After a long day of training and conditioning sessions, Ronja Savolainen drives home in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she and her fiancée (Swedish hockey player Anna Kjellbin) are busy packing to leave for their respective training camps — Savolainen for the Ottawa Charge, and Kjellbin for the Swedish national team as they compete at the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championships.
Normally, Savolainen would be headed there too, to play defense for Finland’s national team. But she’s making sure she’s fully healed, after spending the off-season rehabbing an injury.
“I had a big chance to play, but I think it’s smarter to not do that. I had hip surgery [at] the end of June,” Savolienen told The Ice Garden. “It’s in a good way, and I think I’m gonna be ready for the season. I’ve been on the ice basically normally, just no contact yet.”
Her positive perspective about rehabbing an injury speaks to the value Savolainen’s attitude adds to the team.
The 28-year-old defender had some big moments last season, including a playoff performance that netted her four points across eight games. Her performance during the season led to her being one of three initially protected Charge players during the expansion draft.
On securing one of those protected slots, Savolainen said, “It’s an amazing feeling to know your future. It’s a relief to know that you’re going to stay where you love. And obviously, it’s also a confidence boost to know that they appreciate you.”
Her success hasn’t come without a fight. In her first two seasons, the team battled their way into a playoff spot, only to come up short in back-to-back losses in the Walter Cup finals. On top of that, major roster changes in two years of PWHL expansion. Hurdles that would leave anyone feeling disoriented — but Savolainen stays positive.
“[They were] obviously big losses and we hoped for better results. But I still think we need to be proud of what we’ve been doing,” she said.
“If you watch us from the beginning of the [last] season, it didn’t look great, and it’s been a battle. [But] we always managed to find a way to be the best at the end of the season. I hope we can just keep building.”
And the team certainly has more building ahead of them. During the most recent expansion, the Charge lost many key players — including two who had been the face of the franchise since the beginning of the league. Former captain and alternate captain Brianne Jenner and Emily Clark both went to the newly formed team in Hamilton, Ont. Savolainen concedes these are “big losses.” But she also says it will open up opportunities for returning players on the roster to “take a step forward and be a leader.”
In addition to the roster changes, the team will play in a new venue this year, too. The Canadian Tire Centre, where the NHL’s Ottawa Senators play, is renovating facilities to host the women’s team. This comes after negotiations with the Charge’s previous venue, TD Place at Lansdowne Park, fell apart last year.
Not only is the CTC bigger than their old venue, it also features a new custom-built locker room for the team. The plans are being kept under wraps for now, but if it were up to Ronja Savolainen, there’s one amenity that would be ideal:
“I will be super pumped if there’s a sauna.”
“I’m not sure if there’s going to be one. But if there’s going to be one, that’s going to be great. And I promise you that people are going to fly every game because sauna is a great way to cool down and recover,” she said.
Repeatedly, the Charge have recovered from setbacks, and for Savolainen, it’s not a bad spot to be in.
The team’s familiarity with hurdles contributes to her mindset. “Last season, with the expansion and all these things, I had the same feeling that we’re going to be underdogs — but I mean, I love being underdogs,” Savolainen said.
Then, she added with a laugh, “Instead of being the ones [with] all the pressure … so yeah, it’s going to be a good season.”
