Julia Liikala
{{Short description|Finnish ice hockey player (born 2001)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox ice hockey biography
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|03|20|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Peräseinäjoki, Finland
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_cm = 166
| weight_kg = 64
| position = Right wing
| shoots = Left
| league = SWHL A
| team = HCAP Girls
| former_teams = HIFK Helsinki
HPK Hämeenlinna
| played_for =
| sex = f
| ntl_team = FIN
| career_start = 2016
| career_end =
| website =
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalBronze|2022 Beijing|Ice hockey}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championship}}
{{MedalBronze|2021 Canada|}}
{{MedalBronze|2024 United States|}}
{{MedalBronze|2025 Czechia|}}
}}
Julia Liikala (born 20 March 2001) is a Finnish ice hockey winger and member of the Finnish national ice hockey team. She is signed with the Hockey Club Ambrì-Piotta Girls (HCAP Girls) of the Swiss Women's League (SWHL A) for the 2024–25 season.
Playing career
Liikala was born and raised in Peräseinäjoki, which was merged with Seinäjoki in 2005. As a child, she began playing ice hockey with the local club, S-Kiekko. Her debut in a women's league came at age 13, in a Naisten Suomi-sarja game between S-Kiekko and the Kisa-Eagles on 7 February 2015, where she scored the sixth goal in a 10–0 whitewash.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2015-02-07|title=2014–15 Naisten Suomi-sarja, lohko 2: S-Kiekko – Kisa-Eagles|url=http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/game/?season=2015&gameid=38397&lang=fi|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622122928/http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/game/?season=2015&gameid=38397&lang=fi|archive-date=22 June 2020|access-date=2020-06-22|website=tilastopalvelu.fi|publisher=Finnish Ice Hockey Association|language=fi}}
At age 16, Liikala considered joining Team Kuortane of the Kuortaneen urheilulukio in Kuortane, {{convert|42|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} east of Seinäjoki, where a significant number of players from the Finnish national U18 team played and attended secondary school ({{Langx|fi|lukio}}). Ultimately, she felt that Kuortane was too close to home and opted instead to sign with HPK Kiekkonaiset and continue her studies in Hämeenlinna, {{convert|235|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} away.{{Cite web|last=Teiskonlahti|first=Kirsi|date=2019-11-07|title=Julia Liikala on yksi Naisleijonien tulokkaista, jonka erityinen pelikäsitys voi tehdä hänestä tulevaisuudessa tähden – matkalla menestykseen HPK-hyökkääjää neuvoo liigan ennätysnainen|url=https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-11052843|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622171531/https://yle.fi/urheilu/3-11052843|archive-date=22 June 2020|access-date=2020-06-22|website=Yle|language=fi}}
International play
As a junior player with the Finnish national U18 team, Liikala participated in three IIHF World Women's U18 Championships, winning a bronze medal in 2019.
In 2019, Finnish national team head coach, Pasi Mustonen, described Liikala as having an extremely high potential of earning a roster position on the team for the 2022 Winter Olympics{{Cite web|last=Virtanen|first=Samuli|date=2019-11-18|title=Naisleijonien päävalmentaja tarkasti HPK:n – "Liikala ja Karjalainen potentiaalisia olympiapelaajia 2022"|url=https://www.hameensanomat.fi/urheilu/naisleijonien-paavalmentaja-tarkasti-hpkn-liikala-ja-karjalainen-potentiaalisia-olympiapelaajia-2022-948598/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623035551/https://www.hameensanomat.fi/urheilu/naisleijonien-paavalmentaja-tarkasti-hpkn-liikala-ja-karjalainen-potentiaalisia-olympiapelaajia-2022-948598/|archive-date=23 June 2020|access-date=2020-06-22|website=Hämeen Sanomat|language=fi}} and she was selected to represent Finland at the 2020 IIHF Women's World Championship. She was officially named to the roster on 4 March 2020,{{Cite web|last=Koivunen|first=Pertti|date=2020-03-04|title=HPK-kaksikon kausi huipentuu MM-jäillä – Ida Karjalainen ja Julia Liikala debytoivat naisten arvokisoissa Kanadassa|url=https://www.hameensanomat.fi/urheilu/hpk-kaksikon-kausi-huipentuu-mm-jailla-1083407/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200625101918/https://www.hameensanomat.fi/urheilu/hpk-kaksikon-kausi-huipentuu-mm-jailla-1083407/|archive-date=25 June 2020|access-date=2020-06-22|website=|publisher=Hämeen Sanomat|language=fi}} prior to the cancellation of the tournament on 7 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|url=http://www.leijonat.fi/index.php/maajoukkueet/naisleijonat/2019-20/mm2020/item/37573-naisleijonien-mm-joukkue-valittu-sukupolven-vaihdos-tuo-mm-joukkueeseen-seitseman-ensikertalaista|title=Naisleijonien MM-joukkue valittu – Sukupolven vaihdos tuo MM-joukkueeseen seitsemän ensikertalaista|last=Malmberg|first=Henna|date=2020-03-04|website=leijonat.fi|publisher=Finnish Ice Hockey Association|language=fi-fi|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201212093535/http://www.leijonat.fi/index.php/maajoukkueet/naisleijonat/2019-20/mm2020/item/37573-naisleijonien-mm-joukkue-valittu-sukupolven-vaihdos-tuo-mm-joukkueeseen-seitseman-ensikertalaista|archive-date=12 December 2020|access-date=2020-03-05}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2020/ww/news/18296/women%E2%80%99s-worlds-cancelled|title=Women's Worlds cancelled|last=Steiss|first=Adam|date=2020-03-07|website=|publisher=IIHF|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307232554/https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2020/ww/news/18296/women%E2%80%99s-worlds-cancelled|archive-date=7 March 2020|access-date=2020-03-10}} She had previously appeared with the national team at all of the tournaments of the 2019–20 Women's Euro Hockey Tour.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/500705/julia-liikala|title=Player Profile: Julia Liikala|last=|first=|date=|website=eliteprospects.com|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101005304/https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/500705/julia-liikala|archive-date=1 November 2020|access-date=2020-03-11}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/serierosterlist/?stgid=7327&season=2020&tid=683426361&sid=1663&lang=fi&pdf=1|title=EHT: 4 Nations Tournament 20.-24.8.2019, FIN: Kokoonpanot|last=|first=|date=|website=tilastopalvelu.fi|publisher=Finnish Ice Hockey Association|language=fi|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207124617/http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/serierosterlist/?stgid=7327&season=2020&tid=683426361&sid=1663&lang=fi&pdf=1|archive-date=7 February 2023|access-date=2020-03-11}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/serierosterlist/?stgid=7646&season=2020&tid=683426361&sid=1692&lang=fi&pdf=1|title=5 Nations Tournament 6.-10.11.2019, Dmitrov, RUS: Kokoonpanot|last=|first=|date=|website=tilastopalvelu.fi|publisher=Finnish Ice Hockey Association|language=fi|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207122911/http://www.tilastopalvelu.fi/ih/serierosterlist/?stgid=7646&season=2020&tid=683426361&sid=1692&lang=fi&pdf=1|archive-date=7 February 2023|access-date=2020-03-10}}
Liikala ultimately made her World Championship debut in 2021, recording two assists in seven games and winning bronze. As predicted, she was selected to represent Finland in the women's ice hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and took home an Olympic bronze medal.
She recorded her first World Championship goal in the preliminary round of the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship, the lone goal scored for Finland in a 1–4 loss to {{Nwiht|Canada}}.{{Cite web |last=Rautiainen |first=Reima |date=2022-08-25 |title=Jäähyillyt Kanada kaatoi Naisleijonat MM-avauksessa rutiinilla – Suomelle jäi ylivoimapelissä parannettavaa |url=https://www.ts.fi/urheilu/5745022 |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=Turun Sanomat |language=fi |archive-date=5 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905152901/https://www.ts.fi/urheilu/5745022 |url-status=live }}
= Statistics =
| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:40em" | |||||||
| ALIGN="centre" bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Year !! Team !! Event !! Result ! rowspan="97" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM | |||||||
| 2017 | Finland | U18 | 5th
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2018 | Finland | U18 | 5th
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 2019 | Finland | U18 | {{Bronze3}}
| 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2021 | {{Nwiht|Finland}} | WC | {{Bronze3}}
| 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | Finland | OG | {{Bronze3}}
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2022 | Finland | WC | 6th
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2023 | Finland | WC | 5th
| 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2025 | Finland | WC | {{bronze3}}
| 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan=4 | Junior totals ! 16 !! 6 !! 3 !! 9 !! 2 | |||||||
| bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan=4 | Senior totals ! 35 !! 3 !! 9 !! 12 !! 2 |
{{small|Sources:{{Cite book|title=IIHF Guide & Record Book 2020|publisher=Moydart|year=2019|isbn=978-0-9867964-7-0|editor-last=Podnieks|editor-first=Andrew|location=Toronto|pages=653|chapter=Active Skaters, Women|editor-last2=Nordmark|editor-first2=Birger}}{{cite web |title=2023 IIHF Women's World Championship – Player Statistics by Team: FIN - Finland |url=https://www.iihf.com/pdf/498/ihw4980fin_83_7_0 |website=International Ice Hockey Federation |access-date=2023-04-16 |language=en |date=2023-04-16}}}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{icehockeystats}}
- {{Olympedia}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liikala, Julia}}
Category:Finnish women's ice hockey forwards
Category:HPK Kiekkonaiset players
Category:Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Category:Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Category:Naisten Liiga All-Stars
Category:Olympic ice hockey players for Finland
Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Finland
Category:Olympic medalists in ice hockey
Category:Sportspeople from Seinäjoki
Category:Ice hockey people from South Ostrobothnia
Category:21st-century Finnish sportswomen
{{Finland-icehockey-bio-stub}}