Kiekko-Espoo

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This article is about the women's ice hockey team, previously called Espoo Blues and Espoo United. For the former men's ice hockey teams, see Espoo Blues and Espoo United (ice hockey).
Kiekko-Espoo Naiset
2021–22 Naisten Liiga season
Kiekko-espoo logo 2019.png
CityEspoo, Uusimaa, Finland
LeagueNaisten Liiga
Founded1989; 33 years ago (1989)
Home arenaTapiolan urheilupuisto
ColoursNavy, gold, blue
     
Owner(s)Kiekko-Espoo Oy
General managerEmma Terho
Head coachSami Haapanen
CaptainMinttu Tuominen
AffiliatesKiekko-Espoo Akatemia
Websitekiekko-espoonaiset.fi
Franchise history
1989–1992Espoon Kiekkoseura (EKS)
1992–1998Kiekko-Espoo
1998–2016Espoo Blues
2016–17Espoo United
2017–2019Espoo Blues
2019–Kiekko-Espoo
Championships
Aurora Borealis Cup15 (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2021)

Kiekko-Espoo Naiset are an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga. They play in the Tapiola district of Espoo, Finland at the training ice rink (Finnish: harjoitusareena) of the Tapiolan urheilupuisto.[1] The team was founded as Espoon Kiekkoseura (EKS) in 1989 and has also been known as Espoo Blues Naiset and Espoo United Naiset during its tenure in the Naisten Liiga. Kiekko-Espoo have won the Aurora Borealis Cup as the Finnish Champions in women's ice hockey fifteen times, five more wins than any other team in league history; at least one Finnish Championship medal (gold, silver, or bronze) was won under each of the four names.

The parent club, Kiekko-Espoo Oy, also has a representative men's ice hockey team in the Mestis, a representative ringette team in the , and active sections in minor and junior ice hockey and youth ringette.

History[]

EKS, 1990–1992[]

The team entered Naisten SM-sarja (now Naisten Liiga) in the 1990–91 season under the name Espoon Kiekkoseura or EKS. The two seasons played as EKS were an impressive showing for the newcomers and each resulted in a bronze medal, one in the 1990–91 season after defeating Ässät and one in the 1991–92 season after defeating KalPa.

Several EKS players also played for the bronze medal winning Finnish women's national team at the 1992 IIHF World Championship including Liisa Karikoski, , and .[2]

Kiekko-Espoo, 1992–1998[]

In 1992 EKS was renamed Kiekko-Espoo, the same name as its brother-team in the Liiga. The team continued to be held to bronze or lower finishes, making it to five bronze medal series in six years and winning four of them (1993, 1994, 1997, 1998).

The Golden Age: Espoo Blues, 1998–2016[]

The team was renamed Espoo Blues in 1998, continuing the trend of sharing the name of its brother-team in the Liiga, which also renamed Espoo Blues in that year. The name change unwittingly marked the beginning of a "golden age" for the team. Starting with their first SM-sarja gold medal in 1999, after achieving victory over JYP Jyväskylä in the finals, they went on to win a staggering seven consecutive championships (1999–2005) and a total of thirteen championships in eighteen years. The Blues were kept off the SM-sarja medal podium only three times in the 1998–2016 span; in addition to their championship titles, they earned the team's first silver medal in 2009 and two more bronze medals in 2006 and 2016.

The Espoo Blues were also strong competitors at international tournaments in this period, earning medals at six IIHF European Women's Champions Cups: three silver medals (2005, 2007-08, 2009-10) and three bronze medals (2008-09, 2013–14, 2014–15).[3]

Espoo United, 2016–17[]

In March 2016 Jääkiekko Espoo Oy, the parent club of both the Espoo Blues of the Naisten Liiga and Espoo Blues of the Liiga, declared bankruptcy with estimated liabilities of approximately €3 million.[4] In response, Jussi Salonoja, a Finnish millionaire and film director who had previously owned the Espoo Blues franchise from 2002–2012, created a new club and organization called Espoo United Oy,[5] stating that he was "committed to supporting hockey in Espoo."[6] The Espoo Blues men's and women's basketball and ice hockey teams would play for Espoo United.

For the 2016–17 season the Espoo United women's ice hockey team played in the Naisten SM-sarja and won silver in the 2017 Finnish Championship. The Espoo United men's team played in the Mestis, the league below the premier-level Liiga, where they won bronze in the playoffs.

On 15 August 2017 Salonoja announced that the Espoo United was abandoning its women's ice hockey and basketball teams for financial reasons.[7] “The reason is twofold: the men's teams' budgets are far greater than those of women's teams, so their running is more demanding, but on the other hand, [the men's teams] are more interesting to sponsors and audiences,” Salonoja said.[8][9]

The future of women's ice hockey team was left uncertain and many possible solutions were proposed, including being acquired by HIFK[10] or merging with Espoo Blues Juniorit (a junior club with strong ties to the franchise).[8]

Espoo Blues part 2, 2017–2019[]

In September 2017 the Finnish Ice Hockey Association announced that it had supported the creation of an independent association, Ysikoppi ry, to oversee the team and had given its approval for the team to compete in the upcoming 2017–18 season under the name Espoo Blues.[11][12]

Players and personnel[]

2021–22 roster[]

As of 20 December 2021[13]
# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
12 Finland F L 22 2018 Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
35 Finland G L 20 2018 Lohja, Uusimaa, Finland
13 Finland D L 17 2018 Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
24 Finland F L 16 2021
19 Finland F L 24 2017 Järvenpää, Uusimaa, Finland
64 Finland Elisa Holopainen F L 20 2021 Tuusniemi, North Savo, Finland
77 Finland D L 16 2020
17 Finland F R 24 2013 Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
9 Finland Nelli Laitinen D L 19 2017 Lohja, Uusimaa, Finland
88 Finland D L 25 2014 Lohja, Uusimaa, Finland
16 Finland F L 32 2019 Valkeakoski, Pirkanmaa, Finland
26 Finland F L 21 2017 Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
1 Finland  (L) G L 18 2021
21 Finland F L 19 2018 Vantaa, Uusimaa, Finland
33 Finland D – 16 2020
31 Finland G L 23 2019 Polvijärvi, North Karelia, Finland
91 Finland Emmi Rakkolainen F L 25 2017 Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
7 Finland Sanni Rantala D R 19 2021 Riihimäki, Kanta-Häme, Finland
38 Finland F L 16 2020
22 Finland F L 16 2020 Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
23 Finland F L 17 2020
15 Finland Minttu Tuominen (C) D R 31 2021 Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
20 Finland  (A) D L 25 2015 Hollola, Päijät-Häme, Finland
18 Finland Emilia Vesa F R 21 2020 Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
3 Finland Ella Viitasuo (A) D L 25 2016 Lahti, Päijät-Häme, Finland
8 Finland Tea Villilä (A) D L 30 2016 Hyvinkää, Uusimaa, Finland
68 Finland F L 15 2021
30 Finland G L 23 2020 Sandton, Gauteng, South Africa
25 Finland Kiira Yrjänen F L 20 2021 Riihimäki, Kanta-Häme, Finland
34 Poland D L 17 2020 Sanok, Województwo podkarpackie, Poland

Coaching staff and team personnel

  • Head coach:
  • Assistant coach:
  • Goaltending coach: Risto Jaakkola
  • Conditioning coach: Viola Kaukonen
  • Team manager: Jarkko Malm
  • Equipment managers: Marko Ahlroth & Risto Jaakkola

Team captaincy history[]

Head coaches[]

  • Johanna Ikonen, 1998–99
  • , 2000–01
  • , 2001–02
  • Jari Peltonen, 2002–2006
  • , 2008–2011
  • , 2012–13
  • Sami Haapanen, 2013–present

Team honours[]

Finnish Championship[]

  • Gold Aurora Borealis Cup (15): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2021
  • Silver Runners-up (2): 2010, 2017
  • Bronze Third Place (8): 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2016

IIHF European Women's Champions Cup[]

Season-by-season results[]

This is a partial list of the most recent seasons completed by the franchise. The team was called the “Espoo Blues” during the 2015–16, 2017–18, and 2018–19 seasons; “Espoo United” in the 2016–17 season, and “Kiekko-Espoo” from the 2019–20 season on.

Note: Finish = Rank at end of regular season; GP = Games played; W = Wins (3 points); OTW = Overtime wins (2 points); OTL = Overtime losses (1 point); L = Losses (0 points); GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points

Season League Regular season Post season results
Finish GP W OTW OTL L GF GA Pts Top scorer
2015–16 SM-sarja 2nd 28 19 3 1 5 162 67 64 Finland L. Välimäki 70 (31+39) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Won bronze medal, 1–0 (Kärpät)
2016–17 SM-sarja 2nd 28 17 3 1 7 109 68 58 Finland L. Välimäki 60 (29+31) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) Lost final, 2–3 (Kärpät)
2017–18 Liiga 3rd 30 16 2 4 8 125 74 56 Finland E. Rakkolainen 27 (16+11) 4th: Lost bronze medal, 0–1 (Team Kuortane)
2018–19 Liiga 1st 30 23 1 0 6 164 58 71 Finland A. Rajahuhta 66 (36+30) 1st place, gold medalist(s) Won Championship, 3–0 (Ilves)
2019–20 Liiga 1st 30 20 3 2 5 145 60 68 Finland E. Rakkolainen 42 (13+29) Won semi-final, 3–0 (Team Kuortane);
Finals cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Liiga 1st 27 21 1 0 5 124 46 65 Finland N. Laitinen 37 (13+24) 1st place, gold medalist(s) Won Championship, 3–1 (KalPa)

Source(s): Finnish Ice Hockey Association[14][15][16][17][18]

Franchise records and leaders[]

Single-season records[]

Career records[]

  • Most career goals: Karoliina Rantamäki, 355 goals (338 games; 1992–2007)
  • Most career assists: Petra Vaarakallio, 351 assists (286 games; 1992–1994, 1995–2006)
  • Most career points: Karoliina Rantamäki, 639 points (338 games; 1992–2007)
  • Best career points per game, over 30 games played: Michelle Karvinen, 3.667 points per game (39 games; 2007–2009)
  • Most career points, defenceman: Minttu Tuominen, 313 points (208 games; 2006–2009, 2013–2016, 2017–2020)
  • Most career penalty minutes: Tea Villilä, 353 penalty minutes (169 games; 2008–2010, 2016–2021)

All-time scoring leaders[]

The top-ten point-scorers in franchise history.

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game;   = 2021–22 Kiekko-Espoo player

Points
Player Pos GP G A Pts P/G
Karoliina Rantamäki F 338 355 284 639 1.891
Petra Vaarakallio F 286 280 351 631 2.206
Annina Rajahuhta F 232 192 234 426 1.836
Linda Välimäki F 151 174 186 360 2.384
Minttu Tuominen D 208 108 205 313 1.505
Oona Parviainen F 223 119 143 262 1.175
Piia Lallukka F 195 101 138 239 1.226
Emma Terho D 262 54 173 227 0.866
F 241 110 104 214 0.888
Essi Sievers D 250 71 117 188 0.752

Source(s): Elite Prospects[19]

Notable alumnae[]

Main category: Kiekko-Espoo Naiset players

Years active with Kiekko-Espoo listed alongside players' names.[19]

International players[]

References[]

  1. ^ Foster, Meredith (26 March 2019). "The Espoo Blues are the 2019 Aurora Borealis Cup Champions". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Historia". Kiekko-Espoo Naiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 13 July 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Espoo Blues Women - In English". Blues Naiset. 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  4. ^ Hiitelä, Juha (12 April 2016). "Konkurssipesä myöntää: Bluesin tilanteeseen ei ratkaisua" [Bankrupt organization concedes: Blues situation has no solution] (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  5. ^ Lempinen, Marko (28 April 2016). "Nyt se on varmaa: Jussi Salonoja perusti uuden seuran – "Lähetän hakupaperit tänään"" [Now it is certain: Jussi Salonoja founded a new club - "I'm submitting league admittance papers today"] (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Espoo Unitedin konkurssista tuli virallista" [Espoo United's bankruptcy becomes official] (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  7. ^ "Espoo United Cuts Women's Basketball & Ice Hockey Teams". News Now Finland. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  8. ^ a b Oivio, Janne; Lempinen, Marko (15 August 2017). "Jussi Salonojalta raju ratkaisu: Espoo United hylkää naisjoukkueet" [Jussi Salonoja makes a drastic decision: Espoo United to reject women's teams] (in Finnish). Ilta-Sanomat. Retrieved 16 August 2019. Syy kaksijakoinen: miesten joukkueiden budjetit ovat selvästi suuremmat kuin naisten joukkueissa, eli niiden toiminnan pyörittäminen on vaativampaa, mutta toisaalta juuri ne kiinnostavat sponsoreita ja yleisöä enemmän, Salonoja sanoo.
  9. ^ Foster, Meredith (17 August 2017). "Espoo United women's team folds one month before puck drop". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  10. ^ Tammilehto, Teemu; Leinonen, Simu (15 August 2017). "HIFK on kiinnostunut Salonojan hylkäämästä Espoo Unitedin naisjoukkueesta" [HIFK is interested in the Espoo United women's team that Salonoja has abandoned] (in Finnish). yle. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Espoo Unitedin sarjapaikka Naisten Liigassa Ysikoppi ry:lle" [Espoo United has a place in the Naisten Liiga with Ysikoppi ry] (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. 4 September 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  12. ^ Saarinen, Joska (4 September 2017). "Espoo Unitedin hylkäämä joukkue sai tarvittavat rahat kasaan: "Kumppaneita on sen verran, että uskallamme lähteä kauteen"" [Rejected by Espoo United, the team got the money they needed: "There are so many partners that we dare to enter the season"] (in Finnish). yle. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  13. ^ "Naisten Liiga (W): Kiekko-Espoo". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  14. ^ "2015–16 Naisten SM-sarja playoff" (.xls). tilastopalvelu.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. March 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "2016–17 Naisten SM-sarja playoff". tilastopalvelu.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. March 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "2017–18 Naisten Liiga pudotuspelit". tilastopalvelu.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. March 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "2018–19 Naisten Liiga pudotuspelit". tilastopalvelu.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. March 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ "2019–20 Naisten Liiga pudotuspelit". tilastopalvelu.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. March 2020. Retrieved 1 July 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ a b "Kiekko-Espoo - All Time Regular Season Player Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 29 March 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

External links[]

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