Susanna "Suski" Tapani (born 2 March 1993) is a Finnish multi-sport elite athlete who competes in ice hockey, ringette, and in-line hockey. She is a member of the Finnish national ice hockey team and Finnish national ringette team.
Susanna Tapani | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born |
(1993-03-02) 2 March 1993 (age 29) Laitila, Finland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 65 kg (143 lb; 10 st 3 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Shoots | Left | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ringette SM team Former teams |
RNK Flyers
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National team |
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Playing career | 2011–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Tapani is the subject of a Finnish documentary, Jäänsärkijä ('Icebreaker'), which follows her life as she competes in elite ringette, ice hockey, and in-line hockey from 2015 to 2019.[1]
Tapani has played ice hockey in the Naisten Liiga with TPS Naiset, Lukko Naiset, Espoo Blues Naiset, and HPK Kiekkonaiset; in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) with Linköping HC Dam; and with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks women's ice hockey program during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I women's ice hockey season.[2]
Tapani trained with a number of men's professional ice hockey players during the extended pause between the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons due to COVID-19. Under the direction of Ismo Lehkonen, the group – which included NHLers Kaapo Kakko, Artturi Lehkonen, Mikko Rantanen, and Rasmus Ristolainen, and a number of Liiga players – trained on ice together for two hours a day. Jonne Virtanen, long-time Liiga player and member of the training group, noted that Tapani's strength and toughness would be well suited to a style of play that permitted checking and enthused, "Suski is the best female player that I have ever seen."[3]
During the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons, Tapani played with the TPS Juniorijääkiekko men's under-18 (U18) team, known as TPS U18 Akatemia, of the U18 Mestis/U18 Suomi-sarja until scheduling conflicts forced her to choose between ringette and ice hockey in November 2020.[4] When it became clear that the TPS U18 Akatemia was unable or unwilling to alter its schedule to accommodate Tapani, she chose to leave the team and continue playing ringette with RNK Raisio of the Finnish Championship ringette league, the Ringeten SM-sarja, which is the ringette team she captains. Regarding the situation, Tapani stated, "I’m not commenting on the discussions [with TPS] or the way this came to be, but combining the two sports didn’t fit when there were too many overlapping games."[5]
She played professional ice hockey in the Russian Zhenskaya Hockey League (ZhHL) with the KRS Vanke Rays during the later part of the 2021–22 ZhHL season.[6]
Tapani made three appearances with the Finnish women's national under-18 ice hockey team at the IIHF Women's World U18 Championship, in 2009, 2010, and 2011, winning a bronze medal at the 2011 tournament.[7][8][9]
As of 2020, Tapani ranks sixth in all-time points scored with the Finnish women's national team, tallying 75 goals and 72 assists for 147 points in 179 top division matches.[10] She has represented Finland at every IIHF Women's World Championship since 2011, except the 2016 tournament.[11][12][13][14][15] At the 2017 IIHF Women's World Championship, she was Finland’s leading scorer and ranked fifth for scoring in the tournament overall with 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 5 games.[16]
Tapani has also competed with the Finnish national team at the Winter Olympic Games, debuting in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Though Finland suffered their worst Olympic placement in team history, finishing in fifth place, Tapani saw individual success and tied teammate Riikka Välilä for third rank on the Finnish scoring list, with 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points in six games.[17] In the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, Finland won bronze and Tapani finished fourth in the team’s scoring ranks, with 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points in six games.[18] The women's ice hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing saw Tapani take another step in offensive production, ranking first on the team in scoring with 6 goals and 2 assists for 8 points in seven games, and leading Finland to another bronze medal victory.[19][20]
In 2021, Finnish national ice hockey team head coach Pasi Mustonen called Tapani the team’s best forward among a roster which also included internationally recognized forwards Michelle Karvinen and Petra Nieminen.[3]
Note: Italics indicate postseason relegation series; statistics not included in playoff totals.
Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
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Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
2009-10 | LaJy U16 | U16 II-divisioona | 22 | 28 | 22 | 50 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2010-11 | LaJy U16 | U16 II-divisioona | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2010-11 | LaJy U18 | U18 III-divisioona | 9 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2011-12 | LaJy U18 | U18 II-divisioona | 11 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2011-12 | HPK | Naisten SM-sarja | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
2012-13 | Kiekko-67 U18 | U18 Suomi-sarja | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2012-13 | Espoo Blues | Naisten SM-sarja | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
2013-14 | UND Fighting Hawks | NCAA | 24 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2014-15 | HPK | Naisten SM-sarja | 8 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 2 | ||
2015-16 | HPK | Naisten SM-sarja | 5 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | ||
2016-17 | Lukko | Naisten SM-sarja | 10 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 4 | ||
2017-18 | Lukko | Naisten Liiga | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018-19 | TPS | Naisten Liiga | 16 | 24 | 8 | 32 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2018-19 | Linköping HC | SDHL | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
2019-20 | TPS U18 | U18 Suomi-sarja | 16 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2019-20 | TPS | Naisten Liiga | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
2020-21 | TPS U18 | U18 Mestis | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
2020-21 | KRS Vanke Rays | ZhHL | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
Naisten Liiga totals | 53 | 46 | 27 | 73 | 40 | 23 | 15 | 20 | 35 | 6 |
Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
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2009 | Finland U18 | WW18 | 5th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
2010 | Finland U18 | WW18 | 5th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
2011 | Finland U18 | WW18 | ![]() |
6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 33 | |
2011 | Finland | WW | ![]() |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
2012 | Finland | WW | 4th | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
2013 | Finland | WW | 4th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
2014 | Finland | OG | 5th | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | |
2015 | Finland | WW | ![]() |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
2017 | Finland | WW | ![]() |
6 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 2 | |
2018 | Finland | OG | ![]() |
6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
2019 | Finland | WW | ![]() |
7 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10 | |
2021 | Finland | WW | ![]() |
7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
2022 | Finland | OG | ![]() |
7 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 0 | |
2022 | Finland | WW | 6th | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
Junior totals | 16 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 37 | ||||
Senior totals | 69 | 25 | 25 | 50 | 34 |
Tapani began playing ringette as a child has served as captain of the Raision Nuorisokiekko (RNK) Flyers ringette team in the Ringeten SM-sarja (RSMs), Finland's semi-professional level for ringette players which also serves as the top ringette league in Finland. The league is now called SM Ringette.
Tapani played ringette for Team Finland Junior at the 2009 World Junior Ringette Championships (U19) and the 2012 World Junior Ringette Championships. She has also played for Team Finland Senior at the World Ringette Championships in 2010, 2016, 2017, and 2019, winning gold at each tournament.
Year | Team | Event | Result |
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2009[23] | U19 Finland White Stars | 2009 WJRC (U19) | ![]() |
2010 | Team Finland Senior | 2010 WRC | ![]() |
2012 | Team Finland Junior | 2012 WJRC | ![]() |
2016 | Team Finland Senior | 2016 WRC | ![]() |
2017 | Team Finland Senior | 2017 WRC | ![]() |
2019 | Team Finland Senior | 2019 WRC | ![]() |
En kommentoi keskusteluja tai tapaa miten tähän päädyttiin, mutta kahden lajin yhdistäminen ei sopinut, kun pelejä oli liikaa päällekkäin.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks women's ice hockey | |
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