The Finish league is approaching the start of the season, and with the help of expert Robert Åberg we take a closer look at the men’s league. Who will win the league? Which player will stand out?
The men’s Aktia League has expanded to eight teams this season with newcomers Ekenäs IF joining the competition. During the regular season, each team will face the others four times. After that, the top six teams advance to the playoffs. The first and second seeds go directly to the semifinals, while the third seed faces the sixth and the fourth meets the fifth in best-of-three quarterfinal series.
The winners then advance to the semifinals, played in a best-of-five format. The championship final will also be decided in a best-of-five series. Defending champions are Cocks from Riihimäki, with BK-46 from Karis finishing second last season and Grankulla IFK taking third place.
Which team will win the league this season and why?
– BK-46 are set to retake the throne as the country’s number one. The team were heavy favorites last season as well, but injuries and illness in the finals against Cocks allowed Cocks to snatch the title. This year, BK-46 will be without Nico Rönnberg, but since that is known from the start of the season, the team can integrate new players during the regular season. The squad is also highly motivated to bounce back from last year’s disappointment. With experienced names like Jac Karlsson, Miska Henriksson, Oliver Nordlund, Sebastian Säkkinen, and Mikael Heinonen, there is still plenty of quality and championship-winning experience in the team.
Which player will stand out?
– While the women’s league continues to lose players abroad, the men’s league is seeing the opposite trend, with several players returning home from international stints. It will be exciting to see, for example, how dominant Max Granlund will be now that he is back at Dicken. He was already a solid player when he left Finland, but now we get to see what his years in Alingsås and most recently in Germany’s 2. Bundesliga with Hagen have added to his game. Gusten Montonen, who has played in Sweden, is also a highly interesting addition, especially since left-handed players are rare in the Finnish league. Sjundeå IF, meanwhile, welcome back Benjamin Peitsaro from Germany’s 3. Bundesliga – a player with the potential to become the league’s top scorer.
Which player will have his big breakthrough?
– I also have high hopes for two young Finnish left-handed right backs: Vili Leppänen of HIFK and Aaron Kronberg of Åbo IFK. Leppänen, born in 2006, already played major minutes for HIFK last season, scoring 90 goals in 20 matches. A true scorer with sharp feints, his career has unfortunately been hampered by injuries so far – hopefully he can stay healthy this year. Kronberg, born in 2005, has just completed his military service and can now fully focus on handball. He took big steps last year when Åbo’s Estonian right back Martin Gritshuk struggled with injuries, and this season he could challenge even more for playing time. Finland badly needs confident left-handed shooters to raise its level in the future.
Which player, team or event will be the most disappointing?
– GrIFK, on the other hand, look set for a tough season. The team has lost strong defender Kalle Kankaanpää to Sweden and the experienced Miro Koljonen to Sjundeå IF. Several of their key players already struggled with injuries last year, and it’s uncertain whether they will hold up this season. The club has an interesting coaching duo, but whether they can develop new leaders from their youth ranks quickly enough remains questionable. With other teams strengthening significantly, I believe GrIFK will struggle to even reach the semifinals.
What are you looking forward to the most?
– Overall, I expect a very competitive league this season. Defending champions Cocks have parted ways with several foreign reinforcements and are now integrating their talented academy players, who have already had key roles in the club’s Division One side. BK-46, as mentioned, will miss Nico Rönnberg – the man who could single-handedly change a game. GrIFK have weakened, leaving challengers such as Dicken, who not only gained experience but also added Granlund and Montonen, to push forward. Sjundeå IF have also strengthened with Peitsaro, Koljonen, playmaker Victor Grönmark from HIFK, and goalkeeper Thomas Lostedt from Dicken. HIFK have brought in skilled playmaker Christan Cosmo from Sweden’s Allsvenskan and, with their fast-paced attacking style, will continue to cause problems for the rest of the league.
– These six clubs are the clear favorites to advance to the playoffs in spring, but I also want to sound a note of caution about Åbo IFK, who keep edging closer to the league’s middle pack. As for newcomers Ekenäs IF – with the Hagman brothers on the bench and no fewer than four Hagmans on the court – this debut season will likely be more of a learning experience, but their time will come.
Robert Åbergs background includes around 15 years as a player in Finland’s top league, followed by coaching at different levels, including in the women’s league. He also runs a Facebook group called “Streamade handis-matcher” where, for more than 10 years, he has been writing and analyzing upcoming championships and matches in an everyday, easy-to-understand way. Almost daily, he shares legal streaming links to the games with the aim of making it simple for people to watch both national and international handball.