Kontinental Hockey League team changes

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From the league's inception in 2008 there have always been team changes in the Kontinental Hockey League between seasons, as some new teams have joined the league or others have left it. There is no promotion/relegation system with the VHL in place like there was with the Superleague and Vysshaya Liga. The number of teams in the league stayed at 24 throughout the first two seasons. In the third season the number of teams was reduced to 23 because Budivelnyk, a team that planned to join the league, dropped out before the start of the season. [1] Initially, Lev Poprad replaced Budivelnyk to retain the number of teams at 24. [2] However, Lev was excluded by the KHL before the start of that season, [3] but would be accepted into the league for 2011–12. The league plans to expand this number for future seasons.

Contents

The inaugural season of KHL included all 20 teams of the 2007–08 Russian Superleague. Non–Russian teams Barys Astana, Dinamo Riga and Dinamo Minsk also joined the newly formed league. Likewise, the recreated team of Khimik Voskresensk, the champion of the 2007–08 season of the Major League, joined. Thus the initial number of teams was 24.

Team changes by season

SeasonTeams left the leagueFate of the team Teams joined the leagueWhenceNumber of teams in the league
2008–09 inaugural season of competition24
2009–10 Flag of Russia.svg Khimik Joined VHL   Flag of Russia.svg Avtomobilist VHL 24
2010–11 Flag of Russia.svg Lada Joined VHL Flag of Russia.svg UHC Dynamo Newly created team by merger of Dynamo and MVD 23
Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M Merged with MVD to form UHC Dynamo Flag of Russia.svg Yugra VHL
Flag of Russia.svg MVD Merged with Dynamo to form UHC Dynamo  
2011–12 Flag of Russia.svg Lokomotiv Scratched from season due to plane crash Flag of Slovakia.svg Lev Poprad Newly created team23
2012–13 Flag of Slovakia.svg Lev Poprad Disbanded Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovan Slovak Extraliga 26
  Flag of Ukraine.svg Donbass VHL
Flag of Russia.svg Lokomotiv Returned to KHL after plane tragedy
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Lev Praha Newly created team
2013–14   Flag of Russia.svg Admiral Newly created team28
Flag of Croatia.svg Medveščak Austrian EBEL
2014–15 Flag of Ukraine.svg Donbass Joined the Ukrainian Hockey Extra League prior to the 2015–16 season, after one year of inactivity. Flag of Russia.svg Lada Togliatti Returned to the league28
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Lev Praha Disbanded Flag of Finland.svg Jokerit Liiga
Flag of Russia.svg Spartak Moscow Took one year off due to financial issues Flag of Russia.svg HC Sochi Newly created team
2015–16 Flag of Russia.svg Atlant Folded due to financial issues. Flag of Russia.svg Spartak Moscow Returned to the league28
2016–17   Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg HC Red Star Kunlun Newly created team29
2017–18 Flag of Croatia.svg Medveščak Returned to Austrian EBEL  27
Flag of Russia.svg Metallurg Novokuznetsk Joined VHL
2018–19 Flag of Russia.svg Lada Rejoined VHL  25
Flag of Russia.svg Yugra Joined VHL
2019–20 Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovan Left league due to financial issues to attempt to rejoin Slovak Extraliga  24
2020–21 Flag of Russia.svg Admiral Took hiatus due to financial issues 23
2021–22 Flag of Latvia.svg Dinamo Riga
Flag of Finland.svg Jokerit
Left the league due to political reasons Flag of Russia.svg Admiral Return to league after COVID-19 break 22

Division lineup changes

SeasonDivisions
Bobrov Tarasov Kharlamov Chernyshev
Joined divisionLeft divisionJoined divisionLeft divisionJoined divisionLeft divisionJoined divisionLeft division
2008–09
(initial composition)
Flag of Russia.svg Atlant
Flag of Belarus.svg Dinamo Mn
Flag of Russia.svg Metallurg Nk
Flag of Russia.svg Salavat Yulaev
Flag of Russia.svg Severstal
Flag of Russia.svg Spartak
Flag of Russia.svg CSKA
Flag of Russia.svg Khimik
Flag of Russia.svg Metallurg Mg
Flag of Russia.svg HC MVD
Flag of Russia.svg SKA
Flag of Russia.svg Traktor
Flag of Russia.svg Amur
Flag of Russia.svg Avangard
Flag of Latvia.svg Dinamo R
Flag of Russia.svg Lada
Flag of Russia.svg Lokomotiv
Flag of Russia.svg Sibir
Flag of Russia.svg Ak Bars
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Barys
Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M
Flag of Russia.svg Neftekhimik
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo
Flag of Russia.svg Vityaz
2009–10
(geographical realignment)
Flag of Russia.svg CSKA
Flag of Latvia.svg Dinamo R
Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M
Flag of Russia.svg SKA
Flag of Russia.svg Atlant
Flag of Russia.svg Metallurg Nk
Flag of Russia.svg Salavat Yulaev
Flag of Russia.svg Severstal
Flag of Russia.svg Atlant
Flag of Russia.svg Lokomotiv
Flag of Russia.svg Severstal
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo
Flag of Russia.svg Vityaz
Flag of Russia.svg CSKA
Flag of Russia.svg Khimik
Flag of Russia.svg Metallurg Mg
Flag of Russia.svg SKA
Flag of Russia.svg Traktor
Flag of Russia.svg Ak Bars
Flag of Russia.svg Avtomobilist
Flag of Russia.svg Metallurg Mg
Flag of Russia.svg Neftekhimik
Flag of Russia.svg Traktor
Flag of Russia.svg Amur
Flag of Russia.svg Avangard
Flag of Latvia.svg Dinamo R
Flag of Russia.svg Lokomotiv
Flag of Russia.svg Sibir
Flag of Russia.svg Amur
Flag of Russia.svg Avangard
Flag of Russia.svg Metallurg Nk
Flag of Russia.svg Salavat Yulaev
Flag of Russia.svg Sibir
Flag of Russia.svg Ak Bars
Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M
Flag of Russia.svg Neftekhimik
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo
Flag of Russia.svg Vityaz
2010–11 Flag of Russia.svg UHC Dynamo Flag of Belarus.svg Dinamo Mn
Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M
Flag of Belarus.svg Dinamo Mn Flag of Russia.svg HC MVD Flag of Russia.svg Yugra Flag of Russia.svg Lada
2011–12 Flag of Slovakia.svg Lev Poprad Flag of Russia.svg Lokomotiv
2012–13 Flag of Ukraine.svg Donbass
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Lev Praha
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovan
Flag of Russia.svg Vityaz
Flag of Russia.svg CSKA
Flag of Slovakia.svg Lev Poprad
Flag of Russia.svg Spartak
Flag of Russia.svg CSKA
Flag of Russia.svg Lokomotiv
Flag of Russia.svg Spartak
Flag of Russia.svg Vityaz
2013–14 Flag of Russia.svg CSKA
Flag of Belarus.svg Dinamo Mn
Flag of Croatia.svg Medveščak
Flag of Ukraine.svg Donbass
Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M
Flag of Russia.svg Vityaz
Flag of Ukraine.svg Donbass
Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M
Flag of Russia.svg Vityaz
Flag of Russia.svg CSKA
Flag of Belarus.svg Dinamo Mn
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo Flag of Russia.svg Admiral
2014–15 [4] Flag of Russia.svg Atlant
Flag of Finland.svg Jokerit
Flag of Russia.svg CSKA
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Lev Praha
Flag of Russia.svg CSKA
Flag of Russia.svg HC Sochi
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo
Flag of Russia.svg Atlant
Flag of Ukraine.svg Donbass
Flag of Russia.svg Spartak Moscow
Flag of Russia.svg Lada Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo
2015–16 Flag of Russia.svg Spartak M Flag of Russia.svg Atlant
2016–17 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg HC Red Star Kunlun
2017–18 Flag of Croatia.svg Medveščak Flag of Russia.svg Metallurg Nk
2018–19 Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M
Flag of Russia.svg Severstal
Flag of Belarus.svg Dinamo Mn
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovan
Flag of Belarus.svg Dinamo Mn
Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovan
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo
Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M
Flag of Russia.svg Severstal
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo Flag of Russia.svg Lada
Flag of Russia.svg Yugra
2019–20 [5] Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovan Flag of Russia.svg Sibir Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo Flag of Russia.svg Sibir
2020–21 Flag of Russia.svg HC Sochi
Flag of Russia.svg Vityaz
Flag of Latvia.svg Dinamo R
Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M
Flag of Latvia.svg Dinamo R
Flag of Russia.svg Dynamo M
Flag of Russia.svg HC Sochi
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo
Flag of Russia.svg Vityaz
Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo Flag of Russia.svg Sibir Flag of Russia.svg Sibir Flag of Russia.svg Admiral
2021–22 Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo Flag of Russia.svg Severstal Flag of Russia.svg Severstal Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg HC Red Star Kunlun Flag of Russia.svg Torpedo Flag of Russia.svg Admiral Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg HC Red Star Kunlun

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References

  1. "Budivelnik will not play in KHL". Kontinental Hockey League. 26 June 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  2. "HC Lev to join KHL". Kontinental Hockey League. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  3. "Лев" не сыграет в ближайшем сезоне (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  4. "Regular Season Format Unveiled". 2014-07-09. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  5. "League confirms structure for the new season". 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2019-08-08.