2025 PWHL Draft prospect profile: Sanni Ahola

As the 2025 PWHL draft draws near, The Ice Garden is covering prospects in several different ways including lists on the top forwards and top defenders from the NCAA Div. I teams and a Q & A with draft hopeful goaltender Kaitlyn Ross.

The Ice Garden looks at another goaltender who declared for the draft, St. Cloud State University's Sanni Ahola. The 25-year-old wrapped up her fifth year with the Huskies, won a second consecutive bronze medal for Finland at the 2025 Women's World Championship, and graduated with a biology degree before declaring for the draft.

This profile includes career highlights, a scouting report and Ahola's own thoughts on the PWHL draft and an NHL combine inspired interview to top it all off.

Career Highlights:

• Became the all-time wins leader for the St. Cloud State women's hockey team in January after recording her 35th career win.
• Earned All-WCHA First Team honors and was named WCHA Goaltender of the Year at the conclusion of the 23-24 season. 
• Recorded a program record four straight shutouts to begin the 23-24 season. 
• Named to the All-WCHA Third Team and WCHA Goaltender of the Year finalist in her final season with the Huskies.
• Won back-to-back bronze at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

2024-25 News:

In her final season in St. Cloud, Ahola began the season with a four game win streak that included two shutouts. Ahola was named a 24-25 WCHA Goaltender of the Year Finalist and earned All-WCHA Third Team honors. She finished the season with an 8-8-3 record, a .917 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average in 19 games played.

Ahola represented Finland as part of the Six Nations tournament in December and at the 2025 IIHF Women’s World Championship in April where she won a second consecutive bronze medal after backstopping the Finns to a 4-3 comeback win against Czechia. She ended the tournament with a 3-1-0 record in six games played and a 3.44 goals against average and a .854 save percentage.

Scouting Report:

Born on June 3, 2000. 25 years old. Hometown: Helsinki, Finland. Played five years at St. Cloud. Catches left. Used as a starter and in equal tandem with other Huskies’ goaltenders in her career. Member of the Finland U18, U23, and Senior National team. Can make big saves in big moments. 

In Ahola's Words:

On her desire to play professional hockey:

"I feel like it started way back when I was smaller and I wanted to play professional ice hockey. But back then, there was no league yet. So it kind of [has] been with me for a long time. I was like you can actually do it now. I've always been thinking about it. [The PWHL] has the best players in the world. So, no better place."

On how her five years at St. Cloud and her time representing Finland internationally has helped her prepare for a pro career:

"It's helped a lot that I got to play in [the] WCHA because it's, as we always say, the best college [conference]. It's fast-paced, obviously, the PWHL  is still a lot more like fast-paced. So they're still going to be some adjusting to that, but that has helped a lot. We had pretty good coaching staff this year, and Coach Brian has helped a lot giving tips and he's been a coach for pro teams before, so he knows how the hockey is there and [Assistant Coach] Noora [Räty] has been helping me with on ice stuff a lot this year. I feel like I'm pretty ready for the next step."

On how she would describe herself as a player and teammate to fans wanting to get to know her.

"I would say I'm [a] super calm goalie, I feel that's my biggest asset. I don't get rattled very easily in situations and I feel that helps [the team] a lot. They get the calming energy, I tell them not to panic or anything in that type of situation, I tell them stay calm and we got this. I've heard from some players that they can feel that when I'm calm they are calm as well. So it helps them as well."

Rapid Fire Fun:

In the spirit of the NHL combine where teams ask prospects questions out of the blue or have them solve riddles or get asked questions like this gem below by the Canadiens (via Taylor Haase of dkpittsburghsports.com that is somewhat troublesome,)

The Ice Garden asked Ahola some rapid fire questions to offer fans the chance to get to know her a little better without the head scratching combine type questions.

The Ice Garden: Tell me a joke

AHOLA: Knock, knock

TIG: Who's there?

AHOLA: Hawaii

TIG: Hawaii who?

AHOLA: I am good, how are you?

That's the only one that I always come up with in English, I would have more in Finnish.

TIG: Are you a morning or a night person?

AHOLA: Morning person. 

TIG: What's your favorite way to spend a day off? 

AHOLA: If there is a chance to go hiking, that would be fun. If it's raining and I can't go out, probably just watching Netflix or if I have some friends, I'd love to play board games.

TIG: What's the Netflix show that you've been watching lately?

AHOLA: I am watching Ginny and Georgia. Before that I finished Virgin River, so those kind of shows. Grey's Anatomy is my favorite.

TIG: If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

AHOLA: Probably pasta. Chicken pasta or carbonara.

TIG: What's something that you'd want to do with your degree in Biology in the future?

AHOLA: Well, I've always wanted to work with animals, so probably something like that. I'm a huge animal lover, something animal related, maybe like conservation stuff.

TIG: If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?

AHOLA: I would tell my younger self to study harder because I was a little too lazy in school so I regret it now a little bit. That's probably what I would say is be a better student and workout harder.

The 2025 PWHL draft is June 24 in Ottawa. You can check out more coverage of all things PWHL and the PWHL draft from The Ice Garden here.