BUFFALO – The Buffalo Beauts have made a big splash in free agency by signing 2-time Olympian Emma Nuutinen to a 1-year contract. The 5-foot-9 forward is an Olympic bronze medalist for Team Finland from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. Nuutinen has also won a silver medal and two bronze medals at the IIHF Women’s World Championships. She is a 7-time member of the Finnish Women’s National Team and is 2-1-3 for scoring in 12 Olympic contests between the 2014 Sochi Games and 2018 PyeongChang Games.
“Signing with the Beauts was a great opportunity for me to continue and take the next step in my hockey career,” said Nuutinen. “I’m very excited about the upcoming season and I am happy to join this team.”
Nuutinen most recently played for the Kiekko-Espoo Blues during the 2020-21 season in Finland’s Naisten Liiga. There she went 7-5-12 for scoring in a mere six regular-season games. Through six total seasons with the Blues, Nuutinen scored 85 goals, 92 assists, and 177 points in only 92 regular season games – an average of 1.92 points per game. She helped lead the Blues to three straight championships from 2013 through 2015.
In addition to her time playing for the Women’s National Team, Nuutinen also played in three different Women’s U18 World Championships as a teenager. She was teammates with current Beauts forward Jenna Suokko at both the 2012 and 2013 tournaments. Nuutinen was named to the U18 World Championship All-Star Team in 2013.
“The Beauts are very proud to add a player of Emma’s caliber,” said Beauts GM Nate Oliver. “She is a highly accomplished scorer at all levels and is a proven winner. If you look at what she has accomplished internationally and in the Naisten Liiga, she is one of the most decorated players in Finnish women’s hockey history. Emma is dangerous anytime that she is on the ice. Time and time again she scores and in droves. We feel that Emma will help bring our offense to a whole other level.”
Collegiately, Nuutinen played NCAA Division 1 hockey for the University of North Dakota and Mercyhurst University. She scored 10 goals, 9 assists, and 19 points in 34 games at North Dakota as a freshman before playing her final three NCAA seasons for Mercyhurst. Nuutinen’s finest season offensively came as a senior when she tallied 21 goals, 19 assists and 40 points in 34 games for the Lakers. In total, Nuutinen went 55-45-100 for scoring in 121 NCAA games. She ranks fourth all-time in scoring by a Finnish player in NCAA history.
Beauts fans should be excited to see what Nuutinen can do in the Premier Hockey Federation – her first professional season in North America.
“My goal is to help the team to win,” said Nuutinen. “I have experience playing in tough situations and I will use that experience and lead by example. I will definitely also bring a lot of energy – on and off the ice.”
