Liiga week's top and flop: here are the early season MVPs

During the fifth match week of the league, the teams have started to divide into three different groups. Ilves, Jukurit, SaiPa, and JYP are the top four, a long list of teams belongs to the evenly matched middle group, and at the bottom, Sport, HIFK, Jokerit, and KooKoo have fallen behind.

In this article, we highlight the top and flop players of the league week. The tops feature the three MVPs of the early season, players who have most influenced their team’s success with their contributions.

Tops

1. HPK has been the worst team in the league’s early season alongside KooKoo. Still, the team from Hämeenlinna has managed to gather 13 points from ten matches. This is thanks to goalkeeper Kim Saarinen, who, despite the poor defense, has given his team a chance to win every night. His save percentage is an impressive 91.4. Even more impressive is that Saarinen has saved nearly eight goals more than expected. This figure is the second best in the entire league.

2. The Jokerit team has gained a lot of sense and structure since Juuso Hahl took over as head coach. The team’s defensive and breakout play have made significant strides forward, but the offense is still struggling badly. In the early season, the engine of Jokerit’s offense has been Emil Kuusla, who consistently creates scoring opportunities with his individual skills. In eight matches, Kuusla has recorded impressive stats of 1+8=9.

3. The acquisition of Lukas Haudum sparked a lot of discussion at the time. Last season, he had an outstanding performance in the ICEHL, and rumors suggest that TPS paid an outrageous sum for the forward. Now it seems that Haudum is worth his money. In ten matches, the highly skilled forward has scored 5+8=13 points. Haudum is third in the entire league’s scoring chart.

On Saturday, Lukas Haudum scored a hat trick against JYP. Photo: All Over Press

Flops

1. Last season’s finalist team KooKoo is in a tactical deadlock. The offense is sputtering, and the defense is non-existent. The team’s penalty kill is paper-thin, and the power play is more dangerous to their own team than to the opponent. It is a complete mystery how KooKoo will resolve the situation. If head coach Jouko Myrrä gets fired, the team will also have to replace assistant coach Tuukka Poikonen, who is the brain behind the team’s playing style. Mid-season, KooKoo would need to find a new head coach, assistant coach, and playing style. This is not an easy task.

2. Sport’s goaltending management is a peculiar sight. The coaching staff has been alternating between Masi Härkönen and Joni Ortio. This is despite the fact that Härkönen has been one of the best goalies of the early season. Ortio, on the other hand, has been one of the weakest. Härkönen has allowed six goals fewer than expected. Ortio has allowed over three goals more. The principle decision for even goaltending has cost Sport several points in the early season.

3. The league’s schedule deserves a thick bundle of criticism. At the beginning of October, there was an embarrassing incident when several matches had to be postponed at the last minute due to poor communication, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. It is strange how uneven the schedule is. For example, take Pelicans. At the turn of September and October, Pelicans plays only three matches over three weeks. At the end of October, Pelicans plays seven games in 16 days. Such foolishness does not serve the team nor the fans.

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League | 26.10.2026 18:43