Ice hockey league in Eastern Europe
The All-Russian Hockey League (VHL) [ 1] [ 2] (Russian: Всероссийская хоккейная лига (ВХЛ) , Vserossiyskaya hokkeinaya liga (VHL ) ), also known as the Major Hockey League [ 3] [ 4] or Higher Hockey League (HHL ),[ 5] is a professional ice hockey league in Eurasia , and the second highest level of Russian hockey .
Though currently acting independently, plans were in place to convert it to a farm system for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)'s 2010–11 season .[ 6] It was preceded by the Major League of the Russian Championship (Vysshaya Liga) that formerly held a relegation role for the Russian Superleague and was governed by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia . As of the 2022–23 season, most VHL teams were affiliated with a KHL team (e.g., Khimik Voskresensk is affiliated with KHL's Spartak Moscow ), while some teams of the VHL are not affiliated with a KHL team.[citation needed ]
The Russian Classic (Russian: Русская классика, Russkaya klassika ) is an outdoor ice hockey game that is played during the Supreme Hockey League regular season. So far, the visiting team has won every edition of the game.
Date
Venue
Sport
Location
Home Team
Visiting Team
Score
Attendance
February 17, 2012
Central Stadium
Football , Rugby
Krasnoyarsk
Sokol Krasnoyarsk
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
2–3
16,100
January 19, 2014
Central Stadium
Football
Chelyabinsk
Chelmet Chelyabinsk
Lada Togliatti
2–5
9,200
February 14, 2015
Sputnik Stadium
Football
Nizhny Tagil
Sputnik Nizhny Tagil
Yuzhny Ural Orsk
0–4
8,350
February 7, 2016
Khimik Stadium
Football
Tver
THK Tver
Buran Voronezh
1–2 (OT )
6,350
January 14, 2017
Park Legend
Moscow
Dynamo Balashikha
Khimik Voskresensk
1–3
1,831
January 28, 2018
Central Stadium
Football
Kurgan
Zauralie Kurgan
Rubin Tyumen
0–4
3,000
Bolded teams denote winners
Team
City
Arena
Capacity
KHL Affiliate Team(s)
MHL/NMHL Affiliate Team(s)
Founded
Joined league
1 AKM
Tula
Ice Sports Palace
3,000
Independent
Mikhailov Academy
2021
2021
2 Bars
Kazan
Sports Palace Kazan
3,845
Ak Bars Kazan
Irbis
2009
2014
3 Buran
Voronezh
LDS Jubileiny
3,200
Severstal Cherepovets
Rossosh Voronezh
1949
2012
4 Chelmet
Chelyabinsk
Yunost Sport Palace
3,500
Traktor Chelyabinsk
Belye Medvedi
1948
2010
4 CSK VVS Samara
Samara
CSK VVS Sport Palace
3,500
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
Independent
1950
2017
5 Dinamo Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Yubileyny Sports Palace
7,000
Dynamo Moscow
JHC Dinamo Saint Petersburg
2013
2016
6 Dizel
Penza
Dizel Arena
5,500
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
Dizelist Penza
1956
2010
8 Gornyak
Verkhnyaya Pyshma
-
1,500
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
Avto
2013
2017
9 HC Izhstal
Izhevsk
Sports Palace Izhstal
3,268
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
Progress
1958
2010
10 Khimik
Voskresensk
Podmoskovie Ice Palace
4,000
Spartak Moscow
JHC Spartak
2005
2015
11 Lada Togliatti
Tolyatti
Lada Arena
6,000
Independent
Ladya
2004
2018
12 Metallurg Novokuznetsk
Novokuznetsk
Kuznetsk Metallurgists Sports Palace
7,533
Sibir Novosibirsk
Kuznetskie Medvedi
1949
2017
13 Molot
Perm
Universal Sports Palace Molot
6,000
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
MHC Molot
1948
2010
14 Neftyanik
Almetyevsk
Yubileyny Sports Palace
2,000
Independent
Sputnik Almetyevsk
1965
2010
15 HC Rostov
Rostov-on-Don
Ice Arena
600
HC Sochi
Independent
2004
2019
16 Rubin
Tyumen
Sports Palace Tyumen
3,300
Independent
Tyumensky Legion
1959
2010
17 Ryazan-VDV
Ryazan
Ryazan Olympic Sports Palace
3,000
Vityaz Podolsk
MHC Ryazan-VDV Kapitan Stupino
1999
2010
18 SKA-Neva
Saint Petersburg
Yubileyny Sports Palace
7,000
SKA Saint Petersburg
SKA-1946 SKA-Serebryanye Lvy SKA-Varyagi
2008
2010
19 Sokol
Krasnoyarsk
Arena Sever
2,600
Independent
Krasnoyarskie Rysi
1977
2011
20 HC Tambov
Tambov
Crystal Ice Palace
1,200
Independent
Independent
1981
2018
21 Toros
Neftekamsk
Ice Palace Neftekamsk
1,900
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Tolpar Batyr
1988
2010
22 Torpedo-Gorky
Nizhny Novgorod
Konovalenko Sports Palace
4,300
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
Chaika
2019
2019
23 Yermak
Angarsk
Arena Ermak
6,900
Sibir Novosibirsk
Sibirskie Snaipery
1959
2010
24 Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk
Khanty-Mansiysk
Arena Ugra
5,500
Avangard Omsk
Mamonty Yugry
2006
2018
25 Yuzhny Ural
Orsk
Ice Palace Yubileyny
4,500
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Taifun Sarmaty Yuzhny Ural-Metallurg Orsk
1958
2010
26 Zauralie
Kurgan
Ice Sports Palace Mostovik
2,500
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Stalnye Lisy
1962
2010
27 Zvezda Moscow
Moscow
CSKA Ice Palace
5,600
CSKA Moscow
Krasnaya Armiya
2015
2015
All-time team records [ edit ]
Since its foundation in 2010, 40 different clubs have played in the VHL, and 34 of them have at least once qualified for the playoffs. Only one club (Toros Neftekamsk ) has made the playoffs in all nine championships of the VHL, reaching the semi-final stage six times. The table gives the final regular season ranks for all teams, with the playoff performance encoded in colors. The teams are ordered by their best championship results.
Color
Result
Red
Bratina Cup Winner
Yellow
Runner-up
Green
Semifinalist
Light Blue
Quarterfinalist
Blue
Qualified for playoffs
Light Gray
Not qualified for playoffs
Gray
Did not play in the season
Former teams VL seasonsVHL seasonsRelated articles
National teams
Active leagues
Defunct leagues Statistics