Ottawa Charge signs Ronja Savolainen to three-year contract
One of the top blueliners in Europe is officially coming over to North America.
On Wednesday, the PWHL’s Ottawa Charge announced they have signed defender Ronja Savolainen to a three-year standard player agreement (SPA). The contract will carry through the 2026-27 season.
IT'S RONJA TIME! ⚡️
Ronja Savolainen has signed a three-year deal with the Ottawa Charge. Welcome to the Capital!
🔗 https://t.co/T2LuJEM84h pic.twitter.com/rm6mqGvPLU
The Charge took Savolainen in the second round, eighth overall, in the 2024 PWHL Draft.
“We are excited to add Ronja to our organization for the next three seasons,” general manager Michael Hirshfeld said in a release. “She is an experienced player who has already won several championships. We are delighted to know that we will be able to count on her expertise in our locker room. She is extremely competitive and difficult for her opponents to play against.”
The Helsinki, Finland native brings a load of experience to the Ottawa D-corps. Savolainen has been playing for her country internationally since the 2013 IIHF Women’s Under-18 World Championship. She has been on Finland’s senior world championship team eight times, helping her country win the bronze medal four times and the silver (in controversial fashion) in 2019. That year, Savolainen led the tournament in goals by a defender with two.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Savolainen said. “I’ll be able to train and play with the best in the world to continue my development. I know Ottawa has the best fans in the league. I can’t wait to play in front of them and experience the electric game. I can’t wait to meet my teammates and the staff.”
She also represented Suomi at the last two Winter Olympics, with her team finishing third in Pyeongchang in 2018 and Beijing four years later.
Savolainen also comes to North America after a dominant run in the European pro ranks. With Luleå HF, her team won six of the last seven SDHL Championships. She led the league in goals by a defender twice, scoring a career-high 20 goals in 2019-20.
She joins a talent defense in Ottawa that carried over from last season. Savannah Harmon was one of the top-scoring blueliners in the league last year, with Ashton Bell and Aneta Tejralová also ready for another season.
Savolainen is the fourth Charge draft pick to sign her first contract, joining Anna Meixner, Gwyneth Philips and Danielle Serdachny. Currently, Ottawa has 20 players signed to SPAs for next season, with three main roster spots available heading into training camp in November.