Susanna Tapani

Susanna Jenni "Suski" Tapani (born 2 March 1993) is a Finnish multi-sport athlete who competes in ice hockey, ringette, and in-line hockey. She plays professional ice hockey in the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) with PWHL Boston and is a member of both the Finnish national ice hockey team and Finnish national ringette team.

Susanna Tapani
Tapani with PWHL Boston in 2024
Personal information
Born (1993-03-02) 2 March 1993
Laitila, Finland
EducationTurku University of Applied Sciences
Height1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight65 kg (143 lb; 10 st 3 lb)
Ice hockey career
Position Centre
Shoots Left
PWHL team
Former teams
PWHL Boston
National team  Finland
Playing career 2011present
Sport
Country Finland
SportRingette
PositionCentre, forward
ShootsLeft
LeagueSM Ringette
ClubRNK Flyers

Ice hockey career

Tapani played ice hockey in Finland in the Naisten Liiga with TPS Naiset, Lukko Naiset, Espoo Blues Naiset, and HPK Kiekkonaiset. In Sweden, Tapani played in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) with Linköping HC Dam. In the United States, Tapani played with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks women's ice hockey program during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season.[1] In Russia, Tapani played professional ice hockey in the Russian Zhenskaya Hockey League (ZhHL) with the KRS Vanke Rays during the later part of the 2021–22 ZhHL season.[2]

During the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, Tapani played with the TPS Juniorijääkiekko men's under-18 (U18) team, known as TPS U18 Akatemia, of the U18 Mestis/U18 Suomi-sarja until scheduling conflicts forced her to choose between ringette and ice hockey in November 2020.[3] When it became clear that the TPS U18 Akatemia was unable or unwilling to alter its schedule to accommodate Tapani, she chose to leave the team and continue playing ringette with RNK Raisio of the Finnish Championship ringette league, the Ringeten SM-sarja (now known as SM Ringette), which is the ringette team she captains. Regarding the situation, Tapani stated, "I’m not commenting on the discussions [with TPS] or the way this came to be, but combining the two sports didn’t fit when there were too many overlapping games."[4]

She signed a contract for the 2023–24 season in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) with the Metropolitan Riveters in May 2023.[5] The PHF was bought out and dissolved in late-June 2023 and her contract voided before she was able to play in the league.

Tapani was drafted in the fifth round, 25th overall by the PWHL Minnesota in the 2023 PWHL Draft.[6] She was the first Finnish player to be drafted by a PWHL team and, along with Minttu Tuominen, was one of two Finnish players drafted in 2023.[7] She later signed a two-year contract with Minnesota, through the 2024–25 season.[8]

On 11 February 2024, PWHL Minnesota traded Tapani and defender Abby Cook to PWHL Boston in exchange for Sophie Jaques in the PWHL's inaugural trade.[9] Prior to being traded, Tapani had recorded two goals and three assists in nine games with Minnesota.[10][11]

Training

Tapani trained with several men's professional ice hockey players during the extended pause between the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons due to COVID-19. Under the direction of Ismo Lehkonen, the group – which included NHLers Kaapo Kakko, Artturi Lehkonen, Mikko Rantanen, and Rasmus Ristolainen, and several Liiga players – trained on the ice together for two hours a day. Jonne Virtanen, long-time Liiga player and member of the training group, noted that Tapani's strength and toughness would be well suited to a style of play that permitted checking and enthused, "Suski is the best female player that I have ever seen."[12]

International play

Tapani made three appearances with the Finnish women's national under-18 ice hockey team at the IIHF Women's World U18 Championship, in 2009, 2010, and 2011, winning a bronze medal at the 2011 tournament.[13][14][15]

As of 2020, Tapani ranks sixth in all-time points scored with the Finnish women's national team, tallying 75 goals and 72 assists for 147 points in 179 top division matches.[16] She has represented Finland at every IIHF Women's World Championship since 2011, except the 2016 tournament.[17][18][19][20][21] At the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship, she was Finland's leading scorer and ranked fifth for scoring in the tournament overall with 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 5 games.[22]

Tapani has also competed with the Finnish national team at the Winter Olympic Games, debuting in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Though Finland suffered their worst Olympic placement in team history, finishing in fifth place, Tapani saw individual success and tied teammate Riikka Välilä for third rank on the Finnish scoring list, with 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points in six games.[23] In the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Finland won bronze and Tapani finished fourth in the team's scoring ranks, with 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points in six games.[24] The women's ice hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing saw Tapani take another step in offensive production – she ranked first on the team in scoring with 6 goals and 2 assists for 8 points in seven games – and led Finland to another bronze medal victory.[25][26]

In 2021, Pasi Mustonen, head coach of the Finnish national ice hockey team, called Tapani the team's best forward on a roster that also featured internationally recognized forwards like Michelle Karvinen and Petra Nieminen.[12]

Regular season and playoffs

Note: Italics indicate postseason relegation series; statistics not included in playoff totals.

    Regular season   Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeague GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2009–10LaJy U16U16 II-divisioona 2228225010
2010–11LaJy U16U16 II-divisioona 20112
2010–11LaJy U18U18 III-divisioona 958132
2011–12LaJy U18U18 II-divisioona 11913222
2011–12HPKNSMs 42246 42130
2012–13Kiekko-67 U18U18 Suomi-sarja 64260
2012–13Espoo BluesNSMs 30222 52132
2013–14UND Fighting HawksNCAA 248122012
2014–15HPKNSMs 8641010 6714212
2015–16HPKNSMs 54370 84482
2016–17LukkoNSMs 105492 5105154
2017–18LukkoNSML 75496
2018–19TPSNSML 162483214
2018–19Linköping HCSDHL 104372
2019–20TPS U18U18 Suomi-sarja 16510152
2019–20TPSNSML 10224
2020–21TPS U18U18 Mestis 10220
2020–21KRS Vanke RaysZhHL 31230
2021–22KRS Vanke RaysZhHL 1275128 846104
2023–24PWHL MinnesotaPWHL 92352
2023–24PWHL BostonPWHL 172686 63142
Naisten Liiga totals 5346277340 231520356
ZhHL totals 1275128 1158134
PWHL totals 2649138 63142

International

Year Team Event Result   GPGAPtsPIM
2009 Finland U18 WC18 5th 53030
2010 Finland U18 WC18 5th 52134
2011 Finland U18 WC18 642633
2011 Finland WC 61234
2012 Finland WC 4th 61012
2013 Finland WC 4th 60002
2014 Finland OG 5th 61452
2015 Finland WC 61232
2017 Finland WC 63692
2018 Finland OG 62354
2019 Finland WC 742610
2021 Finland WC 73256
2022 Finland OG 76280
2022 Finland WC 6th 63250
2024 Finland WC 72468
Junior totals 16931237
Senior totals 7627295642

Source: [27][26][28]

Ringette career

Tapani's mother played ringette and introduced her daughter to the sport early on.[29] Susanna began playing organized ringette around age five or six.[30] At age sixteen, she made her debut in Finland's premier national ringette league, the Ringeten SM-sarja (RSMs; rebranded as SM Ringette in 2021), with Raision Nuorisokiekko (RNK; team has been called the RNK Flyers since 2015).[31][32]

Tapani has played the entirety of her senior club career (as of 2024) with Raision Nuorisokiekko and contributed to Finnish Championship victories in 2011, 2017, and 2023.[33][34] She served as team captain from the 2015–16 season through the conclusion of the 2022–23 season.[35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42]

As one of SM Ringette's most outstanding players for more than a decade, Tapani led the league in scoring three times (2014–15, 2015–16, and 2022–23) and received the Agnes Jacks Trophy as the most valuable player (MVP) of SM Ringette six times (2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, and 2023).[43][44] She was selected as an All Star in more than half of her seasons played in SM Ringette – eight times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2023) across fifteen seasons.[31]

Tapani's achievements have made her one of the most successful players in Finnish ringette history. In recognition of the impact she has had as a role model to those with competitve ringette aspirtations, she was inducted as part of the first class of the Finnish Ringette Hall of Fame (Finnish: Suomalaisen ringeten kunniagalleria) in 2024. As a Hall of Fame inductee and pioneer of the sport, she has the right to use the honorary title Jääsärkija (lit.'Ice Breaker').[31]

International play

Tapani was a member of the Finnish national junior ringette team's Team White Stars, one of two under-19 teams that represented Finland at the inaugural International Ringette Federation (IRF) U-19 World Ringette Championships in 2009. She led all tournament skaters in scoring, with 15 goals and 9 assists for 24 points across 8 games, and was named MVP of the tournament as Finland's Team White Stars won gold.[45] Three years later, she participated in the 2012 World Junior Ringette Championships, at which Finland iced one team, and took home a silver medal.

She has also played at the senior level with the Finnish national ringette team at the World Ringette Championships in 2010, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022, winning gold at each tournament.[30][46]

Career statistics

Note: Blank cells indicate missing data. Totals are calcualted from incomplete statistics.

Regular season and playoffs

Bold indicates led league

    Regular season   Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeague GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
2009-10RNKRSMs 1530255528
2010-11RNKRSMs 23715512624 51710272
2011-12RNKRSMs 271065115734 61721910
2012-13RNKRSMs 20746213652 27186
2013-14RNKRSMs 396154 396154
2014-15RNKRSMs 21975615332 51382110
2015-16RNK FlyersRSMs 2913110623738 827144118
2016-17RNK FlyersRSMs 251106517510 61610260
2017-18RNK FlyersRSMs 21684811630 618102812
2018-19RNK FlyersRSMs 1242236510
2019-20RNK FlyersRSMs 21733711044
2020-21RNK FlyersRSMs 24885414254
2021-22RNK FlyersSMR 1851287926
2022-23RNK FlyersSMR 331298421320
2023-24RNK FlyersSMR 1033154812 00000
SM Ringette totals 3021,1127151,827418 411246118462

Sources: [32]

Club tournaments

YearTeamEventResult   GPGAPtsPIM
2011RNK FlyersWCC 725204514

Source: [47]

International

YearTeamEventResult   GPGAPtsPIM
2009Finland (White)U19 WC 8159248
2010FinlandWC 5109192
2012FinlandU19 WC
2016FinlandWC 26392
2017FinlandWC
2019FinlandWC
2022FinlandWC 288160
Junior totals 8159248
Senior totals 92420444

Sources: [32][48][49][50][51][52]

Awards and honors

Award Year
International
World Junior Championship Gold Medal 2009[53]
World Junior Championship Silver Medal 2012
World Championship Gold Medal 2010
2016
2017
2019
2022[54]
World Championship Tournament MVP 2022[54]
SM Ringette
Finnish Champion 2010–11
2016–17
2022–23
Agnes Jacks Trophy[43]
Most Valuable Player
2011–12
2012–13
2015–16
2016–17
2020–21
2022–23[44]
All Star[55] 2010–11
2011–12
2012–13
2014–15
2015–16
2020–21
2021–22[56]
2022–23[44]
Jäänsärkijä
Finnish Ringette Hall of Fame inductee #33
2024
Other
Ringette Player of the Year[43]
selected by the Finnish Sports Journalists' Association
2015
2016
2023[57]


Personal life

Tapani studied sports management at the Turku University of Applied Sciences.[58]

Tapani is the subject of a Finnish documentary, Jäänsärkijä ('Icebreaker'), which follows her life as she competes in elite ringette, ice hockey, and in-line hockey from 2015 to 2019.[59]

References

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