Naislätkä✦Women's Hockey✦Finland✦PWHL✦Built in the crease✦
Naislätkä✦Women's Hockey✦Finland✦PWHL✦Built in the crease✦
Naislätkä✦Women's Hockey✦Finland✦PWHL✦Built in the crease✦
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The story
From Helsinki to the top
Sanni Ahola is a Finnish ice hockey goaltender for the Ottawa Charge of the PWHL and for Finland's national team. Born in Helsinki and raised on Finnish ice, she has built her game one save at a time — from the rinks of Eastern Helsinki to five years of NCAA Division I hockey and now the brightest stage in the women's game.
Calm in the crease and relentless in the details, she became the first Finnish goaltender to sign in the PWHL with the Ottawa Charge — a milestone for Finnish women's hockey and a signal of what's next.
Sanni Ahola is the first Finnish goaltender to sign in the PWHL — a path that runs from the rinks of eastern Helsinki through HIFK and five NCAA seasons at St. Cloud State to the Ottawa Charge.
Helsinki
St. Cloud
Ottawa
Helsinki → St. Cloud → Ottawa
Scroll to fly the route
Youth
Eastern Helsinki
Junior hockey · Finland · Helsinki, Finland
Before the pro crease there were the rinks of eastern Helsinki — boys' hockey, cold mornings, and a kid who chose the hardest position on the ice.
Started in 2005 with the Red Wings boys
Boys' teams: Viikingit, EHC, IHK
All-in on goaltending after 2016–17
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Eastern Helsinki
Her hockey journey began in Helsinki in 2005 with the Red Wings boys' team. With no team for her own age group at the time, she joined a squad of kids a year older than herself. In those early years she played both as a skater and in goal, gaining experience in multiple roles on the ice.
Throughout her youth career she represented several boys' teams, including Viikingit, EHC and IHK — IHK the last of them, where she stayed through the 2016–17 season. Alongside the boys' hockey she joined a girls' team in 2008, playing mainly as a skater there while continuing to develop as a goaltender with the boys. Whenever she was needed, she was always ready to step into the net for the girls' team too.
She kept playing as a skater in girls' hockey until the 2016–17 season, after which she turned to goaltending exclusively. She had long known that goalie was the position she wanted — but the girls' team already had an established netminder. Once the chance came, she committed fully, and has been developing as a dedicated goaltender ever since.
’18–’20
HIFK Naiset
Naisten Liiga · Finland · Helsinki, Finland
Where it started — a founding goaltender for the brand-new HIFK Naiset in her home city, backstopping the club's promotion up to the Naisten Liiga, Finland's top women's league.
Founding goaltender of HIFK Naiset
.957 SV% promotion run
Naisten Mestis → Naisten Liiga
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HIFK Naiset
At eighteen Sanni became a founding goaltender for the brand-new HIFK Naiset, back home in Helsinki. She backstopped the club from the Naisten Mestis up to the Naisten Liiga — Finland's top women's league — in its very first seasons.
A .957 save percentage during the promotion run announced her as one of the country's brightest young netminders, and pointed the way to North America.
Her final season in Helsinki, 2019–20, was a full campaign for HIFK in the Naisten Liiga while she prepared for the next big step: college hockey in the United States. Competing at the top of the Finnish women's game readied her for the challenges and opportunities waiting overseas, and the move to the NCAA became a milestone in its own right — a chance to chase her hockey and her studies at the same level.
’20–’25
St. Cloud State Huskies
NCAA Division I · WCHA · St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Five years in the toughest conference in college hockey. A .917 save percentage across 91 games, a degree in biology, and the WCHA's top goaltending honour.
WCHA Goaltender of the Year, 2023–24
All-WCHA First Team
.917 SV% · 91 games
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St. Cloud State Huskies
Five seasons in the WCHA, the toughest conference in college hockey, turned promise into pedigree. Sanni announced herself with WCHA All-Rookie Team honours as a freshman, and across 91 games posted a .917 save percentage — graduating as St. Cloud State's all-time leader in wins (35) and shutouts (10).
Her senior year was a coronation: WCHA Goaltender of the Year, All-WCHA First Team, and a statement 2–1 win over then-No. 1 Ohio State — all while finishing a degree in biology. She capped her fifth and final season with All-WCHA Third Team honours.
’25–now
Ottawa Charge
PWHL · Ottawa, Canada
Drafted 37th overall in 2025, she became the first Finnish goaltender to sign in the PWHL — and earned her first pro win in the Halifax Takeover Series.
First Finnish goaltender in the PWHL
2025 PWHL Draft — 37th overall
First win: 11 Jan 2026 vs Boston
Re-signed for 2026-27
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Ottawa Charge
In 2025 the Ottawa Charge made Sanni the 37th pick of the PWHL Draft, and on 14 July she signed — the first Finnish goaltender ever to ink a PWHL contract.
She turned the moment into history on the ice too: 31 saves and three of five shootout stops to beat the Boston Fleet 2–1 for her first pro win in the Halifax Takeover Series — days after being named to Finland's 2026 Olympic team.
The chapter is only beginning: on 25 June 2026 the Charge re-signed her to a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season.
National team
With Finland
Sanni Ahola is a goaltender for the Naisleijonat, Finland's women's national ice hockey team. The crest she's worn longest is Finland's: she first represented her country at the U18 Women's World Championships, then broke into the senior Lionesses in December 2022.
Since then she's been a fixture in Finland's goaltending rotation: back-to-back bronze medals at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF Women's World Championships, and an Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
2017–18U18 Women's World Championships — backup in 2017, starter in 2018 (Top-3 Player on Team)
2022Senior national-team debut on the Euro Hockey Tour (Ängelholm, December)
2023IIHF Women's World Championship debut — won all three starts and led the tournament in save percentage (.957) and goals-against average
2024IIHF Women's World Championship — bronze, plus Media All-Star & Top-3 on Team
2025IIHF Women's World Championship — back-to-back bronze
2026Winter Olympic debut for Finland — first Olympic win in group play
2025Drafted by the Ottawa Charge2025 PWHL Draft · 37th overall
2024Bronze — IIHF Women's WorldsFinland
2024Media All-StarIIHF Women's Worlds
2024Goaltender of the YearWCHA
2024All-WCHA First TeamWCHA
Seasons
Season
Team
League
2018–19
HIFK Naiset
Naisten MestisPromotion to the Naisten Liiga
2019–20
HIFK Naiset
Naisten Liiga
2020–21
St. Cloud State
WCHAWCHA All-Rookie Team
2021–22
St. Cloud State
WCHA
2022–23
St. Cloud State
WCHA
2023–24
St. Cloud State
WCHAWCHA Goaltender of the Year
2024–25
St. Cloud State
WCHAAll-WCHA Third Team
2025–
Ottawa Charge
PWHLFirst Finnish goalie in the PWHL
Per-season save stats will be added once verified figures are supplied.
Gallery
Moments on ice…& beyond
The mission
Raise the game for women's hockey.
Every save is a statement. The next generation of Finnish girls deserves a path to the top of the world — visible, supported, and impossible to ignore.
Women's hockey is growing faster than ever — and Finland belongs at the front of it. From local rinks to the PWHL and the Olympics, this is about building a stage bright enough that no young goaltender ever has to wonder whether there's a place for her.
Sanni Ahola is a Finnish ice hockey goaltender, born 3 June 2000 in Helsinki. She plays for the Ottawa Charge in the PWHL and is a member of the Finnish national team (Naisleijonat).
What team does Sanni Ahola play for?
Sanni Ahola plays for the Ottawa Charge of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She was the first Finnish goaltender to sign in the league.
Is Sanni Ahola still with the Ottawa Charge?
Yes. On 25 June 2026 the Ottawa Charge re-signed Sanni Ahola to a one-year contract for the 2026–27 PWHL season, keeping her in Ottawa after her rookie year. She originally joined the Charge as the 37th pick of the 2025 PWHL Draft — the first Finnish goaltender to sign in the league.
Who was the first Finnish goaltender in the PWHL?
Sanni Ahola. She signed with the Ottawa Charge on 14 July 2025 after being selected 37th overall in the 2025 PWHL Draft, becoming the first Finnish goaltender in the Professional Women's Hockey League — and on 11 January 2026, with a 31-save win over the Boston Fleet, the first Finnish goaltender to win a PWHL game.
How tall is Sanni Ahola, and which hand does she catch with?
Sanni Ahola is 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) tall and catches left. She plays goaltender for the Ottawa Charge in the PWHL and for the Finnish national team.
Where did Sanni Ahola grow up and start playing hockey?
Sanni Ahola grew up in eastern Helsinki, starting out in 2005 with the Red Wings boys' team and going on to play boys' hockey for Viikingit, EHC and Itä-Helsingin Kiekko (IHK) — alongside girls' hockey as a skater. She committed fully to goaltending after the 2016–17 season.
Where did Sanni Ahola play college hockey?
She played five seasons at St. Cloud State University (NCAA Division I, WCHA), posting a .917 save percentage over 91 games and graduating as the program's all-time leader in wins and shutouts. She earned WCHA All-Rookie Team honours as a freshman, was named WCHA Goaltender of the Year and All-WCHA First Team in 2023–24, and closed her fifth season with All-WCHA Third Team honours.
What did Sanni Ahola study?
She earned a Bachelor of Science in biology — specializing in biodiversity, ecology and evolution — at St. Cloud State University while playing NCAA Division I hockey.
When did Sanni Ahola join the Finnish national team?
Sanni Ahola first played for Finland at the U18 Women's World Championships (2017–18) and made her senior national-team debut in December 2022. She has since been part of Finland's goaltending at three straight IIHF Women's World Championships and the 2026 Winter Olympics.
How did Sanni Ahola do at the 2026 Winter Olympics?
She made her Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and was in goal for every one of Finland's four games, earning her first Olympic win, 3–1 over Switzerland, in the group stage. Finland was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
What are Sanni Ahola's biggest achievements?
Bronze medals at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF Women's World Championships, a 2024 World Championship Media All-Star selection, WCHA Goaltender of the Year (2023–24), becoming the first Finnish goaltender in the PWHL, and an Olympic debut for Finland at the 2026 Winter Games.
What is the PWHL?
The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) is the top professional women's ice hockey league in North America, which began play in January 2024. Sanni Ahola plays for one of its teams, the Ottawa Charge.
What is the Ottawa Charge?
The Ottawa Charge is the PWHL's team in Ottawa, Ontario — one of the six original franchises that started the league in January 2024. Sanni Ahola has been an Ottawa Charge goaltender since the 2025 PWHL Draft.
Are there Finnish players in the PWHL?
Yes — Finland has been represented in the PWHL since the league's first season in 2024, with several Finnish skaters having played in the league. In goal, Sanni Ahola made history in 2025 as the PWHL's first Finnish goaltender.
What does Naisleijonat mean?
Naisleijonat is Finnish for “Lionesses” and is the nickname of Finland's women's national ice hockey team; the men's team is called Leijonat, “the Lions”. Sanni Ahola has played for the Naisleijonat since her senior debut in December 2022.
What is a save percentage in hockey?
Save percentage is the share of shots on goal a goaltender stops — saves divided by shots on goal — usually written as a three-decimal figure like .917. That is Sanni Ahola's NCAA career save percentage over 91 games at St. Cloud State.
What is a shutout in hockey?
A shutout is a game in which a goaltender allows no goals. Sanni Ahola holds St. Cloud State's all-time career shutout record with 10.
