But Savolainen is no stranger to breaking through barriers, both on and off the ice.
At just 14, she joined a high-level boys’ team in Finland, skating shoulder-to-shoulder with teammates who didn’t always want her there. The experience, she says, nearly drove her to quit the sport altogether after she was bullied for being a girl in what some still believed was a boys-only game.
However, having been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD as a child, she already knew what it felt like to be misunderstood, underestimated, or simply ignored.
“Everyone knows there’s no point asking me what we’re supposed to do,” she said. “Even if I looked at the board, my mind was somewhere else and I had no clue what we were doing.”
What some saw as a disadvantage, she eventually turned into a strength. “My brain is just everywhere every time. I have a lot of thoughts all the time. But I think that’s my strength because I can think so much at the same time while doing something.”
In a game like ice hockey, where decisions are made in milliseconds, that kind of neural firing is a gift.
Still, the journey wasn’t always easy, and a degree of self-doubt lingers. “Sometimes, when I lose control of the puck or make a bad shot, I start wondering if it’s like when I couldn’t learn things at school. My self-esteem goes up and down.”
But on the ice, she’s found clarity and pride. Today, she speaks openly about her experience, encouraging others with ADHD to not only accept themselves but also to adapt and thrive.
“It’s important to talk to your coaches and tell them you have ADHD,” she shared. “And let them know that if they have an issue with you, they should bring it up privately, not in front of the whole team.”
“You have to dare to be yourself,” she added. “Because I noticed when I tried to change my mind, hockey wasn’t going well. If you are yourself and are open about it, the coaches can also help you achieve your goals.”
Savolainen herself is proof that it works.
A taboo tackled with a menstrual cup
However, her leadership doesn’t stop at the brain; it extends to the body, too.
Alongside Finnish teammates Noora Räty and Meeri Räisänen, Savolainen partnered with menstrual cup brand Lunette to talk about something rarely discussed in women’s sport: menstruation.
“I don’t think people talk that much about when you have your periods,” she told us. “For me, it was important, and I was young too. I just wanted to show the young players that it’s normal. That there are different ways to deal with it, not just tampons.”
In Finland, where the topic was even more hushed, the campaign sparked important conversations. And more than that, it offered visibility to women’s hockey itself.
“It was also a good way to get women’s hockey a little publicity,” she said.