Emma Laaksonen Award

Emma Laaksonen Award
Emma Laaksonen -palkinto (Finnish)
SportIce hockey
LeagueNaisten Liiga
Awarded forFair play player
Presented byFinnish Ice Hockey Association
History
First award2011
First winnerChristine Posa
Most winsJohanna Juutilainen (2)
Saila Saari (2)
Most recentJohanna Juutilainen, 2024

The Emma Laaksonen Award (Finnish: Emma Laaksonen -palkinto) is an ice hockey trophy awarded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association to the fair play player of the year of the Naisten Liiga, called the Naisten SM-sarja until 2017. The award recognizes a player who best contributes to the scoring of their team while "playing fair," that is to say, while incurring very few penalty minutes. Winners typically exceed one point per game and are issued fewer than ten penalty minutes (PIM) over a full season.

It is named after defenseman Emma Terho (née Laaksonen), former captain of the Finnish women's national ice hockey team and general manager of Kiekko-Espoo Naiset. Despite being named after a defenseman, it has only ever been awarded to forwards.

The Emma Laaksonen Award was first awarded, to Christine Posa of the Espoo Blues in 2011.[1] Johanna Juutilainen and Saila Saari are the only players to have received the trophy twice. Saari was awarded in 2013, while playing with JYP Jyväskylä, and in 2018, while playing with Oulun Kärpät.[2] Juutilainen was the trophy recipient while playing with KalPa Kuopio in both 2021 and 2024. Emilia Vesa, recipient for the 2018–19 season, is the only honoree to have won the trophy while averaging less than one point per game.[3] In 2022, French national team player Emmanuelle Passard became the first international to win the award and was also the first recipient to have incurred zero penalty minutes in the award season.

The current trophy holder is Johanna Juutilainen, who won the award while serving as captain of KalPa for the 2023–24 season.

Award winners

Season Winner Team GP Pts PIM
2010–11 Christine Posa Espoo Blues 26 28 4
2011–12 Satu Niinimäki Ilves Tampere 19 28 2
2012–13 Saila Saari JYP Jyväskylä 28 39 2
2013–14 Tiina Paananen JYP Jyväskylä 28 31 8
2014–15 Noora Tulus Espoo Blues 25 38 8
2015–16 Sanni Hakala JYP Jyväskylä 23 36 4
2016–17 Tanja Niskanen KalPa Kuopio 22 36 6
2017–18 Saila Saari Kärpät Oulu 26 44 8
2018–19 Emilia Vesa Team Kuortane 28 21 4
2019–20 Viivi Vainikka Team Kuortane 30 52 6
2020–21 Johanna Juutilainen KalPa Kuopio 25 35 2
2021–22 Emmanuelle Passard IFK Helsinki 28 33 0
2022–23 Jenna Hietala KalPa Kuopio 35 50 6
2023–24 Johanna Juutilainen KalPa Kuopio 32 46 2

Source: Elite Prospects[4]

All time award recipients

Player Wins Years won
Johanna Juutilainen 2 2021[5]
2024[6]
Saila Saari 2 2013
2018[2]
Sanni Hakala 1 2016
Jenna Hietala 1 2023[7]
Satu Niinimaki 1 2012
Tanja Niskanen 1 2017
Tiina Paananen 1 2014
Emmanuelle Passard 1 2022[8]
Christine Posa 1 2011[1]
Noora Tulus 1 2015
Viivi Vainikka 1 2020[9]
Emilia Vesa 1 2019[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Mennander, Pasi (11 March 2011). "Naisten SM-sarjan palkinnot 2010–11 – Tässä nimilista!". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b Mennander, Pasi (8 March 2018). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2017–18 palkitut pelaajat, erotuomarit ja tähtikentät". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto; Jääkiekkon SM-liiga Oy. Aaltonen, Juha (ed.). Jääkiekkokirja 2019–2020 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Uusi Suomi/Kiekkolehti. p. 554. ISSN 0784-3321. OCLC 476321083. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  4. ^ "Awards - Naisten Liiga (W) Fair Play Player (Emma Laaksonen Award)". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  5. ^ Niemeläinen, Jonne (16 March 2021). "Huikeat tehot kerännyt 19-vuotias KalPa-hyökkääjä Elisa Holopainen palkittiin Naisten Liigan runkosarjan parhaana – huomenna edessä kauden tärkein peli". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  6. ^ Mennander, Pasi (8 June 2024). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2023–24 palkitut pelaajat, valmentajat ja tuomarit". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 17 June 2024.
  7. ^ Mennander, Pasi (10 June 2023). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2022–23 palkitut pelaajat, valmentajat ja tuomarit". Finnish Ice Hockey Association (in Finnish). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  8. ^ Mennander, Pasi (13 June 2022). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2021–22 palkitut pelaajat ja tähtikentät". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  9. ^ Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto; Jääkiekkon SM-liiga Oy (2020). Aaltonen, Juha (ed.). Jääkiekkokirja 2021: Suomen Jääkiekkoliiton ja Liiga Kausijulkaisu 2020–2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Uusi Suomi/Kiekkolehti. p. 528. Retrieved 13 November 2020.