)	68 kg (150 lb)	(1993-03-02) 2 March 1993 (age 32)	Boston Fleet
88	D	Ronja Savolainen	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)	76 kg (168 lb)	(1997-11-29) 29 November 1997 (age 27)	Ottawa Charge
91	F	Julia Liikala	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)	64 kg (141 lb)	(2001-03-20) 20 March 2001 (age 24)	HC Ambrì-Piotta

Awards and honors

World Championship

Directorate awards

• Best Goalie
  • Noora Räty: 2007, 2008, ^[7] 2011, 2017, 2019
  • Anni Keisala: 2021
• Best Defenceman
  • Kirsi Hänninen: 1999 ^[8]
  • Jenni Hiirikoski: 2009, ^[9] 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019
• Best Forward
  • Katja Riipi: 2000
  • Riikka Nieminen: 1990, 1994
• Most Valuable Player
  • Noora Räty: 2008 ^[7]
  • Jenni Hiirikoski: 2019

All-Star teams

• 1997: Riikka Nieminen (F)
• 2008: Noora Räty (G)
• 2009: Michelle Karvinen (F)
• 2011: Michelle Karvinen (F)
• 2013: Noora Räty (G)
• 2015: Jenni Hiirikoski (D), Meeri Räisänen (G)
• 2016: Jenni Hiirikoski (D), Meeri Räisänen (G)
• 2017: Jenni Hiirikoski (D), Noora Räty (G)
• 2019: Jenni Hiirikoski (D), Michelle Karvinen (F), Noora Räty (G)
• 2021: Anni Keisala (G), Petra Nieminen (F)
• 2023: Petra Nieminen (F)
• 2024: Sanni Ahola (G)

See also

• Finland women's national under-18 ice hockey team
• List of Finland women's national ice hockey team rosters
• List of Olympic women's ice hockey players for Finland
• Women's ice hockey in Finland
• 2009–10 Finland women's national ice hockey team

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. 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.

External links

• Official website (in Finnish)
• IIHF profile