The top level of professional hockey in Finland is the Finnish Championship League, Suomen Mestaruusliiga or SM-Liiga for short. Similar to the English Football League, Finnish hockey uses a tier system to divide the skill levels of players across the country.
Clubs are promoted or relegated between tiers based on performance. However, for a period, the top tier of Finnish hockey was a closed league, meaning a Tier 2 hockey club had no path to move up to Tier 1 through winning alone. That changed in 2024, when SM-Liiga became an open league once again, providing new possibilities for players.
Related: Structure of Hockey in Finland
It’s possible for a lower-tier club to reach the top, like in FX’s Welcome to Wrexham, a documentary series about two American actors who purchase a small Tier 3 Welsh football club in hopes of helping them reach the top tier. An open club system has all the ingredients for great narratives. Over the next two weeks, we’ll look at three prospects joining a team that’s rising through the ranks, creating a story that echoes the excitement of Welcome to Wrexham.
Nokian Pyry Organization Background
Nokia, the 1865 wood‑pulp mill that began before Finland was even an independent country, eventually found its way to making indestructible phones in the ’90s; it shares its name with this town because it also started there. However, the modern telecommunications company has no ties to the Nokia Sport Club.
The town of Nokia sits 15 km (9 mi) west of Tampere, the literal epicenter of hockey in Finland, which is often called the “jääkiekon mekka ja kehto,” or the mecca and cradle of hockey. The sports club in Nokia (Nokian Pyry) frequently develops talent before losing players to Tampere when they are ready to play at a higher level, making it a struggle to retain their talent.
Nokian Pyry began its hockey program in the 1950s and spent decades developing until it moved out of the regional leagues (Tier 4 and below) in 2009–2010, when it entered SM Sarja (Tier 3). It enjoyed considerable success, consistently ranking near the top. In 2022–2023, the club won its first championship and earned the right to participate in the Mestis (Tier 2) qualification series against a Mestis team that had lost a playout series and risked its place if it lost the qualifier.
Unfortunately, Pyry were unable to defeat the local Pirkanmaa team (LeKi), lost the series 4–0, and were forced to return to SM Sarja for another year. The team then followed that season with another championship in 2023–2024, but again failed to defeat Kajaani Hokki and missed promotion.
The 2024–2025 season brought yet another championship, and Pyry was once again set to face Hokki, but with a different ending. In Finland, a team can win a series if its opponent is unable to show up. That’s exactly what happened: the Hokki club went bankrupt just before the start of the series, and Pyry was promoted to Mestis (Tier 2) at the end of April 2025.
Now, Nokian Pyry is preparing to enter Mestis and making sure they have a team that can compete at a higher level. This means bringing in the right players for development. Today, we will look at Jerkko Virtala, a defenseman arriving from another Mestis team, Kokkola Hermes.
Related: Jerkko Virtala Elite Prospect Profile
I evaluate prospects across multiple categories: skating, shooting, passing, puck handling, hockey sense, and physicality, and then benchmark their scores against the average talent level in the league or age group they compete in. By comparing a player’s metrics to league norms, I can highlight not only raw ability but also relative strengths and areas for growth.
This approach ensures that a 7.0 skating grade in a U16 league carries the appropriate weight compared to a 7.0 in a senior men’s division, allowing for fair, apples‑to‑apples comparisons and clearer development tracking over time.
Player Profile: Jerkko Virtala
Biographical & Physical Details
Shoots: Left
Position: D
Jersey Number: 27 (Hermes)
Age: 22 (Nov 25, 2002)
Height: 182 cm / 6-foot-0 (Mestis Average: 6-foot-0)
Weight: 75 kg / 165 lbs (Mestis Average: 190 lbs)
Season & League Context
In 2024–25, Virtala was a solid player on Hermes Kokkola’s blue line. The left‑shot defenseman logged heavy minutes in the top four and ran the second power‑play unit. Coaches turned to him for clean puck exits and late‑game defensive face‑offs, trusting him to make smart, safe plays under pressure. His teammates describe him as the calm in the storm whenever the game tightened up. He helped move the puck out of his own end and kept the play moving up ice.
Grading Breakdown
Grades on a 1–9 scale; defenseman weights applied (Skating 20% / Shooting 10% / Passing 15% / Handling 10% / Sense 25% / Physical 20%).
Skating: 6.2
Virtala shows strong gap control with a quick first step that allows him to cut off attackers and read developing rushes effectively. His lateral mobility is a plus. He executes fluid crossovers in tight turns and maintains solid positioning on the blue line. While his foot speed is adequate for the Mestis pace, he lacks that extra gear needed to recover on breakaways.
Shooting: 5.7
On the point, Virtala unleashes a heavy slap shot and one‑timer that often generates second‑chance opportunities on the power play. However, his release mechanics include a long wind‑up, and he needs to develop a quicker snap or wrist release in tight coverage. His accuracy is generally reliable from the point, but it diminishes at shorter distances.
Passing: 7.2
Virtala excels at tape‑to‑tape outlet feeds that beat the forecheck and spring multiple 2‑on‑1 rushes each game. He demonstrates strong transition vision, anticipating seams off the boards and finding open ice for his rushing partners. He is also creative, mixing hard stretch passes with saucer feeds to escape pressure.
Handling: 7.2
From the point, Virtala shields the puck well with strong body positioning and recovers under stick pressure. He uses toe‑drags and pivot‑pulls as deceptive moves to evade forecheckers and create extra time and space. His stick skills are reliable on quick plays and zone entries, helping him maintain possession under duress.
Sense: 6.2
Virtala reads the ice effectively, jumping passing lanes in the neutral zone and often being the first to loose pucks. His pinch timing balances aggression with recovery; he’s rarely caught out, though occasional overcommitments occur. He positions himself well for rebounds and supports his fellow blueliners in defensive coverage. An area of improvement is that Virtala often relies on his quick thinking and skills to get himself out of situations. If he can further improve his spatial awareness of the field of play around him, it would complement his style of quick shots and enable him to quarterback his team.
Physical: 5.7
In board battles, Virtala competes hard and wins the majority of engagements, though he can be muscled off the puck by heavier opponents. He is a willing and effective shot‑blocker, tallying over 20 blocks last season. The drawback is that he is a bit underweight and can be out-muscled when pushed against the board.
Overall Assessment & Outlook
Overall Grade: 6.3 | B+ (Fringe Mestis / top junior league)
Average Overall Mestis Grade: 6.45
One thing that stands out is Virtala’s work ethic. He rarely takes shifts off. He chases the puck and consistently plays at 110% whenever he’s on the ice. At 22, he still has areas to clean up if he’s going to develop into top‑tier Mestis talent or beyond. In particular, he needs to build functional strength: not just adding muscle, but learning to use it in board battles, developing more powerful shots in tight spaces, and generating extra power in his stride.
For the 2025–26 season, Virtala will join Nokian Pyry. He brings over 40 games of Mestis experience from his time with Hermes. Pyry will need players who can handle the faster pace and tougher competition of Mestis. By adding Virtala, I believe they’ve taken a step forward. He still has room to get stronger and improve his shot power, but we can look forward to seeing both Virtala and Pyry benefit from this move in the 2025-26 season.
