“Karpat” translated means “ferret” or “weasel”. And just as this little predator hunts its prey with quickness and agility, so, too, do Karpat’s players move across the ice with speed and skill. The club founded in 1946 has consequently seen plenty of success in the past two decades, winning seven of their eight total titles in club history and making it to the Champions Hockey League final in 2016. There the Finns fell to Frolunda 2-1 – the Swedes had previously eliminated HCD in the semifinals.

Karpat Oulu finished the past campaign in their national championship in third place - behind Tappara, which achieved the title hattrick over the course of the past three seasons and is currently the cream of the crop in the Finnish championship, and behind the Pelicans. It is a sign of the quality that lies in the team of head coach Ville Mantymaa, who succeeded the current Kloten coach Lauri Marjamaki this past December, that it is a candidate to win the tournament title. It would be only the second Finnish triumph at the Spengler Cup, after the underdog Kalpa Kuopio achieved the premiere in 2018.
Karpat has continually produced prominent names over the past years, most notably forward Sebastian Aho, who currently holds an almost ten million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes and has racked up an outstanding 627 points in 672 NHL games. The current roster features several players who have left their marks in Switzerland or in Davos. Atop the list is of course forward Teemu Turunen, who played for Davos during the 2021-22 season, yet without a Spengler Cup appearance due to the pandemic. He did, however, experience the traditional event when he played the tournament in 2017 as a member of HPK.

Other members with Swiss pasts include goaltender Tommi Karhunen, who played for Ambri-Piotta and SC Bern and won the Swiss cup with the Bernese. Defenseman Miika Koivisto also played for SCB, while two more defensive players in Tommi Kivisto (ZSC Lions) and Atte Ohtama (Lugano) have experience within the National League. The Spengler Cup is nothing new to either of them; Kivisto played the tournament twice as a member of Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, while Ohtama participated twice with Jokerit. In addition, the Swedish defenseman Victor Berglund (with HFK) as well as the two Czechs Martin Jandus (with Sparta Prague) and Michal Kovarcik (with Ocelari Trinec) also have tournament entries to show for.

Karpat is renowned for its discipline, refined passing game, and sound defense. The club also puts a large emphasis on youth development. The club has a tight connection to the region of Northern Finland and the local support is immense. Karpat is also an important ambassador for the sport in the northern part of the country and has contributed to solidify ice hockey as part of the region’s culture. The club plays a central role in the lives of Oulu’s inhabitants; the home games at Oulun Energia Areena are always well-attended, and the atmosphere during the games is electrifying. As such, it is certain that the Finns will go to work with high energy in Davos as well.
 

Text: SLAPSHOT, Das Hockey-Magazin der Schweiz     Foto: IMAGO/All Over Press Finland

Karpat Oulu is presented by Spengler Cup Gold Partner HOSTPOINT

Tickets for the Kärpät Oulu games are available HERE.