The 2026–27 Auroraliiga season is the 44th ice hockey season of the Auroraliiga. The regular season began on 12 September 2026 and will conclude on 21 February 2027.

League changes Season format Eight teams were granted licenses for the 2026–27 season. The regular season will be played as a five-cycle round-robin, plus a single-round robin of closing games, for a total of 36 matches per team.

The six teams with the highest point total at the end of the season will earn playoff berths. Teams finishing the season placed first and second will advance directly to the semifinals, while teams finishing third through sixth will participate in the quarterfinals. Quarterfinals will be played using the best-of-five format, while both semifinals and finals will be played using the best-of-seven format. The bronze medal match will remain single-elimination.

Checking League rules were amended in March 2026 to permit some forms of body checking, starting in the 2026–27 season. The Auroraliiga proposed the rule change to the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in the hopes of speeding up the rate of play and to better correspond with the rules of other leagues, particularly the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) and the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL).

Under the new rules, legal hits include those made when players are moving in the same direction, when the puck is being fought for between players involved in the check near the boards, and in open ice when moving in the same direction, at a 90° angle, or when one player is stationary. Illegal hits include those made near the boards when the checker is entering the situation quickly from the outside or as a "third player" and open ice hits coming directly from the front or from a different direction.

KalPa Following the 2025–26 Auroraliiga season, the operating club of KalPa Naiset, Juniori-KalPa ry, announced that it would not apply for an Auroraliiga license for the 2026–27 season and the team would instead compete in the Naisten Mestis.

Teams 2026–27 season

Nine clubs were eligible to apply for Auroraliiga licenses for the 2026–27 season. Eight teams applied for and were granted league licenses. Pelicans replaced RoKi after earning promotion in the 2026 postseason qualification, and KalPa voluntarily relegated to the Naisten Mestis.

Team Location Home venue Head coach Captain HIFK Pirkkolan jäähalli HPK Pihlajalinna Areena Ilves Tampere Tesoman jäähalli Kiekko-Espoo Espoo Tapiolan harjoitusareena Kärpät Oulu Raksilan jäähalli Pelicans Lahti Wemasto Areena Team Kuortane Alavus Alavus Areena TPS Turku Kupittaan jäähalli

Offseason Coaching changes Team Previous coach New coach Kiekko-Espoo Sami Haapanen Minttu Tuominen Kärpät Teemu Koivula Mira Kuisma

Player movements

Note: This section does not record all player signings. It is generally limited to player movements involving national team players from any country, international import players, and extra-league signings. Player nationality displayed is limited to primary nation of IIHF eligibility; some players may hold citizenship in more than one country. Player Nat Previous team 2026–27 team ref. Incoming players Keira Bolt (D) UW-Eau Claire Bluegolds (NCAA D3) TPS Turku Clémence Boudin (F) Pôle France Féminin IFK Helsinki Ava Bullert (F) UW-Eau Claire Bluegolds (NCAA D3) TPS Turku Iiris Falck (D) Graz99ers Huskies (EWHL) Pelicans Lahti Kateřina Fialová (G) HC Energie Karlovy Vary (1. liga) Kärpät Oulu Julia Jackson (F) TMU Bold (U Sports) TPS Turku Gabija Jaroševičiūtė (F) Sostine LRA (Baltic) TPS Turku Kiku Kobayashi (G) Seibu Princess Rabbits (WJIHL) Pelicans Lahti Tanja Koljonen (F) VSV Lady Hawks (EWHL) Kiekko-Espoo My Lau (D) Rögle BK (NDHL) HPK Hämeenlinna Ashley McCutcheon (F) UPEI Panthers (U Sports) TPS Turku Paige McGuire (F) Färjestad BK (NDHL) HPK Hämeenlinna Maéli Raigneau (F) Pôle France Féminin IFK Helsinki Emmi Rakkolainen (F) HV71 (SDHL) Kiekko-Espoo Kanami Seki (D) Seibu Princess Rabbits (WJIHL) TPS Turku Natalie Williamson (G) Regina Cougars (U Sports) TPS Turku Andrea Zeylon Grinnbo (D) Lillehammer (Elitserien) TPS Turku Intra-league transfers Kerttu Kuja-Halkola (G) Team Kuortane IFK Helsinki Lunasa Sano (F) KalPa Kuopio IFK Helsinki Heta Seikkula (D) HPK Hämeenlinna Kiekko-Espoo Kiti Seikkula (F) HPK Hämeenlinna Kiekko-Espoo Departing players Hilda Arhammar Pakarinen (F) IFK Helsinki Harvard Crimson (NCAA D1) Nella Berg (D) HPK Hämeenlinna Luleå HF/MSSK (SDHL) Barbora Dalecká (G) RoKi Rovaniemi Sacred Heart Pioneers (NCAA D1) Magdalena Erbenová (F) TPS Turku Leksands IF (SDHL) Ada Eronen (D) Kiekko-Espoo SC Bern (PFWL) Manuela Heidenberger (D) HPK Hämeenlinna Holy Cross Crusaders (NCAA D1) Barbora Juříčková (F) HPK Hämeenlinna St. Lawrence Saints (NCAA D1) Emmi Juusela (F) IFK Helsinki SDE HF (SDHL) Anna Kalová (F) HPK Hämeenlinna Örebro HK (NDHL) Anni Keisala (G) HPK Hämeenlinna retired Athéna Locatelli (D) IFK Helsinki unknown Ines Lukkarila (F) HPK Hämeenlinna Örebro HK (NDHL) Dominika Malicka (F) KalPa Kuopio Södertälje SK (NDHL) Tereza Mašková (D) HPK Hämeenlinna Hammarby IF (NDHL) Emma Nuutinen (F) Kiekko-Espoo Seattle Torrent (PWHL) Pauliina Salonen (F) IFK Helsinki Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (NCAA D1) Salla Sivula (G) KalPa Kuopio KeuPa/JYP (Naisten Mestis) Karolína Skořepová (F) Ilves Tampere Wilkes Colonels (NCAA D3) Jutta Stoltenberg (F) HPK Hämeenlinna retired Tuuli Tallinen (D) HPK Hämeenlinna Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (NCAA D1) Iben Tillman (D) HPK Hämeenlinna Eisbären Juniors Berlin (DFEL)

Preseason The preseason began on 6 August 2026, with five Auroraliiga teams participating in the inaugural Naisten Pitsiturnaus (). Following the Naisten Pitsiturnaus, the preseason comprises exhibition games played between Auroraliiga teams or between an Auroraliiga team and a boys' junior team from the youth department of the same club or a local club.

Pitsiturnaus The Pitsiturnaus () has been held in Rauma since 1993 as a one-day preseason exhibition tournament for six men's ice hockey teams. In 2026, a women's tournament, the Naisten Pitsiturnaus, was played alongside the men's for the first time. The women's tournament was hosted by the Naisten Mestis team Lukko Rauma and five Auroraliiga teams participated: HIFK, HPK, Ilves, Kiekko-Espoo, and TPS.

Pitsiturnaus games are 40 minutes or two periods in length, allowing for a greater number of games to be played in one day. The women's tournament used the same tournament format as its counterpart, in which the six teams were split into two groups of three, called Group A and Group B, and each group played a single round-robin of three games. The teams finishing first and second in each group moved on to the semifinals, while the third-ranked teams played a single game for fifth place. The semifinals comprised single-elimination games between the top ranked team from each group and the second ranked team from the other group. The winners of the semifinal games moved on to the final.

Group A

Group B

Bracket

Other preseason Schedule Exhibition games Date Home Score Visitor OT Attn Notes Recap6 August Kärpät 5–6 45 8 August 3–0 Pelicans 82Shutout recorded by Lilia Huovinen 14 August HPK 0–3 Luleå HF Match played at ('Kokkola's training ice rink 2') in Kokkola, Finland 15 August K-Espoo 3–2 HIFK OT 62 Kuortane 4–1 Ilves 30 Kärpät 0–4 Luleå HF 16 August HPK 0–3 Luleå HF Match played at K-Espoo 2–3 HIFK 70 19 August TPS 3–1 Lukko 90 20 August K-Espoo 7–6 OT 10Hat-trick by Tanja KoljonenPlayed at in Espoo's Matinkylä district 21 August HIFK 5–0 Pelicans 46Shutout recorded by Lilli Packalen 22 August K-Espoo 5–0 Ilves 40Shutout recorded by Tiia Pajarinen Pelicans 2–1 HIFK 90 23 August HPK 2–5 K-Espoo 90 Ilves 4–1 K-Espoo Ak 50 26 August Ilves 5–1 Kuortane 80Hat-trick by Anna-Kaisa Antti-Roiko (four goals total) 27 August K-Espoo 5–8 30Hat-trick by Luka KauraPlayed at Kärpät 2–7 35Hat-trick by Veeti Miettinen (five goals total) Kuortane 3–8 50 29 August Pelicans 3–4 Ilves 80 TPS K-Espoo 30 K-Espoo 5–2 TPS 50 HIFK 1–3 HIFK U16 II 99 Kärpät 1–9 53

Regular season The regular season began on Saturday, 12 September 2026.

Standings

Results 2026–27 regular seasonSeptember Date Home Score Visitor OT Attn Notes Recap12 September Pelicans 3–2 TPS 380 K-Espoo 3–1 HPK 163 Ilves 3–4 Kuortane 115 Kärpät 1–3 HIFK 390 13 September Kuortane 7–0 Pelicans 90Shutout recorded by Iina Kankaanpää TPS 1–8 K-Espoo 97 HPK 6–1 Ilves 100 Kärpät 3–4 HIFK 175 18 September Pelicans 2–9 HPK 140Six points (1+5) by Paige McGuire 19 September K-Espoo 4–0 Kärpät 75Shutout recorded by Lilia Huovinen TPS 2–1 Kuortane 50 Ilves 1–2 HIFK SO 80 20 September Pelicans 1–6 K-Espoo 120 HIFK 3–1 Kärpät 105 Ilves 4–3 Kuortane OT 70 HPK 6–7 TPS 110Hat-trick by Emmi Loponen 26 September HIFK 3–2 K-Espoo SO 79 Ilves 5–2 Pelicans 75 Kärpät 1–3 HPK 170 Kuortane 4–1 TPS 40 27 September Pelicans 1–5 HIFK 150 K-Espoo 3–1 Ilves 82 Kuortane 3–1 HPK 70 Kärpät 0–2 TPS 135 October Date Home Score Visitor OT Attn Notes Recap3 October 4 October 10 October 11 October 17 October 18 October 23 October 24 October 25 October 29 October 31 October

References

Game recaps

Preseason