Skip to content
Home » SHL

SHL

Historic Hockey – Swedish Hockey League

Swedish Hockey League

Premier Professional Ice Hockey in Sweden

Since 1975 — A Legacy of Excellence and the Le Mat Trophy

14

Teams

1975

Founded

52

Regular Season Games

#3

World Ranking

The Swedish Hockey League (SHL) is the premier professional ice hockey league in Sweden and one of the strongest leagues in the world. Founded in 1975 as Elitserien, the league has been crowning Swedish champions and awarding the prestigious Le Mat Trophy for nearly five decades. Today, the SHL consists of 14 elite teams competing at the highest level of Swedish ice hockey, and is ranked as the third strongest professional hockey league in the world, behind only the NHL and KHL.

Most Successful Teams

Since the formation of the SHL in 1975, these teams have dominated Swedish hockey:

Team Championships City
Färjestad BK 10 Karlstad
Brynäs IF 6 Gävle
Djurgårdens IF 6 Stockholm
HV71 5 Jönköping
Växjö Lakers 4 Växjö

Recent Champions (2015-2025)

2025
Luleå HF
2024
Skellefteå AIK
2023
Växjö Lakers
2022
Färjestad BK
2021
Växjö Lakers
2020
Not Held
2019
Frölunda HC
2018
Växjö Lakers
2017
HV71
2016
Frölunda HC
2015
Växjö Lakers

2025-26 Season Teams

Team City Arena Capacity
Brynäs IF Gävle Monitor ERP Arena 7,909
Djurgårdens IF Stockholm Hovet 8,094
Färjestad BK Karlstad Löfbergs Arena 8,647
Frölunda HC Gothenburg Scandinavium 12,044
HV71 Jönköping Husqvarna Garden 7,000
Leksands IF Leksand Tegera Arena 7,650
Linköping HC Linköping Saab Arena 8,500
Luleå HF Luleå Coop Norrbotten Arena 6,300
Malmö Redhawks Malmö Malmö Arena 13,000
Örebro HK Örebro Behrn Arena 5,150
Rögle BK Ängelholm Catena Arena 5,150
Skellefteå AIK Skellefteå Skellefteå Kraft Arena 6,001
Timrå IK Timrå SCA Arena 6,000
Växjö Lakers Växjö Vida Arena 5,700

Did You Know?

• The SHL is ranked as the third strongest professional hockey league in the world, behind only the NHL and KHL.

• The league features a unique relegation system where the two lowest-ranked teams face off, with the loser dropping to HockeyAllsvenskan.

• The longest game in SHL history lasted nearly three full overtime periods (59 minutes of overtime) in 1997.

• Fredrik Bremberg holds the all-time points record with 581 points, while Håkan Loob leads in goals with 263.

• The league hosted spectacular outdoor games from 2009-2013, with the largest drawing over 31,000 spectators.

© 2025 Historic Hockey | Celebrating Swedish Hockey Excellence