IFK Helsinki Naiset (), abbreviated HIFK Naiset and also known as Stadin Gimmat (, a nickname for Helsinki), is an ice hockey team in the Finnish Auroraliiga. They play in the Pirkkola district of Helsinki at the (). The team is the representative women's ice hockey team of the multisport club Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors and is operated by Oy HIFK-Hockey Ab, the same organization that owns the HIFK men's ice hockey team of the Liiga â HIFK Naiset are one of only two Auroraliiga teams owned directly by a Liiga team.
The original HIFK Naiset was one of the ten founding teams from the inaugural 1982âÂÂ83 Naisten SM-sarja season but they were financially relegated in 1989 and the club chose not to pursue women's ice hockey for the following several decades. The current team was established in 2018 and gained promotion to the Auroraliiga (then called the Naisten Liiga) from the second-tier Naisten Mestis at the end of their debut season in 2018âÂÂ19.
HIFK-Stadin Gimmat has two affiliate teams, HIFK Akatemia and HIFK Challenger (known as HIFK U18 from 2018 to 2023), which are active in the Naisten Mestis and Naisten Suomi-sarja, respectively.
HIFK Naiset was one of the original ten teams to play in the inaugural season, 1982âÂÂ83, of the Naisten SM-sarja (; renamed Naisten Liiga in 2017 and Auroraliiga in 2024). The team struggled early on, forced to compete with fellow Helsinki-based team Helsingin Jääkiekkoklubi (HJK) for top talent. HIFK finished in the bottom half of the league in their first five seasons, ranking seventh of ten teams in 1982âÂÂ83, ninth of twelve in 1983âÂÂ84, eighth of thirteen in 1984âÂÂ85, fifth of eight in 1985âÂÂ86, and sixth of eight in 1986âÂÂ87.
The team's fortunes turned in the 1987âÂÂ88 season and they earned a 7-2-5 (win-tie-loss) record with a +3 goal difference and claimed third place in the Naisten SM-sarja playoffs, earning Finnish Championship bronze. With a 1988âÂÂ89 roster that included three members of the newly-created Finnish women's national ice hockey team â defensemen Johanna Ikonen and Maria Turki (Novitsky), and forward Ulla Saarikko â HIFK continued their upward trajectory, posting an 8-2-4 record with a +20 goal differential and claiming Finnish Championship bronze for the second consecutive season.
Despite the marked improvement of the team, HIFK was financially relegated after the 1988âÂÂ89 season and no senior women's representative team or any programs for women and girls existed in the club for the following twenty-five years.
This is a list of all seasons completed by HIFK Naiset, including the original HIFK Naiset (1982âÂÂ1989) and HIFK Naiset-Stadin Gimmat (2018âÂÂpresent).
<small>Note: Finish = Rank at end of regular season; GP = Games played, W = Wins (3 points), OTW = Overtime/shootout wins (2 points), T = Ties (1 point), OTL = Overtime/shootout losses (1 point), L = Losses, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, Pts = Points, Top scorer: Points (Goals+Assists)</small>
Coaching staff and team personnel
Source:
Auroraliiga All-Star teams are selected by Auroraliiga coaches at the conclusion of the regular season. Prior to the 2023âÂÂ24 season, All-Star teams were selected by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association.<br> First Team
Second Team
The player records detailed here are from the Naisten Liiga (called Naisten SM-sarja from 1982 to 2017); Naisten Mestis statistics accrued during the 2018âÂÂ19 season are not included. Records valid through the conclusion of the 2023âÂÂ24 season.
The top Naisten Liiga regular season point scorers (goals + assists) in HIFK history, through the 2023âÂÂ24 season.
<small>Note: Nat = Nationality; Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game</small>