Story Summary
Liiga’s super season is still in its early stages, with clubs having played between 12 and 16 matches, but the league’s under-20 scoring picture is notably thin. Only nine U20 players have registered a point, while some teams have not had an eligible player in their line-up at all.
Tappara forward Oliver Suvanto leads the U20 scoring race with 10 points in 15 games. TPS forward Jeremi Virtanen is second on six points and HIFK’s Jere Somervuori is third with three. The other six U20 scorers have each recorded one point.
Suvanto and Somervuori had already established themselves last season, although Suvanto is now one point short of matching his previous season’s total. The wider concern is not a lack of young talent across Liiga, but the limited number of opportunities for players still taking their first steps at senior level.
Key Facts
- Liiga teams have played between 12 and 16 games in the super season so far.
- Only nine U20 players have recorded a point in Liiga this season.
- Tappara’s Oliver Suvanto leads U20 scorers with 10 points, including three goals and seven assists, in 15 games.
- TPS’s Jeremi Virtanen has six points, including five goals and one assist, while HIFK’s Jere Somervuori has three assists.
- Ässät’s 19-year-old Sakari Kostilainen has 12 points, including four goals and eight assists, in 15 games, but is not regarded as a breakthrough player because he turns 20 in December.
- Suvanto is one point away from his points total from last season.
IHM Discussion
The Red Bull Breakthrough helmet is intended for each team’s most productive U20 player, yet it has not been visible in every club’s games because not every line-up includes an eligible player. That is a telling detail in a league where the competitive stakes of the super season are described as rising quickly.
The leading names also underline the distinction between young production and a genuine breakthrough. Suvanto and Somervuori were already established in Liiga last season, while several other players aged 22 or younger, including Roope Vesterinen, Jere Lassila, Emil Kuusla and Santeri Huovila, had made their breakthroughs in earlier campaigns. Suvanto’s early scoring suggests another step forward, but the U20 table as a whole remains shallow.
Kostilainen provides an important counterpoint. His 12 points place him among Liiga’s more productive young players after a strong showing in last season’s play-offs, yet his December birthday removes him from the U20 breakthrough classification. The issue is therefore less about whether young players can contribute than about how few are currently receiving the chance to do so before reaching that stage.
Why It Matters
Liiga’s ability to introduce emerging players is central to the longer-term health of Finnish hockey. The current environment can make those openings harder to find: as the stakes increase, clubs may lean more readily on experienced, established players. Injuries do not automatically create a route for junior players either, with teams often adding replacements from elsewhere rather than promoting from within.
That approach may shape the number of first-team opportunities available to the next wave of prospects. A limited U20 scoring list does not measure every aspect of a player’s contribution, but it offers a clear indication that very few young players are currently producing offence in regular Liiga action.
Mini Q&A
Who leads Liiga’s U20 scoring race?
Tappara’s Oliver Suvanto leads U20 scorers with 10 points in 15 games.
How many U20 players have scored a point in Liiga?
Nine U20 players have registered at least one point so far this season.
Why is Sakari Kostilainen not classed as a breakthrough player?
Kostilainen was born in 2006 and turns 20 in December, placing him outside the U20 breakthrough category.
IHM Final View
Suvanto has given Liiga an early U20 scoring leader and is close to last season’s output, while Kostilainen has continued to make an impact despite sitting outside the age-defined breakthrough category. Beyond those individual cases, the numbers point to a narrow pathway for players under 20. The super season may bring benefits across Finnish hockey, but its early months have also raised a clear question about where the next Liiga breakthroughs will come from.