Naisten Liiga (ice hockey)

Naisten Liiga (lit. 'Women's League'), also called the Naisten SM-liiga (NSML) and Jääkiekon naisten SM-liiga (lit. 'Ice Hockey Women's Finnish Championship League'), is the elite league for women's ice hockey in Finland. Founded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association as the Naisten SM-sarja (lit. 'Women's Finnish Championship series') in 1982, it was so known until being rebranded as the Naisten Liiga in 2017.[2][3] The league comprises approximately 250 players across ten teams.

For the women's association football league previously called Naisten Liiga, see Kansallinen Liiga.

Naisten Liiga
Most recent season or competition:
2023–24 Naisten Liiga season
FormerlyNaisten SM-sarja
1982–2017
SportIce hockey
Founded1982 (1982)
First season
  • as Naisten SM-sarja,
  • 1982–83
  • as Naisten Liiga,
  • 2017–18
DirectorHenni Laaksonen[1]
Organising bodyFinnish Ice Hockey Association
No. of teams9
Country Finland
Most recent
champion(s)		HIFK Helsinki
(2023–24)
Most titlesKiekko-Espoo (16)
Streaming partner(s)Leijonat.tv
Relegation toNaisten Mestis
International cup(s)European Women's Champions Cup
Official websiteOfficial website

Kiekko-Espoo (previously known as Espoo Blues, Espoo United, and EKS) has been the dominating force of the Naisten Liiga in the 21st century, winning sixteen Finnish Championships from 1999 to 2022.[4] Tampereen Ilves is the second most successful club in league history, with ten championship titles, and are the only organization to have iced a team in every season since the league's inception.

A majority of teams in Naisten Liiga share their names with men's professional teams in the Liiga or Mestis – HIFK, HPK, Ilves, KalPa, Kiekko-Espoo, Kärpät, Lukko, RoKi, TPS – but the women's teams have historically received few resources and limited promotion from the affiliated men's clubs.[5] In recent years progress has been made in building better relationships between the men's and women's teams; most men's clubs now provide some support to their women's counterparts by advertising games together or helping secure sponsorships.[6][7]

Format

Season format

The Finnish Ice Hockey Association has altered the season format of the Naisten Liiga several times over the league's history. The system currently in use was introduced for the 2022–23 season.[8] It added six games per team to the regular season schedule and matched the season structure of the league's closest neighbor, the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL). The new format replaced the previous twenty-game preliminary series and ten-game divisional series structure, which was first introduced in the 2018–19 season and refined prior to the 2019–20 season.[9]

Regular season

The regular season is a quadruple round-robin tournament, with each team playing every other team four times – typically, each team plays every other team twice at home and twice away – resulting in a 36-game season per team. Teams are ranked by points, with three points awarded for a win in regulation time, two points for an overtime win, one point for an overtime loss, and no points awarded for a regulation loss. Individual player statistics from the regular season determine the winner of the Marianne Ihalainen Award, for most points, and the Tiia Reima Award, for most goals scored.

The top eight teams at the end of the regular season qualify for the Naisten Liiga playoffs.

Playoffs

The three rounds of the Naisten Liiga playoffs (Finnish: Naisten Liiga pudotuspelit) are played as a best-of-five tournament, with the exception of the single-elimination game for the Finnish Championship bronze medal. In the quarterfinals, the initial round, teams are paired by seeding from the regular season, with the first seed facing the eighth seed, the second seed facing the seventh seed, and so on.

The champions of the Naisten Liiga playoffs receive the Aurora Borealis Cup as league champions and gold medals as Finnish Champions in women's ice hockey. Selected by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, the MVP of the playoffs is awarded the Karoliina Rantamäki Trophy.

Qualification

The teams finishing the season ranked ninth and tenth play a promotion/relegation series (Finnish: karsintasarja, lit. 'qualifying series') against the top two teams of the Naisten Mestis regular season.[8] The two teams that finish the series with the most points qualify for the following Naisten Liiga season and the two lower ranked teams are relegated to or remain in the Naisten Mestis for the following season.

Game format
Further information: Ice hockey

A regulation game is sixty minutes in length, played over three 20-minute periods. In the event of a tie at the end of regulation time the winner is decided by a five-minute-length, three-skaters-per-side overtime period. If the game remains tied after the overtime period, the teams proceed to a shootout, in which each team designates three skaters to take penalty shots, one at a time, against the opposing goaltender. Teams alternate shots and each team takes one shot per round. The winner is the team with more goals after three rounds or the team that amasses an unreachable advantage before the third round. If the shootout is tied after three rounds, tie-breaker rounds are played one at a time until there is a winner.

Teams

2023–24 season
Location of teams in the Naisten Liiga
Team Location Home venue Head coach Captain
HIFK Helsinki Pirkkolan jäähalli Saara Niemi Karoliina Rantamäki
HPK Hämeenlinna Jääliikuntakeskus Hakio Jari Risku Heta Seikkula
Ilves Tampere Tesoman jäähalli Marjo Voutilainen Jenna Lehtiniemi
KalPa Kuopio Niiralan Monttu Mika Väärälä Johanna Juutilainen
Kiekko-Espoo Espoo Tapiolan harjoitusareena Sami Haapanen Reetta Valkjärvi
Kärpät Oulu Raksilan jäähalli Satu Kiipeli Aino Kaijankoski
RoKi Rovaniemi Lappi Areena Teemu Koivula Eveliina Ollila
Team Kuortane Kuortane Kuortaneen jäähalli Juuso Nieminen Jenniina Kuoppala
TPS Turku Kupittaan jäähalli Terhi Mertanen Pihla Hämeenniemi

Past participants

Sources:[10][11]

Champions

All-time medal count

  – team participated in 2023–24 Naisten Liiga season

Team
Kiekko-Espoo[lower-alpha 1]1648
Tampereen Ilves10126
Oulun Kärpät378
Shakers Kerava341
JYP Jyväskylä[lower-alpha 2]340
Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna i Helsingfors (HIFK)213
Helsingin Jääkiekkoklubi (HJK)211
Etelä-Vantaan Urheilijat (EVU)151
Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho (HPK)114
Kalevan Pallo (KalPa)014
Itä-Helsingin Kiekko (IHK)011
Saimaan Pallo (SaiPa)001
Team Kuortane001
Vaasan Sport001

Notes:

  1. Includes record of Espoo Blues, Espoo United, and Espoon Kiekkoseura (EKS)
  2. Includes record of JyP HT

Sources:[12][13][14]

Finnish Champions by season
Season Champion Runner-up Third Place
1982–83HJK HelsinkiIlves TampereEVU Vantaa
1983–84HJK HelsinkiEVU VantaaIlves Tampere
1984–85Ilves TampereEVU VantaaHJK Helsinki
1985–86Ilves TampereHJK HelsinkiVaasan Sport
1986–87Ilves TampereEVU VantaaShakers Kerava
1987–88Ilves TampereEVU VantaaHIFK Helsinki
1988–89EVU VantaaIlves TampereHIFK Helsinki
1989–90Ilves TampereEVU VantaaSaiPa Lappeenranta
1990–91Ilves TampereShakers KeravaEKS Espoo†
1991–92Ilves TampereShakers KeravaEKS Espoo†
1992–93Ilves TampereShakers KeravaKiekko-Espoo
1993–94Shakers KeravaIlves TampereKiekko-Espoo
1994–95Shakers KeravaIlves TampereKalPa Kuopio
1995–96Shakers KeravaOulun KärpätKalPa Kuopio
1996–97JyP HT Jyväskylä‡Shakers KeravaKiekko-Espoo
1997–98JYP JyväskyläKärpät OuluKiekko-Espoo
1998–99Espoo Blues†JYP JyväskyläIlves Tampere
1999-2000Espoo Blues†Kärpät OuluIlves Tampere
2000–01Espoo Blues†Kärpät OuluIlves Tampere
2001–02Espoo Blues†IHK HelsinkiKärpät Oulu
2002–03Espoo Blues†Kärpät OuluIlves Tampere
2003–04Espoo Blues†Ilves TampereKärpät Oulu
2004–05Espoo Blues†Ilves TampereKärpät Oulu
2005–06Ilves TampereKärpät OuluEspoo Blues†
2006–07Espoo Blues†Kärpät OuluIHK Helsinki
2007–08Espoo Blues†Ilves TampereOulun Kärpät
2008–09Espoo Blues†Ilves TampereHPK Hämeenlinna
2009–10Ilves TampereEspoo Blues†HPK Hämeenlinna
2010–11HPK HämeenlinnaIlves TampereKärpät Oulu
2011–12Kärpät OuluIlves TampereHPK Hämeenlinna
2012–13Espoo Blues†JYP JyväskyläKärpät Oulu
2013–14Espoo Blues†JYP JyväskyläHPK Hämeenlinna
2014–15Espoo Blues†JYP JyväskyläIlves Tampere
2015–16JYP JyväskyläHPK HämeenlinnaEspoo Blues†
2016–17Kärpät OuluEspoo United†KalPa Kuopio
2017–18Kärpät OuluIlves TampereTeam Kuortane
2018–19Espoo Blues†Ilves TampereKärpät Oulu
2019–20 Post-season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.[lower-alpha 1]
2020–21Kiekko-EspooKalPa KuopioHIFK Helsinki
2021–22Kiekko-EspooHIFK HelsinkiKärpät Oulu
2022–23HIFK HelsinkiKiekko-EspooKalPa Kuopio
2023–24HIFK HelsinkiKiekko-EspooKalPa Kuopio

Notes:

† Included in record of Kiekko-Espoo
‡ Included in record of JYP Jyväskylä
  1. The 2019–20 Naisten Liiga post-season was cancelled by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association on 12 March 2020, citing public health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The Aurora Borealis Cup Finnish Championship finals between Kiekko-Espoo and KalPa and the Finnish Championship bronze medal games between Team Kuortane and Kärpät were scheduled to begin on 14 March 2020. With the cancellation of the season, neither the Aurora Borealis Cup nor any Finnish Championship medals were awarded for the 2019–20 season.[15]

Sources:[12][13][14][16]

League records

All-time records of the Naisten Liiga, from the 1982–83 season through the conclusion of the 2023–24 season.[17]

Single-season records

Players appearing in ten or fewer games during a single season are not included.[18]

Single-playoff records

Players appearing in three or fewer games during a single playoff are not included.[19]

  • Most goals: Elisa Holopainen, 19 goals (12 games; 2022, Kiekko-Espoo)
  • Most assists: Susanna Tapani, 14 assists (6 games; 2015, HPK)
  • Most points: Elisa Holopainen, 29 points (12 games; 2022, Kiekko-Espoo)
  • Most points, defenceman: Nelli Laitinen, 21 points (10 games; 2022, Kiekko-Espoo)
  • Best points per game: Riikka Sallinen, 4.40 points per game (5 games; 1994, Shakers)
  • Most penalty minutes: Marjo Voutilainen, 45 PIM (4 games; 2012, KalPa)
  • Best save percentage: Noora Räty, .970 SV% (9 games; 2008, Blues)
  • Best goals against average: Meeri Räisänen, 0.80 (6 games; 2016, JYP)
  • Most shutouts: Two players, 5 shutouts

Career records

Players appearing in fewer than thirty regular season games during their Naisten Liiga career are not included.[20]

  • Most games played, skater: Riikka Noronen, 644 games (1995–2022)
  • Most goals: Karoliina Rantamäki, 387 goals (433 games; 1992–2024)
  • Most assists: Riikka Noronen, 447 assists (644 games; 1995–2022)
  • Most points: Riikka Noronen, 775 points (644 games; 1995–2022)
  • Most points, defenceman: Päivi Halonen, 495 points (408 games; 1982–2006)
  • Best points per game: Michelle Karvinen, 3.667 points per game (39 games; 2007–2009)
  • Most penalty minutes: Rosa Lindstedt, 483 PIM (314 games; 2002–2016)
  • Most games played, goaltender: Susanna Airaksinen, 224 games (2009–2022)
  • Best save percentage: Johanna Oksman, .931 SV% (100 games; 2012–2022)
  • Best goals against average: Kiia Lahtinen, 1.48 GAA (48 games; 2019–2024)
  • Most shutouts: Tiina Ranne, 34 shutouts (210 games; 2010–2024)
Career playoff records

Players appearing in ten or fewer Naisten Liiga playoff games during their career are not included.[21]

  • Most goals: Karoliina Rantamäki, 81 goals (117 games; 1992–2024)
  • Most assists: Linda Välimäki, 72 assists (93 games; 2005–2019)
  • Most points: Karoliina Rantamäki, 144 points (117 games; 1992–2024)
  • Most points, defenceman: Saija Tarkki, 89 points (145 games; 1997–2019)
  • Best points per game: Michelle Karvinen, 2.27 points per game (15 games; 2007–2009)
  • Most penalty minutes: Tea Villilä, 131 PIM (111 games; 2007–2024)
  • Best save percentage: Kassidy Sauvé, .939 SV% (12 games; 2021–2024)
  • Best goals against average: Kiia Lahtinen, 1.39 (13 games; 2020–2024)
  • Most shutouts: Tiia Pajarinen, 15 shutouts (55 games; 2015–2024)

All-time scoring leaders

The top-ten regular season point-scorers in Naisten SM-sarja/Naisten Liiga history, through the conclusion of 2023–24 season.[17][20]

Note: Nat = Nationality; Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; S = Seasons played;   = player active in 2023–24 Naisten Liiga season

NatPlayerPos GPGAPtsPIMS
Riikka NoronenF 64432844777546827
Karoliina RantamäkiF 43338734973611420
Linda LeppänenF 33636034270217617
Petra VaarakallioF 28628035163114213
Tiia ReimaF 33233027260235220
Marianne IhalainenF 32332028260215219
Sari FiskF 40133925359215823
Anne HelinF 27632722254926014
Annina RajahuhtaF 32523929853724015
Johanna KoivulaF 52320531952433721

See also

References
  1. Forsberg, Paavo; Leinonen, Simo (21 September 2023). "Naisten Liigan uusi pomo kertoo nyt, miten kiekkosarjan arvostus saadaan nousuun – "Voisi olla jo pientä palkkarakennettakin"". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  2. Foster, Meredith (21 March 2017). "Finnish Women's Hockey League Unveils New Name, Logo". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  3. "Naisten SM-sarja historiaan - Ensi kaudella pelataan Naisten Liigaa". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). 21 March 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  4. Foster, Meredith (26 March 2019). "The Espoo Blues are the 2019 Aurora Borealis Cup Champions". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  5. Foster, Meredith (24 March 2017). "Women's Pro Hockey in Finland Tries to Get More Spotlight". The Victory Press. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  6. Aykroyd, Lucas (29 March 2019). "Women's Worlds media round-table". International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Retrieved 28 June 2019.
  7. Teiskonlahti, Kirsi (11 September 2018). "Naiskiekon arvostus on kasvanut, mutta ihannetilanteeseen on Suomessa vielä pitkä matka – kehitys vaatii hurmosta ja SM-liigaseurojen apua" [Appreciation for women's hockey has increased but it is far from an ideal situation in Finland - development will require funds and assistance from Liiga clubs]. Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  8. Antila, Pirkka (28 April 2022). "Naisten Liigan, Mestiksen ja Suomi-sarjan pelaamistavat vahvistettu kausille 22-23 ja 23-24". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  9. "Sarjatoiminta: Sarjojen pelaamistavat miehet, naiset ja A–C nuoret: Kaavio Naisten Sarjat 19-20". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). June 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  10. Hunter, Andria (2008). "Finnish Women's Hockey League Results: 1990-91 to 1994-95". WHockey.com. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  11. Aaltonen, Juha, ed. (2019). Jääkiekkokirja: Suomen Jääkiekkoliiton ja Liigan Virallinen Kausijulkaisu 2019–2020 [The Ice Hockey Book: The Finnish Ice Hockey Association and Liiga Official Guide & Record Book 2019–2020] (PDF) (in Finnish). Jääkiekon SM-liiga Oy & Suomen Jääkiekkoliito. ISSN 0784-3321. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  12. "Naisten Liiga". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  13. Biller, Philippe. "Championnats nationaux: Finlande (hockey féminin) 1997/98 to 2022/23". Hockey Archives (in French). Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  14. "Naisten Liiga details". EuroHockey. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  15. Mennander, Pasi (12 March 2020). "Koronavirus lopettaa Jääkiekkoliiton alaisten sarjojen kauden". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  16. Salmela, Sari; Pelkonen, Johanna (2008). "SM-sarjan historiaa vuosilta 1982 - 2008" [History of the SM-sarja from 1982 to 2008]. leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  17. Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto; Jääkiekkon SM-liiga Oy (2020). Aaltonen, Juha (ed.). Jääkiekkokirja 2021: Suomen Jääkiekkoliiton ja Liiga Kausijulkaisu 2020–2021 [Ice Hockey Book 2021: The Finnish Ice Hockey Association and Liiga Guide & Record Book 2020–2021] (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Uusi Suomi/Kiekkolehti. p. 237. ISSN 0784-3321.
  18. "Naisten Liiga (W) - All-time season, Regular season". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  19. "Naisten Liiga (W) - All-time season, Playoffs". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  20. "Naisten Liiga (W) - All-time totals, Regular season". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  21. "Naisten Liiga (W) - All-time totals, Playoffs". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
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