Iveta Koka
Latvian forward, all-time national team points leader and SDHL scorer.
Iveta Koka (born 9 March 1982) is a Latvian ice hockey forward who plays for the women's team of Haninge Anchors HC in Sweden's Damettan. She first joined the Latvian national team in 1995 and remains its all-time leader in career points. Over nine seasons in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL), she accumulated more than 240 points, making her the highest-scoring Latvian player in league history.
Koka began her club career in Russia's Women's Hockey League with HC Tornado and in Switzerland's Leistungsklasse A with Ladies Team Lugano. From 2012 to 2018, she played for Leksands IF Dam in the Riksserien (renamed the SDHL in 2016), averaging over a point per game with 179 points (81 goals, 98 assists) in 176 appearances. As of 2021, she ranks third in all-time scoring for Leksands. She then moved to AIK Hockey Dam in Stockholm for the 2018–19 SDHL season. After managing only six points in 19 games during the 2019–20 season, she signed an extension and recorded four points in her first seven games of the 2020–21 campaign.
Internationally, Koka debuted for Latvia at the 1995 IIHF European Women Championships, just weeks after turning thirteen. Her next major tournament was the 1999 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships – Pool B, where she posted three goals and seven assists (ten points) in five games and was named Best Forward by the tournament directorate. The following year, she scored six points in five games at the lower-division championships held in Latvia. After Latvia was relegated in 2008, she tallied 20 points in five games at the 2009 IIHF Women's World Championship Division II, earning tournament MVP honors and helping the team go undefeated to secure promotion back to Division I. In 2014, she captained Latvia to promotion from Division 1B to 1A. Over six international seasons, she served as national team captain, most recently during qualification for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1982-03-09
- Height Cm
- 170
- Weight Kg
- 65
- Position
- Left wing
- Shoots
- Left
- League
- Damettan
- Team
- Haninge Anchors HC
- Former Teams
- AIK Hockey / Leksands IF / HC Tornado
- Sex
- f
- Ntl Team
- LAT
- Career Start
- 1995
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Early in her career, Koka played in the Russian Women's Hockey League with HC Tornado and in the Swiss Leistungsklasse A with the Ladies Team Lugano. From 2012 to 2018, she played for Leksands IF Dam in the Riksserien (renamed SDHL in 2016), putting up over a point per game with 179 points in 176 games for the club. After leaving Leksands, she joined AIK Hockey Dam in Stockholm for the 2018–19 SDHL season. After scoring only 6 points in 19 games in the 2019–20 SDHL season, she signed an extension with the club and posted 4 points in her first 7 games of the 2020–21 season.
Internationally, Koka made her debut with the Latvian national team at the 1995 IIHF European Women Championships, several weeks after her thirteenth birthday. Her next major tournament was the 1999 Women's World Ice Hockey Championships – Pool B, where she recorded 10 points in five games and was selected as Best Forward of the tournament. She scored six points in five games at the lower divisions championships the next year, held in her native Latvia. After Latvia was relegated in 2008, she scored 20 points in 5 games at the 2009 IIHF Women's World Championship Division II, earning honors as tournament MVP and leading the team to promotion. In 2014, she captained the country to promotion from Division 1B to 1A. She served as Latvian national team captain during six international seasons, most recently during the qualification tournament for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Reader's Guide
Iveta Koka is notable as the all-time leading scorer in Latvian national team history and the all-time leading scorer from Latvia in the SDHL. Her career spans multiple European leagues, including the Russian Women's Hockey League with HC Tornado and the Swiss Leistungsklasse A with Ladies Team Lugano, before a nine-season SDHL tenure. At Leksands IF Dam, she recorded 179 points in 176 games, making her the third highest scorer in the club's history as of 2021. Her international career began at age 13 in 1995, and she has been a key figure in Latvia's promotions, including earning tournament MVP at the 2009 Division II championship and captaining the team to promotion from Division 1B to 1A in 2014. She served as national team captain across six international seasons, most recently during qualification for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Her longevity and scoring output establish her as a foundational player for Latvian women's hockey.
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