Finland is feeling the pull of the PWHL as the Auroraliiga will open their first season with body checking, and camps have started later as teams await where players will land.
Finland's Auroraliiga has fallen behind other European leagues, but the loop is setting itself on a new course, with new rules this season. Finnish teams will open their year this week at the Lace Tournament before their regular season begins next month.
With the influence of the PWHL, and other leagues including Sweden's SDHL, Switzerland's PostFinance Women's League, and the EWHL and Norway's top league joining in, the Auroraliiga will this season allow body checking for the first time. As seen in other leagues, it will up the competitive level. It's also been a focus as teams return to training camps.
"One clear focus area in training has been physical play," said Saara Kivenmäki, HIFK's head coach, who was also recently named assistant coach for Team Switzerland in a translated interview. "You have to know how to tackle and you also have to know how to receive tackles so that you are not on the wall all the time. The players have received the reform well."
The PWHL impact has also been felt on when Finnish teams are beginning their training.
"Usually the team is already assembled in May, but the PWHL and its draft opportunity have had such an impact that some of the player contracts for Finland are now being confirmed later," said Kivenmäki. "Especially when players are also looking at Switzerland and Sweden."
A number of top Auroraliiga players have moved on to new opportunities this season including the league's leading scorer Emma Nuutinen signing in the PWHL with the Seattle Torrent. Second leading scorer Emmi Juusela is making the move to play for SDE HF in Sweden's SDHL, and third leading scorer Pauliina Salonen is making the move this season to North America to play NCAA hockey for Minnesota-Duluth. Fourth leading scorer Barbora Jurickova will also play in the NCAA for St. Lawrence. The league's fifth leading scorer and top scoring defender Ada Eronen is also departing, making her way to SC Bern in Switzerland's PostFinance Women's League.
It’s a similar departure to the league’s last elite group that included 2026 PWHL Draft picks Elisa Holopainen and Tereza Pistekova, as well as NCAA standout Sanni Vanhanen following the 2023-24 season.
Auroraliiga will look to begin climbing back into the competitive conversation and continue their development of prospects.
