Is this the future top pack of the Women’s Lions? Siiri Yrjölä, 18, a member of the hockey family, is forging wild powers and desire for the United States

Playing in the Ice Hockey Women’s League in HIFK’s shirt Siiri Yrjölä has become the best of the kits in the series. 18-year-old Yrjölä has scored 34 points since the beginning of the season and is the league’s most effective defender.

Yrjölä is playing her third season in HIFK’s women’s team, which, like last year, finished second in the league. Team coach Martin Andler praises Yrjölä’s attacking skills.

– Siiri is a really skilled player in terms of technique and playing skills, he is especially skilled in the attacking game. There is a lot to do on the physical side when it is still such a young player, Andler estimates.

Despite his young age, Yrjölä has shown that he is an important part of the team.

– He has a really big role in the team. He is the top pack and has a lot of responsibility. Especially last season, Siiri took on a big role as the season progressed, Andler says.

Yrjölä has already scored 14 goals in the Women’s League in the early season. The second most effective defender is KalPan Sanni Rantala has five hits on his account.

Yrjölä was part of the women’s team that won bronze at the under-18 World Cup this year. A center forward was also selected from the same team for the Swedish EHT tournament in December I’m Havana and a winger Anna-Kaisa Antti-Roiko.

Head coach of the women’s national ice hockey team Juuso Toivolan according to the trio Yrjölä–Havana–Antti-Roiko are connected by more than the same year of birth.

– Everyone has a different playing field and thus their own strengths. They have the ability to play the game and passion for the game, doing, training and a good positive twinkle in the corner of the eye.

Toivola says that Yrjölä’s success in the World Cup juniors and the fierce scoring rate in the domestic league have not gone unnoticed in Naisleijon either.

– She played in the under-18 games in the summer and has now shown that she can play at the women’s level.

– Siiri has the ability to position himself the way the game needs, both in attack and defense. He plays the game really naturally, sees what the game requires and makes decisions accordingly, Toivola continues.

The United States is calling

Yrjölä, a third-year student at Mäkelänrinne high school, received an invitation to the first women’s national team games in November. The recognition came to the 18-year-old defender somewhat unexpectedly.

– It felt great to be chosen. I didn’t expect it to come this fast.

– The team was well received. I could have imagined that it would have been much more exciting, but there were enough acquaintances there that I could be myself, Yrjölä continues.

When a career in the domestic league and national team has been started, many hockey players look for an additional challenge and success abroad. Sweden and the United States have been popular with female hockey players for a long time, and Yrjölä’s road is leading to the university league in North America.

– Everyone says that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I thought I would use it.

In the eyes of head coach Toivola, Yrjölä has a chance to go far.

– The qualities are there to be a leading player at an international level and to play an important role in Finnish women’s hockey both in the league and at the national team level. Everyday, weeks, months and future seasons will show what it is enough for. The possibilities are very high.

Raised a hockey family

Yrjölä grew up in a family where two older brothers and an older sister seven years older have also played hockey Sedge.

Siblings are more encouraging than competitive.

– You could think that there would be a struggle between us, but we don’t. If we go to outdoor ice, we are preferably on the same team and dominate that way, says Sara, who plays for the Kiekko-Espoo Academy team from the women’s Mest.

– When I was playing ringette, Siiri actively wanted to come to the ringette practices for independent training, even though he didn’t play the sport. It was sometimes a bit annoying when Siiri came along for the shots, Sara continues with a laugh.

The first child of the hockey family, Sara’s main sport changed from ring to ice hockey in adulthood, and the sisters have not yet been able to play on the same team.

– Siiri and I have talked that it would be wonderful to play in the same team someday. The future shows, says Sara.