2023–24 Naisten Liiga Season

The 2023–24 season was the forty-first season of the , the premier level of women's ice hockey in Finland, since the league's establishment as the in 1982. The regular season began on 9 September 2023 and concluded on 18 February 2024. The playoffs began on 23 February 2024 and the Aurora Borealis Cup was awarded to IFK Helsinki (HIFK) on 21 March 2024.

Entering the season, HIFK were the reigning champions of both the 2022–23 regular season and the 2023 Aurora Borealis Cup.

Off-season

Dissolution of Lukko

Lukko unexpectedly withdrew from the Naisten Liiga and the team was dissolved in April 2023, just weeks after they’d successfully defended their place in the league in the 2023 Naisten Liiga qualification. Rauman Lukko ry, the team's operating association, cited difficulties in recruiting and retaining players as the principal reasons behind the decision.

Lukko players were not consulted prior to the announcement. Captain Maija Koski was shocked by the news and felt that the team could have been saved if avenues of communication had been opened between the association and Lukko players.

Lukko's departure from the Naisten Liiga decreased the number of teams in the league from ten to nine for the 2023–24 season. The standard 36-game season was reduced to 32 games per team to account for the four game that would have been played against Lukko.

Five Lukko players – forwards Carolina Grönroos, Maija Koski, and Amanda Julkunen, and defensemen Hanna Brofelt and Mette Karru – transferred to TPS in Turku, about southeast of Rauma. Centre Aliisa Toivonen, Lukko's leading scorer in the 2022–23 season, signed with Kiekko-Espoo.

Coaching changes

Player movements

''Note: This section does not record all player signings. It is limited to player movements involving national team players (from any country), international import players, and extra-league signings. Player nationality is limited to the primary nation of IIHF eligibility; some players may hold citizenship in more than one country.''

Teams

Preseason

The preseason began on 10 August 2023 and comprised exhibition games played between Naisten Liiga teams or between a Naisten Liiga team and a boys' junior team from the youth department of the same club or a local club. No exhibition matches were scheduled for Kärpät or RoKi.

Schedule

Regular season

The regular season began on Saturday, 9 September 2023. All eight games of the opening weekend were played at in Espoo; Team Kuortane was the only team that did not participate in any opening weekend games.

Standings

Schedule

Player statistics

Note: ''Italics indicate player departed the Naisten Liiga in the midst of the 2023–24 season. See player movements for details.''

Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of regular season on 18 February 2024.

The following skaters were the top point scorers of teams not represented in the scoring leader table at the conclusion of the season on 18 February 2024, noted with their overall league scoring rank:
: 51. Raili Mustonen, Kuortane: 30 GP, 7 G, 8 A, 15 Pts, 14 PIM

Goaltenders

The following goaltenders played at least one-third of their team's minutes in net at the conclusion of the regular season on 18 February 2024, sorted by save percentage.

;Backup goaltenders

The following goaltenders had played a minimum of one game but fewer than one-third of their team's minutes in net at the conclusion of games played 18 February 2024, sorted by save percentage.

Coaching changes

In-season player movements

''Note: This section records all in-season player transactions. Player nationality indicates primary nation of IIHF eligibility; some players may hold multiple citizenship.''

Loans

Playoffs

Awards and honors

Finnish Ice Hockey Association awards

* Riikka Nieminen Award (Player of the Year): Elisa Holopainen, KalPa
* Tuula Puputti Award (Goaltender of the Year): Olivia Last, TPS
* Päivi Halonen Award (Defender of the Year): Siiri Yrjölä, HIFK
* Katja Riipi Award (Forward of the Year): Elisa Holopainen, KalPa
* Marianne Ihalainen Award (Top point scorer): Michaela Pejzlová, HIFK
* Tiia Reima Award (Top goal scorer): Lisette Täks, Kiekko-Espoo
* Sari Fisk Award (Best plus–minus): Clara Rozier, HIFK
* Noora Räty Award (Rookie of the Year): Kerttu Kuja-Halkola, Team Kuortane
* Emma Laaksonen Award (Fair-play player): Johanna Juutilainen, KalPa
* Karoliina Rantamäki Award (Playoff MVP): Clara Rozier, HIFK
* Hannu Saintula Award (Coach of the Year): Jari Risku, HPK
* Student Athlete Award: Ella Välikangas, HPK
* U18 Student Athlete Award: Amanda Julkunen, TPS
* Anu Hirvonen Award (Best Referee): Tiini Saarimäki
* Johanna Suban Award (Best Linesman): Salla Raitala

All-Star teams

All-Star teams were selected by Naisten Liiga coaches at the conclusion of the regular season.

;All-Star Team
* Goaltender: Olivia Last, TPS
* Defenceman: Siiri Yrjölä, HIFK
* Defenceman: Sanni Rantala, KalPa
* Left Wing: Elisa Holopainen, KalPa
* Center: Michaela Pejzlová, HIFK
* Right Wing: Emma Nuutinen, Kiekko-Espoo

;All-Star Team II
* Goaltender: Kerttu Kuja-Halkola, Team Kuortane
* Defenceman: Minttu Tuominen, Kiekko-Espoo
* Defenceman: Oona Koukkula, HPK
* Left Wing: Emma Ekoluoma, Kärpät
* Center: Lisette Täks, Kiekko-Espoo
* Right Wing: Julia Liikala, HIFK

Player of the Month

* September 2023: Salla Sivula ( G), Ilves
Sivula dominated the goaltending table in the first month of the season, leading the league with a save percentage of 95.2 across five games in net. She faced 157 shots against while recording a win for every start, including shutouts against KalPa and HPK. The representative council of Naisten Liiga clubs highlighted that "Sivula has made top saves in every match she has played and asgiven her team a chance to win."
* October 2023: Lisette Täks ( F), Kiekko-Espoo
Täks earned a point in every Kiekko-Espoo game during October, extending her scoring streak to ten games and recording two hat-tricks (against KalPa and Kärpät). She finished the month with 12 goals and 5 assists for 18 points in seven games. In summation, the representative council of Naisten Liiga clubs noted that "her puck skills are very strong, she is a hard skater, and a good competitor."
* November 2023: Elisa Holopainen (F), KalPa
Holopainen sustained a leg injury in late-January 2023 and rehabilitation kept her from competition for ten months. She made her return to the Naisten Liiga on 28 October and scored a hat-trick in her season debut. KalPa extended their win streak, which began with Holopainen's return, and claimed victories in all five matches during the month of November. In that period, Holopainen scored eight goals and tallied six assists for fourteen points – a rate of 2.8 points per game. Highlights included scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against Kärpät and the shootout winning goal against Kiekko-Espoo. The representative council of Naisten Liiga clubs observed that "the impact of one player on the whole team has been incredible."
* December 2023: Emma Ekoluoma (F), Kärpät
Seventeen year old Ekoluoma recorded five goals and eight points across four games in December, including a four-goal showing in the Kärpät match versus RoKi. Regarding Ekoluoma's selection as player of the month, the representative council of Naisten Liiga clubs described her as "a young player who has become one of the most important player and scorers of Kärpät this season."
* January 2024: Michaela Pejzlová (F), HIFK
Czech centre Pejzlová "dominated on the ice" following her return from an injury that had kept her sidelined through November and December. Across five matches in January, she recorded four goals and nine assists for thirteen points. Her return snapped HIFK's losing streak and she led the team to victory in every game match in which she played in January. The representative council of Naisten Liiga clubs were effusive in its praise, calling her the "most superior individual in the league at creating opportunities in the offensive end for herself and her teammates."
* February 2024: Emma Nuutinen (F), Kiekko-Espoo

References

Game recaps

{{DEFAULTSORT:2023-24 Naisten Liiga season
Naisten Liiga
Naisten Liiga
Naisten Liiga (ice hockey) seasons