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.[3] 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 [fi] (now known as SM Ringette), 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."[4]
She signed a contract for the 2023–24 season in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) with the Metropolitan Riveters in May 2023.[5] The PHF was bought out and dissolved in late-June 2023 and her contract voided before she was able to play in the league.
Tapani was drafted in the fifth round, 25th overall by the PWHL Minnesota in the 2023 PWHL Draft.[6] She was the first Finnish player to be drafted by a PWHL team and, along with Minttu Tuominen, was one of two Finnish players drafted in 2023.[7] She later signed a two-year contract with Minnesota, through the 2024–25 season.[8]
On 11 February 2024, PWHL Minnesota traded Tapani and defender Abby Cook to PWHL Boston in exchange for Sophie Jaques in the PWHL's inaugural trade.[9] Prior to being traded, Tapani had recorded two goals and three assists in nine games with Minnesota.[10][11]
Training
Tapani trained with several 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 several Liiga players – trained on the 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."[12]
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.[16] She has represented Finland at every IIHF Women's World Championship since 2011, except the 2016 tournament.[17][18][19][20][21] 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.[22]
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.[23] 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.[24] 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.[25] The women's ice hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing saw Tapani take another step in offensive production – she ranked first on the team in scoring with 6 goals and 2 assists for 8 points in seven games – and led Finland to another bronze medal victory.[26][27]
In 2021, Pasi Mustonen, head coach of the Finnish national ice hockey team, called Tapani the team's best forward on a roster that also featured internationally recognized forwards like Michelle Karvinen and Petra Nieminen.[12]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Note: Italics indicate postseason relegation series; statistics not included in playoff totals.
Tapani's mother played ringette and introduced her daughter to the sport early on.[30] Susanna began playing organized ringette around age five or six.[31] At age sixteen, she made her debut in Finland's premier national ringette league, the Ringeten SM-sarja (RSMs; rebranded as SM Ringette in 2021), with Raision Nuorisokiekko (RNK; team has been called the RNK Flyers since 2015).[32][33]
Tapani has played the entirety of her senior club career (as of 2024) with Raision Nuorisokiekko and contributed to Finnish Championship victories in 2011, 2017, and 2023.[34][35] She served as team captain from the 2015–16 season through the conclusion of the 2022–23 season.[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]
As one of SM Ringette's most outstanding players for more than a decade, Tapani led the league in scoring three times (2014–15, 2015–16, and 2022–23) and received the Agnes Jacks Trophy as the most valuable player (MVP) of SM Ringette six times (2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, and 2023).[44][45] She was selected as an All Star in more than half of her seasons played in SM Ringette – eight times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2023) across fifteen seasons.[32]
Tapani's achievements have made her one of the most successful players in Finnish ringette history. In recognition of the impact she has had as a role model to those with competitve ringette aspirtations, she was inducted as part of the first class of the Finnish Ringette Hall of Fame (Finnish: Suomalaisen ringeten kunniagalleria) in 2024. As a Hall of Fame inductee and pioneer of the sport, she has the right to use the honorary title Jääsärkija (lit.'Ice Breaker').[32]
International play
Tapani was a member of the Finnish national junior ringette team's Team White Stars, one of two under-19 teams that represented Finland at the inaugural International Ringette Federation (IRF) U-19 World Ringette Championships in 2009. She led all tournament skaters in scoring, with 15 goals and 9 assists for 24 points across 8 games, and was named MVP of the tournament as Finland's Team White Stars won gold.[46] Three years later, she participated in the 2012 World Junior Ringette Championships, at which Finland iced one team, and took home a silver medal.
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.[60]
