Career
Sulander played nine seasons for Jokerit Helsinki in Finland"s Master of Science-liiga, winning four league championships (1992, 1994, 1996, 1997). Sulander began with Jokerit as a Junior and progressed through the team all the way to position of Number. 1 goaltender. During his Jokerit career, he played with Master of Science-liiga stars such as Otakar Janecky, Teemu Selänne, Waltteri Immonen, and Jari Kurri, who played for Jokerit during the 1994-1995 National Hockey League lockout.
In his time there, Sulander was coached by top coaches like Hannu Aravirta, Boris Mayorov, and Jukka Ropponen.
In November 2010, Sulander joined the Lahti Pelicans on loan for six games. Sulander left Jokerit after winning Bronze in 1998 for a new challenge.
Sulander played the final 14 years of his career with the ZSC Lions (Zürich) of the Swiss top League, the Nationalliga A. Sulander scored a goal during a Nationalliga A game in the 2002-2003 season. In 2011, Sulander received his Swiss citizenship.
Ari Sulander played for a total of 117 games for the Finnish national team (dressed in 117, played 68).
He played in the 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 Ice Hockey World Championships and the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. Besides the 1998 Olympic tournament, Sulander also played well in the 1998 Ice Hockey World Championships.