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.
Peter Mattias Forsberg is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player and former assistant general manager of Modo Hockey. Nicknamed "Peter the Great" and "Foppa", Forsberg was known for his on-ice vision and physical play, and is considered one of the greatest players of all time. Although his career was shortened by persistent injuries, as of 2021, he stands ninth all-time in career points-per-game and fifth all-time in career assists-per-game in the NHL, only behind Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, and Connor McDavid. In 2017 Forsberg was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
Modo Hockey is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The team currently plays in Sweden's first-tier league SHL after having won promotion from HockeyAllsvenskan following the 2022/23 season. The club was founded in 1921 and has won two SHL championships; in 1979 and 2007. The team's home arena since 2006 is the Hägglunds Arena. Before then, the team played at Kempehallen, beginning in 1964.
Linköping Hockey Club, often known by its initials LHC, or colloquially among its fans as Cluben, is a Swedish ice hockey club from Linköping, founded in 1976. The home arena of the team is Saab Arena which accommodates 8,500 spectators.
The Sweden men's national ice hockey team is governed by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. It is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six", the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia and the United States.
Färjestad Bollklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey team based in Karlstad. Färjestad has had 21 Swedish Championship final appearances, winning ten times since the Swedish Hockey League was started in 1975, making them the most successful SHL club in history. The team plays in the highest Swedish league, and have done so since 1965. Following Brynäs IF's relegation to HockeyAllsvenskan in 2023, Färjestad is the only team to have constantly played in the current top tier of Swedish hockey, the SHL, since it was started in 1975. They reached the SHL championship finals six years in a row between 2001–2006, winning the championship two times. They are featured rivals with Djurgårdens IF, Frölunda HC, and HV71.
Skellefteå is a city in Västerbotten County, Sweden. It is the seat of Skellefteå Municipality, which had 74,402 inhabitants in 2022.
Leksands Idrottsförening is a Swedish professional ice hockey team from the town of Leksand in the region of Dalarna. The team plays in the top-tier league, SHL, after succeeding through the 2019 SHL qualifiers and thus earning promotion to the SHL. The club's home arena is Tegera Arena, which seats 7,650 spectators.
The Swedish women's national ice hockey team or Damkronorna represents Sweden at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World Women's Championships. The women's national team is organized by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Sweden had 3,425 female players registered with the IIHF in 2011.
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 is currently playing in the Swedish second tier ice hockey league, the HockeyAllsvenskan. Djurgården's men's team is the most successful Swedish 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.
Allmänna Idrottsklubben Ishockeyförening, is the ice hockey department of sports club Allmänna Idrottsklubben based in Stockholm, Sweden. Since 2014, AIK's men's team compete in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second tier of ice hockey in Sweden, following a four-year spell in the top flight, the SHL. The women's team competes in Riksserien, the highest division of women's ice hockey. AIK's home games are mainly played at Hovet, which seats 8,050 spectators, though some high-profile games may be played at Avicii Arena which has a larger capacity of 13,850.
Luleå Hockeyförening is a professional ice hockey club from Luleå, Sweden. The club has been playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the top tier of ice hockey in Sweden, since the 1984–85 season. They are the northernmost team in the league and have won the Swedish championships once, in 1996. Since being promoted to the top flight in 1984, the team has not once had to participate in a promotion/relegation-qualifier to defend their spot in the top league.
Södertälje Sportklubb, also known as Södertälje SK and often referred to as SSK, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second highest level of pro hockey in Sweden. Södertälje were charter members of Elitserien when the league was founded in 1975 and have since played 24 seasons in the league. Södertälje SK's fan club is known as Supporterklubben
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.
Rögle BK is a Swedish professional ice hockey club from Ängelholm that has been playing in the SHL since the 2015–16 season. Rögle has previously played in the SHL in 1992–1996, 2008–2010, and briefly in 2012–13.
Väsby IK HK is the ice hockey department of the sports club Väsby IK. Since the 2021–22 season the club is back in the third tier, Hockeyettan, having been relegated from HockeyAllsvenskan after losing to Kristianstads IK in the 2020–21 Play Out series, ending a one-year stint in HockeyAllsvenskan.
Växjö Lakers Hockey Club is a Swedish professional ice hockey club from Växjö in Sweden. The club play at the Vida Arena and plays in the Swedish Hockey League, the top-level league of Swedish ice hockey, and made its debut there in 2011–12. Since entering the SHL the club has become known as one of the premier SHL clubs, winning the Le Mat Trophy as Swedish national Champions four times in 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2023. Forwards Erik Josefsson and Robert Rosén are the only players to be a part of all four Championship-winning teams.
The Swedish men's national under 20 ice hockey team, or Juniorkronorna as it is commonly called in Sweden, is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Sweden. The team represents Sweden at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship, held annually every December and January, and is affectionately known as The Junior Crowns, referencing the men's national team Three Crowns.
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.
The Sweden men's national under-18 ice hockey team or Småkronorna is the men's national under-18 ice hockey team of Sweden. The team is controlled by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The team represents Sweden at the IIHF World U18 Championships and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Sweden won its first gold medal in 2019.
Sweden 