Wikipedia

KalPa Naiset

Kalevan Pallo Naiset (lit. 'Kaleva's Ball Women'), abbreviated as KalPa Naiset, are an ice hockey team in the Naisten Liiga (NSML). Founded in 1990, the team plays in Kuopio, the largest city in Finland's eastern-central province of North Savo, at the Kuopion jäähalli (unofficially known as Niiralan Monttu or Niirala); Lippumäen jäähalli serves as a secondary venue. The team won the Finnish Championship (SM) silver medal in 2021, and have won four SM bronze medals, in 1995, 1996, 2017, and 2023.

Kalevan Pallo Naiset
CityKuopio, Finland
LeagueNaisten Liiga
Founded1990; 34 years ago (1990)
Home arenaKuopion jäähalli
Lippumäen jäähalli
ColoursBlack, gold
   
Owner(s)Juniori-KalPa ry
General managerJukka Koskinen
Head coachMika Väärälä
CaptainJohanna Juutilainen
AffiliateKalPa Akatemia
WebsiteOfficial website
Current season

History edit

In 2020, the team qualified for the Aurora Borealis Cup playoff final and were set to face the reigning champions, Kiekko-Espoo, when the playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic before the first game of the finals. By making it to the playoff finals, KalPa was guaranteed at least a silver medal, which would have been the highest finish in team history to that point, but with the cancellation of the season no Finnish Championship (SM) medals were awarded.[1]

Season-by-season results edit

This is a partial list of the most recent seasons completed by KalPa Naiset.
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, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points, Top scorer: Points (Goals+Assists)

Season League Regular season Post season results
Finish GP W OTW OTL L GF GA Pts Top scorer
2015–16 Naisten SM-sarja 6th 28 7 1 1 19 47 124 24   Jo. Juutilainen 32 (10+22) Lost quarterfinals, 0–2 (HPK)
2016–17 Naisten SM-sarja 3rd 28 17 1 4 6 100 72 57   T. Niskanen 36 (15+21)   Won bronze medal, 1–0 (HPK)
2017–18 Naisten Liiga 6th 30 14 2 1 13 112 92 47   T. Niskanen 44 (20+24) Lost quarterfinals, 1–3 (Blues)
2018–19 Naisten Liiga 4th 30 19 0 0 11 154 83 57   T. Niskanen 79 (31+48) Lost bronze medal, 0–1 (Kärpät)
2019–20 Naisten Liiga 3rd 30 17 4 2 3 124 64 61   E. Holopainen 62 (37+25) Won semifinals, 3–0 (Ilves)
Finals cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Naisten Liiga 2nd 25 18 1 0 6 121 51 56   E. Holopainen 64 (39+25)   Lost finals, 1–3 (K-Espoo)
2021–22 Naisten Liiga 8th 30 8 3 2 17 70 96 32   Jo. Juutilainen 34 (9+25) Lost quarterfinals, 1–3 (K-Espoo)
2022–23 Naisten Liiga 2nd 36 29 2 2 3 197 65 93   E. Holopainen 75 (41+34)   Won bronze medal, 1–0 (HPK)
2023–24 Naisten Liiga 4th 32 18 2 2 10 119 81 60   E. Holopainen 57 (32+25)   Won bronze medal, 3–1 (HPK)

Players and personnel edit

2023–24 roster edit

As of 17 February 2023[2][3][4]
No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
26   Jenna Hietala F L 20 2022 Oulainen, North Ostrobothnia, Finland
10   Elisa Holopainen (A) F L 22 2022 Tuusniemi, North Savo, Finland
37   Jenna Juutilainen G L 34 2020 Varkaus, North Savo, Finland
17   Johanna Juutilainen (C) F L 34 2020 Varkaus, North Savo, Finland
12   Liisa Kastikainen F L 23 2016 Outokumpu, North Karelia, Finland
2   Inka Katajisto F L 24 2018 Pyhäselkä, North Karelia, Finland
28   Mimmi Keinonen D L 20 2022
18   Tilli Keränen F L 19 2023 Vihti, Uusimaa, Finland
24   Mirka Kivi G L 21 2019 Valkeakoski, Pirkanmaa, Finland
16   Tanja Koljonen (A) D L 28 2020 Mikkeli, South Savo, Finland
21   Kaisla Kortelainen F L 22 2020
31   Aino Laitinen G L 21 2022 Sonkajärvi, North Savo, Finland
14   Ella Lappi F L 25 2014 Elimäki, Kymenlaakso, Finland
11   Adalmiina Makkonen D L 20 2022 Oulu, North Ostrobothnia, Finland
13   Alisa Makkonen F L 20 2022 Oulu, North Ostrobothnia, Finland
5   Elli Mäkelä (A) D L 23 2020 Kotka, Kymenlaakso, Finland
49   Veera Paroinen F L 19 2021
45   Veera Pohjala D L 23 2021
55   Tiina Ranne G L 29 2017 Harjavalta, Satakunta, Finland
7   Sanni Rantala D R 21 2022 Riihimäki, Kanta-Häme, Finland
19   Erika Rönkä F R 18 2021
27   Lunasa Sano F L 26 2023 Tokyo, Kantō, Japan
9   Vilma Sneck F L 22 2022
6   Anni Timonen D R 21 2023 Tarvasjoki, Southwest Finland, Finland
23   Emmi Tirkkonen F L 20 2020

Coaching staff and team personnel

  • Head coach: Mika Väärälä
  • Assistant coach: Pekka Romppanen
  • Assistant coach: Jere Hakkarainen
  • Assistant coach: Benjamin Laurinkari
  • Team managers: Taina Lappi & Maarit Paroinen
  • Equipment managers: Lasse Herranen & Jari Hämäläinen
  • Physical therapist: Tarja Koski

Team captains edit

Head coaches edit

  • Mikko Miettinen, 0–2000
  • Seppo Tirronen, 2000–
  • Marjo Voutilainen, 2016–2022
  • Mika Väärälä, 2022[7]–

Awards and honours edit

Finnish Championship edit

Sources: [8][9][10]

Individual awards edit

  • 2020–21: Elisa Holopainen[11]
  • 2019–20: Tanja Niskanen
  • 2018–19: Elisa Holopainen
  • 2020–21: Elisa Holopainen
  • 2019–20: Elisa Holopainen
  • 2018–19: Elisa Holopainen
  • 2018–19: Elisa Holopainen
  • 2022–23: Elisa Holopainen
  • 2020–21: Matilda Nilsson
  • 2019–20: Elisa Holopainen
  • 2018–19: Elisa Holopainen
  • 2019–20: Matilda Nilsson
  • 2020–21: Johanna Juutilainen
  • 2016–17: Tanja Niskanen
  • 2019–20: Marjo Voutilainen

Player of the Month edit

  • November 2022: Elisa Holopainen[12]
  • September 2020: Elisa Holopainen[13]
  • September 2019: Matilda Nilsson[14]

All-Stars edit

First Team

  • 2020–21: Elisa Holopainen (W), Matilda Nilsson (W)
  • 2019–20: Elisa Holopainen (W), Tanja Niskanen (C), Matilda Nilsson (W)
  • 2018–19: Tanja Niskanen (C), Elisa Holopainen (W)
  • 2014–15: Matilda Nilsson (W)
  • 2013–14: Venla Hovi (W)

Second Team

  • 2020–21: Tiina Ranne (G)
  • 2019–20: Tiina Ranne (G)
  • 2018–19: Matilda Nilsson (W)
  • 2017–18: Matilda Nilsson (W), Elisa Holopainen (W)
  • 2016–17: Matilda Nilsson (W), Tanja Niskanen (C)

Team records edit

Various individual KalPa Naiset player records achieved through the end of the 2022–23 season.[15]

Single-season records edit

Career records edit

  • Most career goals: Tanja Niskanen, 257 goals (301 games; 2006–2022)
  • Most career assists: Johanna Juutilainen, 234 assists (301 games; 2009–2023)
  • Most career points: Tanja Niskanen, 488 points (301 games; 2006–2022)
  • Best career points per game, over 30 games played: Elisa Holopainen, 2.05 points per game (157 games; 2016–2023)
  • Most career points, defenceman: Tanja Koljonen, 103 points (137 games; 2016–2023)
  • Most career penalty minutes: Salla Rantanen, 322 PIM (272 games; 2012–2023)
  • Most games played, skater: Johanna Juutilainen, 316 games (2009–2023)
  • Most games played, goaltender: Jenna Juutilainen, 125 games (2009–2023)

All-time scoring leaders edit

The top regular season point scorers in KalPa Naiset history, as of April 2023.[15]

Note: Nat = Nationality; Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game;   = 2023–24 KalPa player

Points
Nat Player Pos GP G A Pts P/G
  Tanja Niskanen F 301 257 231 488 1.62
  Johanna Juutilainen F 316 142 234 376 1.19
  Elisa Holopainen F 157 174 148 322 2.05
  Matilda Nilsson F 189 164 140 304 1.61
  Salla Rantanen F 272 97 112 209 0.77
  Marjo Voutilainen F 177 86 101 187 1.06
  Kati Kovalainen F 70 72 35 107 1.53
  Tanja Koljonen D 137 20 83 103 0.75
  Emma Ritari D 251 34 68 102 0.41
  Liisa Kastikainen F 171 48 51 99 0.58
  Eija Rahunen F 80 28 54 82 1.02
  Tiina Paananen F 58 46 35 81 1.40
  Isa Rahunen D 135 34 47 81 0.60
  Venla Hovi F 49 38 36 74 1.51
  Anni Kettunen D 174 23 42 65 0.37

Notable alumni edit

Main category: KalPa Naiset players

Years active with KalPa listed alongside player name.[16]

International player(s) edit

  •   Nozomi Kiribuchi, 2015–16

References edit

  1. ^ Pulkkinen, Aki-Petteri (27 May 2020). "Näkemys: Naiskiekolle ei jäänyt kaudesta mitään käteen − Korona ryösti vuoden työn". Jatkoaika.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  2. ^ "Naisten Liiga (W) - KalPa, 2023-2024 Roster". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  3. ^ "2023-2024 Naisten Liiga – Kokoonpano KalPa". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). September 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  4. ^ "Naiset Liiga > Joukkue". Juniori KalPa (in Finnish). Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  5. ^ Foster, Meredith (30 November 2018). "Q&A with Tanja Niskanen". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  6. ^ "Naisten Liigan avausturnaus Kuopiossa - esittelyssä kauden 2019-2020 joukkue". Juniori-KalPa ry (in Finnish). 4 September 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  7. ^ Ruotsalainen, Annu (6 April 2022). "KalPa Naisten päävalmentaja vaihtuu – KMH Budapestin kanssa kolme mestaruutta voittanut valmentaja Mika Väärälä siirtyy Kuopioon". Jatkoaika (in Finnish). Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  8. ^ Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto; Liiga. Aaltonen, Juha (ed.). Jääkiekkokirja 2019–2020 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Uusi Suomi/Kiekkolehti. ISSN 0784-3321. OCLC 476321083.
  9. ^ "Juniori-KalPa ry - KalPan naisille SM-hopeaa". Juniori-KalPa ry (in Finnish). 26 March 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  10. ^ Löfman, Heikki (18 March 2023). "KalPa juhlii pronssia – HPK taipui Niiralassa". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  11. ^ Niemeläinen, Jonne (16 March 2020). "Huikeat tehot kerännyt 19-vuotias KalPa-hyökkääjä Elisa Holopainen palkittiin Naisten Liigan runkosarjan parhaana – huomenna edessä kauden tärkein peli". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  12. ^ Mennander, Pasi (1 December 2022). "KalPan Elisa Holopainen Naisten Liigan marraskuun pelaaja". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  13. ^ Mennander, Pasi (1 October 2020). "KalPan Elisa Holopainen Naisten Liigan syyskuun pelaaja". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  14. ^ Mennander, Pasi (2 October 2019). "KalPan Matilda Nilsson Naisten Liigan syyskuun pelaaja". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
  15. ^ a b "KalPa - All Time Regular Season Player Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  16. ^ "KalPa - All Time Overall Totals Player Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 30 March 2021.

External links edit

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