Veera Kauppi and Justus Kainulainen receive the first ever IFF Player of the Year awards. Veera Kauppi, who is currently representing Finland in The World Games 2025 in Chengdu, received the award yesterday in the presence of her teammates. Kainulainen received the award earlier in Finland before heading to Switzerland for the new season.
Kauppi and Kainulainen are both key players in their club and national teams. Kainulainen has been helping Oilers to win two back-to-back Finnish championships and last year he got to experience the feeling of winning his first Men’s World Championships gold in Malmö. Kainulainen has represented Finland three times in the Adult’s World Championships (gold from 2024, bronze from 2022 and silver from 2020) and in the victorious U19 World Championships in 2017, from where Finland got gold.
Kauppi is one of the leading players in the Finnish national team. During the Euro Floorball Tour in Nokia this June, she became the player with most points in the national team as she surpassed the record of 255 points that previously belonged to Mika Kohonen. Kauppi has represented the Women’s national team in five World Championships (silver medals from 2023, 2021, 2017, 2015 and bronze medal from 2019). Currently Kauppi is part of the first ever Women’s Floorball competition in The World Games.
The Player of the Year candidates were nominated by national federations and eligible voters included head coaches, team captains, media persons from the floorball community and manufacturers.
All candidates (in no particular order)
Male candidates
Justus Kainulainen / Finland / Esport Oilers
Ondřej Němeček / Czechia / Storvreta IBK
Aaro Astala / Finland / Esport Oilers
William Andersson / Norway / Slevik IBK
Malte Lundmark / Sweden / IBF Falun
Matěj Havlas / Czechia / Tatran Střešovice
Luka Peklaj / Slovenia / FBK Loka
Sakarias Ulriksson / Sweden / Storvreta IBK
Niccolò Dominici / Italy / Wild Boars Varese
Jon Hedlund / Sweden / Pixbo IBK
Albin Sjögren / Sweden / Zug United
Florian Weisskirchen / Germany / SSF Dragons Bonn
Female candidates
Veera Kauppi / Finland / Team Thorengruppen IBK
Lara Heini / Switzerland / Pixbo IBK
Eline Dagestad / Norway / SF Grei
Wilma Johansson / Sweden / Västerås Rönnby IBK
Moa Andersson / Sweden / Pixbo IBK
Maja Viström / Sweden / Team Thorengruppen IBK
Marta Pelliccioni / Italy / Black Lions
Michaela Kubečková / Czechia / FBC Kalmarsund
Mira Markström / Sweden / Pixbo IBK
Oona Kauppi / Finland / Team Thorengruppen IBK