A Deeper Dive into Finland's Olympic Roster

Finland announced its Olympic roster for Milan-Cortina on January 2, as the nation hopes to build off a bronze-medal performance in 2022. Finland will kick off its tournament on February 5 against Canada with a roster largely the same as in Beijing, with a few additions and subtractions.

The Forwards

By & large, Finland is returning a very similar roster for the Olympics as they had in 2022. Nearly all of the forwards are back, with just a few substitutions in place.

The only forwards not returning from 2022 are Sanni Hakala, Sofianna Sundelin, and Tanja Niskanen. Hakala was forced to retire in 2024 after suffering a serious injury that left her partially paralyzed. Niskanen last played in 2022, while Sundelin is still playing NCAA hockey and has 16 points in 20 games with St. Cloud State this season.

New to the team are Ida Kuoppala, Emma Nuutinen and Julia Schalin. Kuoppola made her senior Worlds debut last year and had two points. She leads Skellefteå in scoring this season, with 22 points (9-13) in 29 SDHL games.

Nuutinen last played for Finland at Worlds in 2019 but has stayed active domestically throughout the years, between the NCAA, PHF and now the country's top women's league, Auroraliiga. She leads the league with a whopping 58 points, including 34 assists, in just 24 games this season with Kiekko-Espoo.

At 20, Schalin is Finland's youngest player on the Olympic roster. She's currently averaging nearly a point-per-game in the NCAA this season, putting up 23 points in 24 games with the Mercyhurst Lakers. She's previously represented the country at U18s and Worlds along with several Euro Hockey Tours.

Overall, Finland's Olympic roster has five of the top 10 scorers in the SDHL and is returning all of its top forwards from Beijing. Luleå's Petra Nieminen and Boston Fleet forward Susanna Tapani each registered eight points in the 2022 Olympics, while Michelle Karvinen had seven points in as many games with the Vancouver Goldeneyes.

Nieminen is the SDHL's leading scorer, with 36 points (20-16) in 21 games, and is heading to her third Olympics. Tapani is in her third PWHL season and has six points in nine games with the Fleet, after putting up 18 points in 30 games last season. Karvinen is in her first pro season in North America, coming with years of experience in the SDHL and other leagues. She has two points, both assists, in 10 games so far and had 10 points in six Euro Hockey Tour games.

Other returnees include Brynäs' Noora Tulus, Jenniina Nylund & Viivi Vainikka. Tulus has 28 points in as many games this season, returning to the SDHL after a season in North America with the PWHL's New York Sirens. Nylund has 17 assists and 26 total points in 29 games this season, her third pro year. Finally, Vainikka is averaging more than a point-per-game, with 33 points - including 24 assists - in 29 games. Last year, she finished the season with 44 points in 36 games.

Elisa Holopainen, Julia Liikala, Sanni Vanhanen & Emilia Vesa are also back from the last Olympic team. Holopainen leads Frölunda with 35 points this season, including 23 goals - 13 more than anyone else on the team. On the same team, Vesa has 15 points and is a plus-21 in 30 games.

Vanhanen is a freshman at Ohio State and is fourth on the Buckeyes in scoring, with 18 points (10-8) in 20 NCAA games. Last season, she had 26 points in 35 SDHL games with Brynäs. Liikala is playing in Switzerland with Ambrì-Piotta; in her second season with the club, she has 22 points in as many games.

The Defenders

On the back end, Finland is returning almost all of its players from the 2022 roster. The only defenders who aren't back are Ella Viitasuo, who hasn't played since 2023, and Minttu Tuominen, who retired in 2025 and joined the Kiekko-Espoo coaching staff.

Luleå's Jenni Hiirikoski, who played over 27 minutes on average in Beijing in 2022, is back to lead the team once again. Hiirikoski is already a storied Olympian, having won bronze three times and been named to the Olympic All-Star Team as many times as well. She's twice been named Best Defender at the Olympics, too. The 38-year-old is the most veteran player on Finland's roster and has 22 points, including 17 assists, in 30 SDHL games this season.

Nelli Laitinen, who led all Finnish defenders and was second on the team in points scoring, with two goals and five assists, also returns. The 23-year-old is in her fourth season with Minnesota and has 22 points, including 13 assists, in 20 NCAA games. She's already matched last season's total and is one point shy of her career high.

Another defender Finland will rely on? Ronja Savolainen, who averaged 23:05 per game in 2022. The 28-year-old is in her second season playing pro in North America, skating with the PWHL's Ottawa Charge. This season, she's anchored the Charge's top pairing alongside Jocelyne Larocque and has three points in 10 games.

Sini Karjalainen and Sanni Rantala are also returning from the previous Olympic roster. Karjalainen is in her third pro season following her collegiate career at Vermont; this season, she's already set a new career high with 12 points in 30 SDHL games with Skellefteå. Rantala is in her second season in the SDHL and has 13 points in 29 games with Frölunda. Karjalainen played a smaller role in Beijing, averaging less than 10 minutes per game, while Rantala played just over 13 minutes and had one game-winning goal.

To replace the two aforementioned players, Finland is bringing in Elli Suoranta and Siiri Yrjölä to supplement its defense. Suoranta made her senior Worlds debut in 2025 and skated in all seven games, notching three points. She's returned to Ilves as an alternate captain this season and has 19 points (7-12) in 22 games. Yrjölä is in her second season of NCAA hockey with St. Cloud State, where she's appeared in 20 games and has eight points this season.

The Goaltenders

Finland returns just one goaltender from the 2022 roster, with Anni Keisala back for her second tournament. Keisala appeared in all seven games with a 2.56 GAA and .915 save percentage.

Eveliina Mäkinen, who has a 1.18 GAA in nine games with ZSC Lions Frauen in the SWHL A league, and Meeri Räisänen, currently playing in the fourth-highest men's national ice hockey league in Finland, were left off the roster. Räisänen appeared in one Olympic game in 2022.

New to the roster this year are Ottawa Charge netminder Sanni Ahola and St. Cloud State's Emilia Kyrkkö. Ahola, 25, has played for Finland at Worlds in each of the last three years. She's currently in the midst of her rookie pro season with the Charge, having appeared in one game with the PWHL team. Last season, she played 19 games with St. Cloud State, going 8-8-3 with a 2.22 GAA and .917 save percentage.

Kyrkkö, 21, made her Worlds debut in 2025, appearing in three games. While she's struggled internationally - with a 5.56 GAA and .827 save percentage in those games - she's put up great numbers at the NCAA level. This season with the Huskies, Kyrkkö is 5-3-1 with a 1.83 GAA and .942 save percentage. Last season, she appeared in 18 games and finished with a 1.98 GAA.

All three Olympic goalies played for Finland at the Euro Hockey Tour. Keisala had a .930 save percentage and three wins; Ahola had two wins and a .926 save percentage, and Kyrkkö went 2-1 with a .892 save percentage.

Stay tuned for more Olympics coverage as we get closer to the Games!