The Swedish Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league, and the highest division in the Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, and while Swedish ice hockey champions have been crowned through various formats since 1922, the title and the Le Mat Trophy have been awarded to the winner of the SHL playoffs since the league's inaugural 1975–76 season.
Karlstad is the 20th-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Karlstad Municipality, the capital of Värmland County, and the largest city in the province Värmland in Sweden. The city proper had 67,122 inhabitants in 2020 with 97,233 inhabitants in the wider municipality in 2023, and is the 21st biggest municipality in Sweden. Karlstad has a university and a cathedral.
Skellefteå is a city in Västerbotten County, Sweden, with a population of 36,388. It is the seat of Skellefteå Municipality, which had 77,322 inhabitants in 2024.
Djurgårdens IF Ishockeyförening, commonly known as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården Hockey, Djurgården, is a professional ice hockey team based in Stockholm, Sweden, affiliated with the Djurgårdens IF umbrella organization. Djurgården compete in the Swedish second-tier ice hockey league, the HockeyAllsvenskan. The men's team is the most successful Swedish ice hockey team of all time, as 16-time Swedish champions, 12-time runners-up, 26-time finalists, and leaders of the marathon table for the top flight of Swedish hockey. The ice hockey section was first established in 1922 and has since been playing in the Swedish league system, with the exception of four years in the 1930s when the hockey section was temporarily dissolved.
Carl Christian "Calle" Johansson is a Swedish former assistant coach with the Washington Capitals and former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1987 and 2004, most of it with the Capitals. He has worked as hockey colour commentator for Swedish Canal+ and worked as an assistant for six seasons for Frölunda HC in the Swedish Elitserien before returning to the Capitals organization.
Mora IK is a Swedish professional ice hockey club from Mora in northern Dalarna. After failing the 2019 SHL qualifiers, Mora has been relegated for play in the second-tier league, HockeyAllsvenskan. Mora has previously played 25 seasons in the top tier, including four seasons in Elitserien. The team has reached the finals of the Swedish Championships only once, in 1950, a match which they lost 7–2 to Djurgårdens IF. Mora has played in the top two tiers of Swedish hockey since the 1944–45 season.
Hammarby IF Ishockeyförening was a Stockholm-based professional ice hockey team that for most of its history played in Hovet. Hammarby IF started playing hockey in 1921, playing their first matches using a group of curious bandy players. Hammarby were giants in the early history of Swedish hockey, playing in Sweden's top league from the birth of Swedish organized hockey in 1922 until 1957. During that period, they were crowned Swedish champions eight times in 13 attempts. The rest of their history was more modest, having qualified for play in Elitserien only twice, however during their entire existence, they never played in a lower league than the second tier. As of 2013, five seasons after the club's bankruptcy, Hammarby is 17th in the Marathon standings for the highest division of Swedish ice hockey.
Adam Mark Burish is an American former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and San Jose Sharks. He is currently an analyst covering Blackhawks games on NBC Sports Chicago.
Alexander Salák is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender. He is currently an unrestricted free agent who most recently played for Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He played two games in the National Hockey League with the Florida Panthers in 2009. Internationally Salák has played for the Czech national team at three World Championships, and at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Gabriel Landeskog is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Nils Erik Adam Larsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fourth overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The youngest player on the Skellefteå AIK squad at the time of his draft, Larsson was the first defenceman and first European-trained player to be drafted in 2011.
Ice hockey in Sweden has a history going back to at least 1912 and is one of the country's most popular sports. The sport was first organized in the country by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF), which was a member of the IIHF in 1912. The ice hockey department of the SvFF eventually split off to become the Swedish Ice Hockey Association (SIHA) which today is still responsible for organizing Sweden's domestic leagues and its participation in tournaments internationally. The highest tier of men's ice hockey in Sweden, the SHL, brought in 1,974,388 spectators in the 2013–14 season, the highest overall attendance in Swedish sports. The SHL's average of 5,983 spectators per match is bested only by Allsvenskan, the country's top flight of association football.
Oskar Lindblom is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward for Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He formerly played with the Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Adam Ollas-Mattsson is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenseman. He is currently playing with Färjestad BK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
Adam Reideborn is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for SC Bern in the National League (NL).
Adam Boqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected eighth overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2018 NHL entry draft.
Adam Ginning is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect under contract to the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Flyers in the second round, 50th overall, of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Adam Wilsby is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman who plays for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Wilsby was drafted by the Predators in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with the 101st overall pick.
