League season preview - positions 5-8: Will the embarrassing struggle of Kärpät finally come to an end?

The much-anticipated super season of the league 2026-27 is just around the corner. An exceptional season is promised as Jokerit returns to the top league and the three weakest teams will drop to the league’s B-series at the end of the regular season.

SuomiKiekko anticipates the upcoming season by assessing the power dynamics of the teams. In this preview, we will go through the teams that we believe will finish in positions 5-8.

8. HIFK

HIFK has just completed its first season under Olli Jokinen. The season was filled with turbulence and numerous injuries, as usual. After a fluctuating regular season, HIFK ended up in tenth place and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by KalPa in the fifth game’s overtime.

During the summer, significant changes have taken place at HIFK. Firstly, the club found a new sports director when Janne Laukkanen, who had worked in a similar role at Pelicans for ten years, took the reins. Laukkanen is an excellent hire for HIFK, bringing credibility to the club. Additionally, a Swedish coach Anders Carlsson from Brynäs will join Jokinen’s coaching staff, replacing Toni Lydman, who left HIFK.

The list of departures from HIFK is long. From the offensive lineup, players such as Petr Kodytek, Petrus Palmu, and Otto Somppi have left, while from the defense, Petteri Lindbohm, Tony Sund, and Kalle Ervasti have moved on, and in the goaltending department, Paavo Kohonen has also changed scenery.

Many of the new signings are already familiar to head coach Jokinen. The new Swedish goaltender Tim Juel won the SHL’s best goaltender award under Jokinen at Timrå. Swedish defenseman Linus Nässen played at Timrå under Jokinen as well as at Jukurit, where he also posted impressive point totals in the league. The Swedish defensive defenseman Lukas Pilö also played for Timrå. Among the forwards, Niko Huuhtanen had two strong seasons under Jokinen at Jukurit and subsequently signed an NHL contract. The penalty-killing specialist Ottoville Leppänen is also a familiar face for the head coach from Mikkeli.

Furthermore, HIFK has strengthened its defense with reliable defenseman Jesper Ahlroth from KooKoo and the promising Kasper Puutio, who has strong offensive potential. The attack has also been bolstered by Lukko’s forward prospect Atte Joki, Eetu Liukas, who spent three seasons in the AHL, and the latest addition, Jake Leschyshyn, who has played 77 NHL games in his career.

Niko Huuhtanen was last seen in the league during the 2023-24 season, where he scored 19+27=46 points at Jukurit. Photo: All Over Press

Despite the significant turnover at HIFK, there are also important names among the returning players. Hugo Alnefelt, who performed strongly at times last season, will form a strong goaltending tandem with Juel. On defense, Aron Kiviharju is eager for the next step. In the offensive lineup, the focus is particularly on Jori Lehterä, Iiro Pakarinen, Vincent Marleau, and Daniel Mäkiaho, with the first two having suffered injuries last season. From the youth department, Jere Somervuori and Anttoni Uronen deserve mention, as they entered the league without hesitation last season.

HIFK received bad news even before the season started, as Sebastian Repo will be sidelined for three months. Long absences of key players have unfortunately become familiar to the team, raising questions about the club’s prospects. On paper, HIFK’s moves seem sensible, and players have been acquired for the right roles. However, the team lacks enough star power to contend for the top spots in the regular season.

7. KooKoo

KooKoo’s last season was sensational. It achieved its first medal in history by taking silver. KooKoo lost to Tappara in the seventh game of the finals and finished just two points behind the Tampere team in the regular season.

There has not been much movement in KooKoo’s roster during the summer. Goaltender Juha Jatkola changed teams, defensemen Jesper Ahlroth, Kalle Loponen, and Jimi Suomi moved to new clubs, and forwards Otto Paajanen and Joonas Oden also switched teams. Among them, especially Paajanen, who scored 40 points, and Suomi, who reached 31 points, are significant losses for the team.

A new goaltender joining KooKoo is Jasper Patrikainen, familiar from Pelicans, who played last season in Slovakia and won the championship. A familiar offensive defenseman Arttu Pelli returns to the team, having last represented KooKoo in the 2020-21 season. In the attack, KooKoo has signed Swedish center Axel Holmström, who has made a strong impact at Sport, and Verner Miettinen, who has spent recent years in North American college hockey.

KooKoo, which exceeded all expectations last season, has managed to retain several star players. The continuation of goaltender Eetu Randelin with the team is significant. Randelin had a strong season and was reliable in the playoffs. The trio of Ville Meskanen, Miska Siikonen, and Veeti Miettinen, all of whom reached over 40 points in the regular season, will form KooKoo’s sharpest edge this season as well. Support will come from Robert Rooba, Vilmos Gallo, and Marcus Davidsson, each of whom also approached 40 points last season.

Eetu Randelin won the Urpo Ylönen award for the best goaltender in the league last season. Photo: All Over Press

As noted last season, KooKoo also has names in its lower lines that positively handled the pace of the league. Among others, Ossi-Petteri Jaakola, Oskari Luoto, and Akseli Mäkinen contributed to the Kouvola team’s championship chase. The defense also gelled well, with names like Joseph Berger, Ari Gröndahl, and Ville Puhakka fulfilling their roles.

Jouko Myrrä is now starting his third season with KooKoo. His impact on the club has been excellent, and his active playing style has yielded results. Under Myrrä’s leadership, KooKoo, relying on a familiar core, can easily be counted among the league’s top teams, where it has been accustomed to being in recent years. There will be some drop from last season’s position, but for KooKoo, that does not mean failure.

6. KalPa

KalPa, which entered last season as the defending champion, finished seventh under its new head coach Sami Tervonen. The Kuopio team, which suffered from injuries to its top players, managed to reach the quarterfinals, where it was eliminated by Ilves.

KalPa has experienced significant losses over the summer. The team’s top scorer Patrick Curry moved to Jokerit. Additionally, significant pieces from the offense left, as Benjamin Korhonen, Andreas Okany, Tim Söderlund, and Jaakko Lantta changed teams. The offensive defenseman Filip Westerlund also left Kuopio.

Despite the significant departures, KalPa’s core still consists of familiar and long-term players, with several continuing at the club. Teemu Hartikainen, who returned to the team last season, and captain Jaakko Rissanen will be among KalPa’s leading players this season as well. Konsta Kapanen had a breakthrough season, scoring a record 37 points in the regular season. Juuso Mäenpää was on a point-per-game pace until January, when an injury cut his season short. Aleksi Klemetti has had several effective seasons in a row, Cade Borchardt is expected to perform better than last season, and young Joona Saarelainen became a regular in the league team last season and performed effectively, especially after the U20 World Championships.

Konsta Kapanen scored an impressive 37 points last season, compared to only 13 points the season before. Photo: All Over Press

On the defensive side, long-time reliable player Lasse Lappalainen continues with KalPa. Czech Lukas Kanak is starting his third season in Kuopio. There is interest in Ville Ruotsalainen regarding what he can achieve in a healthy season, as he only played 19 games last season but scored an impressive 20 points. In the goaltending department, KalPa relies on Stefanos Lekkas, who has played with the team for three seasons and was also the primary goaltender for KalPa’s championship team.

New arrivals to KalPa include long-time reliable player and captain Jesper Piitulainen from Jukurit, who has had his best league seasons in recent years, scoring 33 points last season. Elias Vilen has had strong seasons with Pelicans. KalPa also recruited Otto Somppi from HIFK for the lower lines. From Sweden, KalPa welcomed back Joonas Lyytinen to their defense. He is expected to contribute significantly, as he has strong credentials at the league level. The youthful enthusiasm is brought by defense prospects Mitja Jokinen and Jesper Kotajärvi.

Having long competed in the upper middle tier of the league, KalPa has achieved its position through consistent work. It has developed star players from its own juniors, and previous head coaches have often been either assistant coaches or coaches of junior teams. The foreign reinforcements have also been excellent fits. Although KalPa has lost important pieces over the summer, the group has not weakened significantly. It is easy to trust that KalPa will again be seen near the sharp end of the standings this season.

5. Kärpät

Kärpät’ last two seasons have ended in total failure, as the million-dollar team from Oulu has completely dropped out of the 12-team playoffs. Entering last season with a relatively strong group, Kärpät ultimately finished 14th in the regular season. Head coach Petri Karjalainen, who won the Finnish championship with KalPa two springs ago, quickly faced an early summer vacation with Kärpät.

Kärpät experienced a severe setback over the summer. The team’s top scorer from last season, Aku Räty, who scored an impressive 57 points, signed an NHL contract over the summer. He would have had a contract with Kärpät for the upcoming season, but ultimately Kärpät lost its star to the NHL. Among other key players, Patrik Virta also left the team. On the defensive side, notable departures include Atte Ohtamaa and Jani Hakanpää, with Ohtamaa contemplating his career’s future and Hakanpää’s next destination still unknown.

During the summer, Kärpät has invested in quality domestic players in the transfer market. The defense has been strengthened by Kalle Loponen, Aleksi Matinmikko, and Rasmus Rissanen. Loponen has had strong seasons with KooKoo, Matinmikko, who won a championship with Tappara, recorded the league’s best plus/minus rating of +30 last season, and Rissanen has eight years of experience in Swedish rinks, along with two World Championships under his belt. Among the new forwards, versatile Eetu Koivistoinen has played over 40-point seasons in the league, while his years in Sweden were more challenging. Andreas Okany, Eetu Päkkilä, and Samuli Ratinen are hardworking players with scoring potential, as evidenced by Päkkilä’s 39 points last season. Kärpät’s new Swedish forwards Wiktor Nilsson and Henrik Törnqvist have not celebrated with points in recent years.

35-year-old Rasmus Rissanen has yet to play a single league game in his career. Photo: All Over Press

Many of Kärpät’s star players from last season continue with the team. Goaltender Niklas Rubin has been among the league’s elite for several years, and he cannot be blamed for Kärpät’s poor performance last season. The team’s most effective defenseman Jiri Tichacek reached 31 points last season. The effective trio of Matyas Kantner, Roni Hirvonen, and Eemil Erholtz all reached 50 points, with Erholtz now named the team’s new captain. In terms of key players, Kärpät’s roster looks very strong.

Kärpät has also made a small change behind the bench. Long-time assistant coach Toni Sihvonen left the club, and Jani Manninen, who has coached Kiekko-Vantaa in recent years, has joined Karjalainen’s coaching staff. Kalle Kaskinen, who joined the coaching team mid-last season, continues in his role, so the coaching staff has gradually transformed.

The pressure during the league’s transition period is immense, especially for big clubs that have struggled in recent years. Kärpät belongs to this group. With the pieces in place, Kärpät is again on paper among the league’s top teams, but as history shows, that is not always enough. We believe that Kärpät will make the expected turnaround and return to the positions where the Oulu team should be year after year.