Katja Riipi Award

The Katja Riipi Award (Finnish: Katja Riipi -palkinto) is an ice hockey trophy, seasonally awarded by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association to the best forward of the Naisten Liiga, previously the Naisten SM-sarja. Best forward in the Naisten Liiga was first awarded in the 2005–06 season, to Saara Niemi (née Tuominen). The award was named in honor of Katja Riipi during the 2010–11 season.[1]

Katja Riipi Award
Katja Riipi -palkinto (Finnish)
SportIce hockey
LeagueNaisten Liiga
Awarded forBest forward
Presented byFinnish Ice Hockey Association
History
First winnerSaara Tuominen, 2006
Most winsElisa Holopainen (4)
Linda Välimäki (4)
Most recentElisa Holopainen, 2022

The most Katja Riipi Awards won by a single player is four, a record held by two iconic players of the 2010s: Linda Leppänen (née Välimäki) and Elisa Holopainen. Leppänen, a centre, first won the trophy in the 2009–10 season, while playing with Ilves Tampere – the team she would later coach during 2020 to 2022. Her later three titles were awarded while playing with the Kiekko-Espoo franchise, winning consecutive trophies in the 2013–14 season and 2014–15 seasons, when the team was called the Espoo Blues, and in the 2016–17 season, when the team was called Espoo United. Young phenom Elisa Holopainen, a left winger, is the current title holder and has won the award in each of the past four seasons, making her the first player to win the award more than two consecutive times. Anne Helin, who won the trophy in the 2010–11 season and 2012–13, is the only other player to have been awarded the Katja Riipi Award more than once.

Award winners
Season Winner Team
2005–06 Saara Tuominen Ilves Tampere
2006–07 Karoliina Rantamäki Espoo Blues
2007–08 Eini Lehtinen Oulun Kärpät
2008–09 Michelle Karvinen Espoo Blues
2009–10 Linda Välimäki Ilves Tampere
2010–11 Anne Helin Oulun Kärpät
2011–12 Nina Tikkinen Oulun Kärpät
2012–13 Anne Helin Oulun Kärpät
2013–14 Linda Välimäki Espoo Blues
2014–15 Linda Välimäki Espoo Blues
2015–16 Tanja Niskanen JYP Jyväskylä [2]
2016–17 Linda Välimäki Espoo United
2017–18 Petra Nieminen Team Kuortane [3]
2018–19 Elisa Holopainen KalPa Kuopio [4]
2019–20 Elisa Holopainen KalPa Kuopio [5][6]
2020–21 Elisa Holopainen KalPa Kuopio [7]
2021–22 Elisa Holopainen Kiekko-Espoo [8]

Source: Elite Prospects[9]

All-time award recipients
Player Wins Year(s) won
Elisa Holopainen42019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Linda Välimäki42010, 2014, 2015, 2017
Anne Helin22011, 2013
Michelle Karvinen12009
Eini Lehtinen12008
Petra Nieminen12018
Tanja Niskanen12016
Karoliina Rantamäki12007
Nina Tikkinen12012
Saara Tuominen12006

References
  1. "Jääkiekkoliitto uudisti palkinnot: Pokaaleihin nimet Selänne, Koivu, Räty, Javanainen..." MTV Uutiset (in Finnish). 14 November 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  2. Mennander, Pasi (4 March 2016). "Naisten SM-sarjan kauden 2015-16 palkitut pelaajat, erotuomarit ja tähtikentät". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  3. Mennander, Pasi. "Kuortaneella juhlistettiin runkosarjapalkintoja - Pystejä pelaajille ja valmennukselle". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  4. Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto; Liiga (2019). Aaltonen, Juha (ed.). Jääkiekkokirja 2020: Suomen Jääkiekkoliiton ja Liiga Kausijulkaisu 2019–2020 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Uusi Suomi/Kiekkolehti. p. 554. ISSN 0784-3321. OCLC 476321083. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  5. Mennander, Pasi (23 March 2020). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2019–20 palkitut pelaajat ja tähtikentät". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  6. 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. ISSN 0784-3321. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  7. Mennander, Pasi (15 March 2021). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2020–21 palkitut pelaajat ja tähtikentät". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  8. Mennander, Pasi (13 June 2022). "Naisten Liigan kauden 2021–22 palkitut pelaajat ja tähtikentät". leijonat.fi (in Finnish). Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  9. "Award - SM-sarja (W) Best Forward (Katja Riipi Award)". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
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