The Liiga is about to change in a way it has not in more than a decade. When the season opens Sept. 1, 17 teams will take the ice instead of 16, because Jokerit are back in the top flight for the first time since 2014. It is also the final year in the current [...]
It’s playoff time in Europe. Liiga playoffs are underway and teams are jockeying for a spot in the quarter-finals. A few notable prospects are playing meaningful minutes for their Liiga clubs, but not many are making a big splash. This edition of Liiga Roundup will highlight the few who are really turning it on, along [...]
Liiga’s season is drawing to a close. We have covered 15 prospects so far, and this edition of late add candidates will bring that total to 18. One returning prospect is making back-to-back appearances — and for good reason. Make sure to add Keskinen if you take anything away from this article. I am assuming [...]
You may not have heard a single name before today’s article. Some of these players have really gotten hot, like Keskinen, while others have slumped but are still worth monitoring. If you are reading this Liiga Roundup, you are a keen fan of Columbus, Nashville, or Detroit — or you are a hockey fanatic, maybe [...]
The World Juniors. A wonderful time of year for hockey fans — and for underdog nations to take the world by its horns and prove themselves. Finland’s top young guns from its top pro league, Liiga, are in Minnesota to compete for a medal. This edition of the Liiga Roundup focuses on those players. It [...]
Finland’s talent is on the rise This year’s top ten is expected to feature at least one Finnish player — Alberts Smits — according to most public rankings. Another name climbing the board is Oliver Suvanto, who landed 16th overall in EliteProspects’ latest list. It is not just the youngest teenagers making a mark in [...]
Photo Courtesy of IIHF.com Not too long ago, Aatu Räty was perceived as the top player in the 2021 NHL Draft. While he was never looked at as a McDavid or Matthews caliber player, he was nevertheless considered the best player in his age group. When the 2020-21 season rolled around, however, he [...]
Photo courtesy of https://www.kaleva.fi/ Almost every professional hockey league has been forced to adapt this season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Liiga is no exception. In December, the league was postponed for over two weeks, and since then all players have been required to wear ‘fishbowl’ visors to lower in-game transmission [...]
