Luleå Hockey/MSSK are a professional ice hockey team in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL). They play in Luleå, a port city in northeastern Sweden, at Coop Norrbotten Arena. The team is the most successful club in SDHL history, having been regular season champions for four consecutive years, 2015–2019, and winning the Swedish Championship seven times within eight years, from 2016 to 2024.
| Luleå Hockey/MSSK | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Luleå, Sweden |
| League | SDHL |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Home arena | Coop Norrbotten Arena |
| Colors | Red, black, white, yellow |
| General manager | Klas Gustafsson |
| Head coach | Jens Själin |
| Captain | Jenni Hiirikoski |
| Website | www |
| Championships | |
| Regular season titles | 7 (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024) |
| Playoff championships | 7 (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) |
| Current uniform | |
 | |
 Current season | |
History
editThe team was formed in 2015, after a merger between Luleå HF and Munksund Skuthamn SK (MSSK). In October 2016, the club set an SDHL attendance record with 3,150 spectators for a match against Norrland rivals Modo Hockey.[1]
After winning the Swedish Championship in 2018, they played against that year's Isobel Cup winners, the Metropolitan Riveters of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), in the first-ever Champions Cup of women's ice hockey.[2] Luleå won the match 4-2.[3] In November that year, the club again set a new record for SDHL attendance, with 6,220 spectators for a match against AIK IF.[4]
In 2019, the club hired Mikael Forsberg to replace Fredrik Glader, who had served as head coach for the first four seasons of the club's existence.[5]
Season-by-season results
editThis is a list of all seasons completed by Luleå Hockey/MSSK, since the team was founded in 2015.
Code explanation: GP—Games played, W—Wins, OTW—Overtime wins, T—Overtime losses, L—Losses, GF—Goals for, GA—Goals against, Pts—Points. Top Scorer: Points (Goals+Assists)
| Season | League | Regular season | Post season results | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | Pts | Top scorer | |||
| 2015-16 | SDHL | 1st | 36 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 161 | 60 | 87 |  M. Karvinen 79 (37+42) | Won Championship, 2-1 (Linköping HC) |
| 2016-17 | SDHL | 1st | 36 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 168 | 52 | 96 | M. Karvinen 70 (30+40) | Lost semi-finals, 0-2 (HV71) |
| 2017-18 | SDHL | 1st | 36 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 160 | 58 | 95 | M. Karvinen 68 (30+38) | Won Championship, 2-1 (Linköping HC) |
| 2018-19 | SDHL | 1st | 36 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 166 | 52 | 93 | J. Hiirikoski 63 (19+44) | Won Championship, 3-2 (Linköping HC) |
| 2019-20 | SDHL | 2nd | 36 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 141 | 61 | 81 | P. Nieminen 55 (25+30) | Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020-21 | SDHL | 1st | 36 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 159 | 52 | 99 |  M. Cava 66 (29+37) | Won Championship, 3-0 (Brynäs IF) |
| 2021–22 | SDHL | 3rd | 36 | 21 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 131 | 79 | 75 | P. Nieminen 55 (26+29) | Won Championship, 3-2 (Brynäs IF) |
| 2022–23 | SDHL | 1st | 32 | 27 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 140 | 39 | 87 | N. Tulus 56 (22+34) | Won Championship, 3-0 (Brynäs IF) |
Players and personnel
edit2023–24 roster
edit
Coaching staff and team personnel
- Head coach: Jens Själin
- Assistant coach: Oskar Häggström
- Physical therapist: Johanna Olofsson
- Equipment manager: Carina Marnéus
Team captains
edit- Emma Eliasson, 2015–2017
- Jenni Hiirikoski, 2017–present
Head coaches
edit- Lisa Flemström, 2013–14
- Oskar Häggström, 2014–15
- Fredrik Glader, 2015–2019
- Mikael Forsberg, 2019–November 2022[8]
- Jens Själin, 2023–present
Franchise records and leaders
edit- As of 24 March 2023
Regular season
edit- Most goals in a season: Michelle Karvinen, 37 (2015–16)
- Most assists in a season: Jenni Hiirikoski, 44 (2018–19)
- Most points in a season: Michelle Karvinen, 79 (2015–16)
- Most points in a season, defenseman: Jenni Hiirikoski, 63 (2018–19)
- Best save percentage in a season, over ten games played: Frida Axell, .944 (2022–23)
- Best goals against average in a season, over ten games played: Frida Axell, 1.00 (2022–23)
Career
edit- Most games played, skater: Jenni Hiirikoski, 239
- Most games played, goaltender: Sara Grahn, 114
- Most shutouts in a career: Sara Grahn, 24
- Most penalty minutes in a career: Ronja Savolainen, 251
Scoring leaders
editThe top-ten point-scorers (goals + assists) of Luleå Hockey/MSSK from the 2015–16 season through the 2022–23 season.[9]
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; = 2023–24 Luleå HF/MSSK player
| Nat | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Emma Nordin | C/RW | 230 | 164 | 198 | 362 | 1.57 |
| | Jenni Hiirikoski | D | 239 | 90 | 242 | 332 | 1.39 |
| | Michelle Karvinen | W | 152 | 141 | 173 | 314 | 2.07 |
| | Noora Tulus | RW/C | 218 | 89 | 175 | 264 | 1.21 |
| | Petra Nieminen | C | 168 | 118 | 116 | 234 | 1.39 |
| | Ronja Savolainen | D | 223 | 70 | 128 | 198 | 0.89 |
 | Josefine Høegh Persson | W | 230 | 62 | 87 | 149 | 0.65 |
| | Viivi Vainikka | RW/C | 100 | 53 | 54 | 107 | 1.07 |
| | Linn Peterson | RW/C | 173 | 40 | 66 | 106 | 0.61 |
| | Johanna Fällman | D | 234 | 26 | 62 | 88 | 0.38 |
References
edit- ^ Rönnkvist, Ronnie (14 October 2016). "Landslagsstjärnan imponerad av publikrekordet: "Som en SHL-match"". HockeySverige (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ Foster, Meredith (2 April 2018). "Luleå HF Win SDHL Championship". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ Oliver, Nathaniel (1 October 2018). "5 Champions Cup Takeaways: Metropolitan Riveters vs Luleå HF/MSSK". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ Funqvis, Sixten (16 November 2018). "Nytt publikrekord i SDHL". HockeySverige (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 November 2020.
- ^ Nilsson, Jonathan (29 September 2019). ""Man slår upp telefonboken och vill ringa pappa – men det går inte att nå honom"". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Luleå Hockey/MSSK Trupp > Komplett Trupp". Luleå Hockey (in Swedish). Retrieved 29 September 2023.
- ^ "SDHL (W) - Luleå HF, 2023-2024 Roster". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ Nilsson, Jonathan (10 November 2022). "Tränaren lämnar Luleå – mitt i säsongen". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 March 2023.
- ^ "Luleå HF - All Time Regular Season Player Stats to season 22/23". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
External links
edit- Team information and statistics from Eliteprospects.com and Eurohockey.com and Hockeyarchives.info (in French)