Current season, competition or edition: 2023–24 SWHL A season | |
Formerly |
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Sport | Ice hockey |
Founded | 1986 |
Founder | Swiss Ice Hockey Federation |
First season | 1986–87 |
No. of teams | 8 |
Country | Switzerland |
Most recent champion(s) | ZSC Lions Frauen (2022–23) |
Most titles | ZSC Lions Frauen (11 titles) |
Domestic cup(s) | Swiss Women's Hockey Cup |
International cup(s) | EWHL Super Cup European Women's Champions Cup (2004–2015) |
Related competitions |
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Official website | Official website |
The Women's League, also known as the PostFinance Women's League for sponsorship reasons, is the premier ice hockey league in the Swiss Women's Hockey League (SWHL) system. [1] The league was founded in 1986 as the Leistungsklasse A, abbreviated LKA, and was also officially known as the Ligue nationale A in French and the Lega Nazionale A in Italian, both abbreviated as LNA. During 2014 to 2019, the league was called the Swiss Women's Hockey League A, abbreviated SWHL A; the abbreviation continues to be used by the league following the 2019 name change. An amateur league, it is organized by the Regio League , an organ of the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation.
With the creation of several women's ice hockey clubs in the early 1980s, the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation chose to incorporate women's hockey within the scope of its governance in 1984. During the 1985–86 season, an unofficial club championship was played. The following season, the first official championship tournament, called Leistungsklasse A ('Performance Class A'), was organized and the victors, the Kloten Specials of EHC Kloten, became the first Swiss Champions in women's ice hockey.
With the growing interest and participation in ice hockey among Swiss women, a second tier league, called the Leistungsklasse B (LKB), was established from the 1988–89 season. Two years later, league rules were changed to allow foreign players and several big names in international women's hockey opted to play with Swiss teams, including Canadian national team forwards Andria Hunter and France Saint-Louis, and Finnish national team phenom Riikka Sallinen. The arrival of imports coincided with the rise to dominance of SC Lyss, who won four titles in five years from 1991–92 to 1996–97. The women's section had become an independent club, the DHC Lyss, when they won their fourth title in 1997. In 1995, a third level league, the Leistungsklasse C (LKC), was introduced.
From the 2001–02 season onward, a final four tournament is held to determine the Swiss Champion. SC Reinach, the 2001 champions, retained their title in the league's inaugural final four in 2002 and followed it up with a third consecutive victory in 2003. Playoffs were introduced in the 2005–06 season and the HC Lugano Ladies Team and ZSC Lions Frauen dominated in the playoff era, with one of the two teams winning the championship in all but one year since format change. [2]
Starting from the 2010–11 season, the participating teams play against each other four times in two home-and-away rounds. At the end of the first round, the each team's total of points is cut by half. Once the second round is completed, the top ranking teams qualify for the play-offs which are in a best-of-five format, excepted the third place game played on a one-off match. The finals winner is declared Swiss Champion. Meanwhile, the teams finishing in the bottom two positions dispute a best-of-five playdown. The loser then faces the second tier champions in a best-of-three games series, the winner getting to play the following season in the top tier.
Team | Trainer | City | Arena | Capacity |
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HC Ambrì-Piotta Girls | Benjamin Rogger, Christian Agustoni | Quinto | Nuova Valascia | 6,675 |
SC Bern Frauen | Thomas Zwahlen, Petra Melicherikova | Bern | PostFinance Arena | 17,031 |
HC Davos Ladies | Andrea Kröni, Marc Kröni, Emanuel Karrer | Davos | Eisstadion Davos | 7,080 |
HC Fribourg-Gottéron Ladies | Roger Rensch, Fabrice Vadi | Fribourg | BCF Arena | 9,075 |
SC Langenthal Ladies | Nicola Minder, Thomas Frutig, Rudolf Minder | Langenthal | Schoren Halle | 4,320 |
HC Université Neuchâtel Dames | Yan Gigon | Neuchâtel | Patinoire du Littoral | 7,000 |
ZSC Lions Frauen | Angela Frautschi, Cyndy Kenyon | Zürich | Kunsteisbahn Oerlikon | 1,700 |
EV Zug Women | Daniela Diaz, Christoph Scherrer | Zug | Bossard Arena | 7,200 |
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Team | Titles | Years | |
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1 | ZSC Lions Frauen (prev. Grasshopper Club Zürich) | 12 | 1989, 1990, 1991, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024 |
2 | HC Ladies Lugano | 8 | 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2021 |
3 | EV Zug | 4 | 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005 |
– | DHC Lyss | 4 | 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997 |
5 | SC Reinach | 3 | 2001, 2002, 2003 |
6 | DHC Langenthal | 2 | 1994, 2008 |
– | EHC Kloten Specials | 2 | 1987, 1988 |
8 | DSC St. Gallen | 1 | 2000 |
– | EHC Bülach | 1 | 1992 |
The Woman of the Year award honours the best active Swiss player, whether she plays in the Swiss league or elsewhere. [4] [5] First awarded by the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation in the 2005–06 season. [6]
First awarded in the 2009–10 season to the most valuable player of each team in the Swiss Championship playoff final. [5] [9]
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The SWHL B, previously known as the Leistungsklasse B (LKB) in German, the Ligue nationale B (LNB) in French and the Lega Nazionale B in Italian, is the second tier of the Swiss Women's Hockey League system.
The team finishing first is declared SWHL B champion and qualifies for a best-of-three playoff against the loser of the top league playdown. The team finishing last is relegated in the lower division.
The ten teams taking part in the 2023–24 season [10] [11] are:
The SWHL C, previously known as the Leistungsklasse C (LKC) in German, the Ligue nationale C (LNC) in French and the Lega Nazionale C in Italian, is the third tier of the Swiss Women's Hockey League system.
The team finishing first is declared SWHL C champion and is promoted to SWHL B.
For the 2023–24 season, there are fifteen participating teams: [12]
The SWHL D is the fourth tier of the Swiss Women's Hockey League system.
For the 2023–24 season, there are fifteen participating teams: [13]
It is also called Ochsner Hockey Swiss Women Cup for sponsorship reasons.
The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and is the top tier of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league had an average of 6,949 spectators per game which is the highest among European leagues. The capital city's club SC Bern has been ranked first of all European clubs for 18 seasons and had an average attendance of 16,290 after the regular season. The ZSC Lions are another club in the top ten of European ice hockey attendance, ranking seventh with 9,694 spectators.
The 2013–14 National League A season is the seventh ice hockey season of Switzerland's top hockey league, the National League A. Overall, it is the 76th season of Swiss professional hockey. It was won by ZSC Lions after beating Kloten Flyers 4-0 in the playoff final.
Colin Muller is a Canadian-born Swiss professional ice hockey coach and former professional ice hockey player. Colin played ice hockey in the Swiss A league from 1983 to 2000 and has been coaching in Switzerland since 2000. He is currently serving as the head coach of the Swiss women's national team.
Reica Rose Staiger is a Japanese-Swiss ice hockey official and retired ice hockey player. She is a former member of the Swiss national team and a five-time Swiss Women's Hockey League A champion.
The 2015–16 National League A season was the ninth ice hockey season of Switzerland's top hockey league, the National League A. Overall, it was the 78th season of Swiss professional hockey.
Kateřina Flachsová is a Czech ice hockey player and alternate captain of HC 2001 Kladno in the Czech Women's Extraliga. As a member of the Czech national team, she participated in eleven IIHF Women's World Championships: the Top Division tournaments in 2013 and 2016; the Division I Group A tournaments in 2012, 2014, and 2015; the Division I tournaments in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009; and the Division II tournament in 2011. She last represented the Czech Republic in international competition in 2016.
Rahel Enzler is a Swiss ice hockey player and member of the Swiss national team, currently playing with the Maine Black Bears women's ice hockey program in the Hockey East (HEA) conference of the NCAA Division I.
Noemi Ryhner is a Swiss ice hockey player and member of the Swiss national team, currently playing in the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) with Leksands IF Dam.
Ice hockey in Switzerland is one of the most popular team sports in the country rivaling football in terms of attendances and TV ratings.
The 2014–15 Swiss League season was the 29th season of the Swiss Women's League A.
The 2015–16 Swiss League season was the 30th season of the Swiss Women's League A.
The 2016–17 Swiss League season was the 31th season of the Swiss Women's League A.
The 2017–18 Swiss League season was the 32th season of the Swiss Women's League A.
The 2018–19 Swiss League season was the 33th season of the Swiss Women's League A.
The 2019–20 Swiss League season was the 34th season of the Swiss Women's League A. Shortly before the third playoff final match between the ZSC Lions Women and the Neuchâtel Hockey Academy, the season was cancelled on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021–22 Swiss League season was the 36th season of the Swiss Women's League A.
The 2020–21 Swiss League season was the 35th season of the Swiss Women's League A.
The 2022–23 Swiss League season was the 37th season of the Swiss Women's League A.
The 2022–23 Swiss League season was the 37th season of the Swiss Women's League A.