Born: 1987 (Lempäälä, Finland)
Biography:
Jenni Hiirikoski (born 30 March 1987) is a Finnish ice hockey player and captain of the Finnish national team and Luleå HF/MSSK in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League (SDHL). She is widely considered one of the best active ice hockey defencemen in the world, having won the IIHF Directorate Best Defenceman award seven times during the 2010s.
Hiirikoski grew up in Lempäälä, Finland, and played youth ice hockey with the local club Lempäälän Kisa (LeKi). She began her premier league career in 2001, at age 14, with the Tampereen Ilves Naiset of the Naisten SM-sarja (renamed Naisten Liiga in 2017). With Ilves, she won the Finnish Championship in 2006 and the Finnish Championship silver (runner-up) medals in 2004 and 2005.
After achieving Finnish Championship gold with Ilves, Hiirikoski joined the 2006–07 Espoo Blues, which had a roster overflowing with talent. In addition to Hiirikoski, the team included Karoliina Rantamäki, Noora Räty, Emma Terho, Marjo Voutilainen, and other all-stars of the Finnish national team. With so much accumulated skill, it was no surprise when Espoo Blues claimed the Finnish Championship in 2007.
Hiirikoski returned to Ilves for the 2007–08 season and won her third Finnish Championship silver medal with them in 2008. For the 2008–09 season, Hiirikoski joined her first club outside of Finland, signing with SKIF Nizhny Novgorod in the Russian Women’s Hockey League. The roster included two other Finns, her teammates from the Espoo Blues Karoliina Rantamäki and Marjo Voutilainen. SKIF was dominant and won both the Russian Championship and the 2009 IIHF European Women’s Champions Cup.
In June 2016, she announced that she was moving to Sweden to sign with Luleå HF/MSSK as the club prepared to defend their SDHL championship. She scored 45 points in 36 games in her debut SDHL season, the league’s leading scorer among defenders and fourth overall, serving as an assistant captain for the team. She added another 4 points in four playoff games as Luleå was eliminated in the semi-finals by HV71. She was named Luleå captain ahead of the 2017–18 season.
Hiirikoski’s impact on the Luleå team was evident as she led them to three SDHL championships. She also received individual recognition, being named the SDHL Defender of the Year twice. Furthermore, Hiirikoski holds the record as the second all-time leading scorer among SDHL defenders and the third all-time leading scorer for Luleå.
In addition to her club success, Hiirikoski has been an integral part of the Finnish national team. She has represented Finland in numerous international tournaments, including the Winter Olympics, where she has been named the top Olympic defender twice. Hiirikoski’s contributions to the national team have helped Finland become a formidable force in women’s ice hockey.
Throughout her career, Hiirikoski has displayed exceptional skill, hockey IQ, and leadership on and off the ice. Her ability to read the game and make smart decisions has made her one of the best defencemen in the world. She has set a high standard for future generations of Finnish hockey players and has inspired young girls to pursue their dreams in ice hockey.
Awards:
– IIHF Directorate Best Defenceman award (2010s) (x7)
– Finnish Championship (2006)
– Finnish Championship silver (2004, 2005, 2008)
– Russian Championship (2009)
– IIHF European Women’s Champions Cup (2009)
– SDHL championship (x3)
– SDHL Defender of the Year (x2)
– Top Olympic defender (x2)