Finland head coach Juuso Toivola answers question in the mixed zone after a 6-1 Preliminary Round - Group A loss against USA at the 2022 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship at KVIK Hockey Arena on August 27, 2022 in Herning, Denmark.
photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Matt Zambonin
For more than 20 years, Finland has been a perennial bronze medal contender at both the Olympics and the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship. Juuso Toivola has seen it up close as both an assistant and head coach with the Finnish national teams.
No wonder that this hockey nation was disappointed when the Finns finished outside the medal games at the Women’s Worlds in both 2022 – the first time with Toivola as the head coach – and 2023. Suomi let out a collective sigh of relief in 2024 when the Lionesses beat Czechia 3-2 in the bronze medal game.
However, it is a sign of the competition getting tougher. Czechia has been on the upswing, and the Swedes’ making the bronze medal game in 2024 is a testament to their return to the highest international level.
Sweden’s SDHL clubs have not been shy about acquiring import players. The federation’s rationale has been that a better league will also help the Swedish players. This season, about a third of the players – more than 100 – in the 10-team SDHL are imports. Almost 20 of them are Finnish.
The 53-year-old Toivola gave his overview of the situation to IIHF.com during the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship in Vantaa: “Sweden’s been doing a lot of good work, Switzerland is moving up and now there’s the PWHL, and the US colleges. Many of our players have moved overseas, which inevitably is reflected in our domestic Auroraliiga [previously Naisten Liiga].”
Of the 250 players in the current nine-team Auroraliiga, only 15 are non-Finnish. Also, the average age on Auroraliiga teams this season is less than 21 years.
Even though the core of Team Finland is made up of players in other leagues, Finland’s head coach is still happy with the quality of players he can call up from the Auroraliiga.
“What’s important, regardless of the league, is what the players and teams do on a day-to-day basis and that they’re ready to put in the work,” Toivola said.
“What the players need to get to the international level is to play tough games and to practice in a way that meets those requirements.”
Getting to play more and tougher games, preferably against the North American teams, has been a challenge because Canada and Team USA are happy with their own Rivalry Series.
The Women’s Euro Hockey Tour is one way to raise the level of competition on this side of the Atlantic. For the Finland leg of the tournament in December, teams from Canada and the U.S. added a welcome flavour to the event, even though the North Americans leaned on young players still in college. Even so, it gave the European team a taste of that North American-style hockey.
“The re-launch of the EHT has definitely made the tournaments better events,” said Toivola.
A few years ago, the Swedes made a bold decision by allowing hitting in the women’s game, excluding open-ice north-south checks. The purpose was to educate the players to keep their head up and that way decrease the number of concussions, a successful initiative. When you factor in the importing of top international players, the level of intensity in the SDHL has increased, and that should help Sweden in the long run.
Toivola says he was sceptical at first about the ramped-up physicality in Sweden, but the Seinajoki native has changed his mind a little.
“I still think we could achieve the same results within our current rules,” he says.
With the successful launch of the PWHL, the women’s game now also has a professional league players can aspire to, something Toivola sees as a positive as well.
“It’s been a long time coming but now we have a flagship league, which has been a welcome addition,” he says.
“For me, the biggest thing with the PWHL is that it gives players everywhere a goal and motivated players will have better day-to-day work habits as well.”
Result: better players, better hockey. Everybody wins.
There have been some quiet whispers about having a U20 or possibly a U22 world championship tournament for women, to create a bridge between the U18 Women’s Worlds and Women’s Worlds.
“It’s not up to me, but I think a World Juniors tournament is a good idea,” Toivola said. “A national federation has little incentive to start a team if there’s no tournament for it to play in, so we probably need the IIHF to lead the charge there.”
“I think a U20 tournament would be a good stepping stone for players who have played in the U18 tournament but haven’t quite made it to the women’s team.”
No wonder that this hockey nation was disappointed when the Finns finished outside the medal games at the Women’s Worlds in both 2022 – the first time with Toivola as the head coach – and 2023. Suomi let out a collective sigh of relief in 2024 when the Lionesses beat Czechia 3-2 in the bronze medal game.
However, it is a sign of the competition getting tougher. Czechia has been on the upswing, and the Swedes’ making the bronze medal game in 2024 is a testament to their return to the highest international level.
Sweden’s SDHL clubs have not been shy about acquiring import players. The federation’s rationale has been that a better league will also help the Swedish players. This season, about a third of the players – more than 100 – in the 10-team SDHL are imports. Almost 20 of them are Finnish.
The 53-year-old Toivola gave his overview of the situation to IIHF.com during the 2025 IIHF Ice Hockey U18 Women's World Championship in Vantaa: “Sweden’s been doing a lot of good work, Switzerland is moving up and now there’s the PWHL, and the US colleges. Many of our players have moved overseas, which inevitably is reflected in our domestic Auroraliiga [previously Naisten Liiga].”
Of the 250 players in the current nine-team Auroraliiga, only 15 are non-Finnish. Also, the average age on Auroraliiga teams this season is less than 21 years.
Even though the core of Team Finland is made up of players in other leagues, Finland’s head coach is still happy with the quality of players he can call up from the Auroraliiga.
“What’s important, regardless of the league, is what the players and teams do on a day-to-day basis and that they’re ready to put in the work,” Toivola said.
“What the players need to get to the international level is to play tough games and to practice in a way that meets those requirements.”
Getting to play more and tougher games, preferably against the North American teams, has been a challenge because Canada and Team USA are happy with their own Rivalry Series.
The Women’s Euro Hockey Tour is one way to raise the level of competition on this side of the Atlantic. For the Finland leg of the tournament in December, teams from Canada and the U.S. added a welcome flavour to the event, even though the North Americans leaned on young players still in college. Even so, it gave the European team a taste of that North American-style hockey.
“The re-launch of the EHT has definitely made the tournaments better events,” said Toivola.
A few years ago, the Swedes made a bold decision by allowing hitting in the women’s game, excluding open-ice north-south checks. The purpose was to educate the players to keep their head up and that way decrease the number of concussions, a successful initiative. When you factor in the importing of top international players, the level of intensity in the SDHL has increased, and that should help Sweden in the long run.
Toivola says he was sceptical at first about the ramped-up physicality in Sweden, but the Seinajoki native has changed his mind a little.
“I still think we could achieve the same results within our current rules,” he says.
With the successful launch of the PWHL, the women’s game now also has a professional league players can aspire to, something Toivola sees as a positive as well.
“It’s been a long time coming but now we have a flagship league, which has been a welcome addition,” he says.
“For me, the biggest thing with the PWHL is that it gives players everywhere a goal and motivated players will have better day-to-day work habits as well.”
Result: better players, better hockey. Everybody wins.
There have been some quiet whispers about having a U20 or possibly a U22 world championship tournament for women, to create a bridge between the U18 Women’s Worlds and Women’s Worlds.
“It’s not up to me, but I think a World Juniors tournament is a good idea,” Toivola said. “A national federation has little incentive to start a team if there’s no tournament for it to play in, so we probably need the IIHF to lead the charge there.”
“I think a U20 tournament would be a good stepping stone for players who have played in the U18 tournament but haven’t quite made it to the women’s team.”