Supreme Hockey League B Explained

All-Russian Hockey League B
Pixels:180
Formerly:Pervaya Liga
Sport:Ice hockey
Countries:Russia (5 teams)
Champion:CSK VVS Samara (1st title)
Most Champs:HC Rostov (3)
Founded:2011
Teams:5 (2022–2023 season)
Website:vhl.su
Related Comps:KHL
VHL
MHL
NMHL

The All-Russian Hockey League B or VHL-B (Russian: Первенство Всероссийской хоккейной лиги (ВХЛ-Б), Pervenstvo Vserossiyskoy hokkeynoy ligi) is an ice hockey league in Russia. It stands at the third-tier of the Russian ice hockey pyramid, below the second-level VHL and the top-tier KHL.

History

Since 1992, it was the First League of the Russian Ice Hockey Championship. During the 2010–11 season, it was known as the Championship of Russia between the club teams of regions (Russian: Первенство России среди клубных команд регионов, Pervenstvo Rossii sredi klubnykh komand regionov), which was considered a feeder league to both the KHL and the VHL. A majority of the teams were simply junior versions of their professional counterparts. During the era of the Soviet Championship League, it was referred to as "Class B"

The league in 2010–11 featured clubs from the 2009–10 season of the Pervaya Liga and also clubs from the 2009–10 season of the Vysshaya Liga that were not accepted into the VHL for 2010–11.

On August 23, 2011, the FHR announced the creation of the Russian Hockey League that replaced the Pervaya Liga. The league had 2 divisions. The West Division featured teams from both the Central and Povolzhie divisions of the Pervaya Liga. The East Division featured teams from the Ural and West Siberia division as well as teams from the Siberian and Far East division. The Russian Hockey League was also the same name of the organization responsible for organizing the top-tier hockey league of Russia at the time that existed from 1996 and 2008, when it was rebranded and reorganized as the Kontinental Hockey League.

Prior to the beginning of the 2014–15 season, there was a big decrease in league members (with seven teams either leaving to join a different league or disbanding altogether). In connection with this number of losses, FHR officials who ran the league were forced to combine the two territorial divisions into one league table.

After the 2014–15 season and prior to the 2015–16 season, the FHR transferred the organization of the RHL (which had seen its membership numbers plummet from 24 teams in 2011/12 to nine in 2014/15) to the Supreme Hockey League, with the hope of developing a better third-tier competition with an eventual promotion/relegation system with the second-level league thus creating the Supreme Hockey League Championship.

Prospects for expansion

It was planned to replenish the league from the following sources:

Teams for 2022–2023

TeamCityArenaCapacityFoundedJoined league
Dinamo-Altay BarnaulTitov Sports Palacealign=center 3,800align=center 2006align=center 2011
CSK VVS Samara SamaraVladimir Vysotsky Sport Palacealign=center 5,000align=center 1993align=center 2022
Feniks KazanSport Palacealign=center 3,345align=center 2022align=center 2022
HC Chelny Naberezhnye ChelnyIce Palace Naberezhny Chelnyalign=center 1,500align=center 2004align=center 2016
Kristall SaratovIce Sports Palace Saratovalign=center 5,000align=center 1946align=center 2017

Former teams

TeamCityArenaCapacityFate of the team
Angel Sibiri TobolskCrystal Sports Complexalign=center UnknownUnknown
Avangard-Yugra KogalymIceberg Sports Complexalign=center UnknownOriginally joined, but ultimately did not participate; possibly disbanded
Buran Voronezh VoronezhLDS Jubileinyalign=center 3,200Joined the VHL in 2012
Burevestnik Yekaterinburg YekaterinburgKRK Uraletsalign=center 5,570Withdrew during 2013–14 season; later disbanded due to connection with financial problems
Burevestnik-1976 TomskCrystal Sport Palacealign=center UnknownCurrently, the club performs in the Siberian Student Hockey League
HC Belgorod BelgorodOranzevjy ledalign=center 1,200Joined the NMHL (then MHL-B) in 2012 due to financial issues
HC Bryansk BryanskDesna Stadiumalign=center 1,000Joined the NMHL (then MHL-B) in 2014
HC Cheboksary CheboksaryCheboksary-Arenaalign=center 7,500Disbanded
HC Lipetsk LipetskZvezdny Sports Complexalign=center 2,000Joined the VHL in 2013; later withdrew in 2015
HC Rostov Rostov-on-DonIce Arenaalign=center 600Joined the VHL in 2019
HC Tambov TambovCrystal Ice Palacealign=center 1,200Joined the VHL in 2018
Junior-Sputnik Nizhny TagilSotnikov Ice Sports Palacealign=center 4,200Club skips season due to financial problems
Kedr Novouralsk NovouralskNovouralsk Ice Palacealign=center 1,200Disbanded
Krasnoyarskie Rysi KrasnoyarskArena Severalign=center 2,600Joined the JHL in 2022
Kristall Elektrostal ElektrostalKristall Sport Palacealign=center 3,500Disbanded
Kristall-Yugra Beloyarsky BeloyarskyPalace of Sportsalign=center 450Possibly disbanded
Krylya Sovetov Novosibirsk NovosibirskUnknownalign=center -Disbanded
Neftyanik Almetyevsk-2 AlmetyevskYubileyny Sports Palacealign=center 2,000Changed name to Sputnik; joined the MHL in 2012 as farm club of Neftyanik (Almetyevsk) (VHL)
Progress Glazov GlazovProgress Sports Palacealign=center 4,300Joined the NMHL (then MHL-B) in 2014; became farm club of Izhstal (Izhevsk) (VHL)
Rubin Tyumen-2 TyumenSports Palace Tyumenalign=center 3,300Unknown
Shakhtyor Prokopyevsk ProkopyevskSnowflake Sports Complexalign=center 3,150Due to financial problems, the club decided to go to the Siberian Student Hockey League in 2013
Slavutych Smolensk SmolenskIce Palace SGAFKSTalign=center 1,080Left league in 2017 due to financial problems
Sokol Novocheboksarsk NovocheboksarskLD Sokolalign=center 3,000Disbanded
Soyuz ZarechnySports Palace Soyuzalign=center UnknownPossibly disbanded
THK Tver TverIce Palace Yubileynyalign=center 1,980Joined the VHL in 2012; later declared bankruptcy and ceased in 2017
Yamal Sterkhi NoyabrskKSK Fakelalign=center UnknownDisbanded
Yantar Seversk SeverskSK Northalign=center UnknownWithdrew from league after 2011–12 season; later disbanded due to financial issues in 2013-14
Yuzhny Ural-Metallurg Orsk OrskUnknownalign=center -Disbanded
Zauralje Kurgan-2 KurganIce Sports Palace Mostovikalign=center 2,500Changed name to Junior and became a youth team joining the MHL and then the NMHL (then MHL-B) in 2012; currently still member of the league

Champions

style= width="33" Seasonstyle= width="158" Championstyle= width="158" Finaliststyle= width="33" Series
Result
style= width="158" Bronze Medaliststyle= width="172" Regular season winner
2011–12 Slavutych Smolensk Buran Voronezh
2012–13 Mordovia Saransk 3–2 Slavutych Smolensk Slavutych Smolensk
2013–14 Slavutych Smolensk Mordovia Saransk [NK] Altai Barnaul &<br> Yamal Sterkhi[*] Slavutych Smolensk
2014–15 HC Rostov 3–0 Mordovia Saransk &<br> Slavutych Smolensk[*] Slavutych Smolensk
2015–16 HC Tambov HC Rostov 4–1 Mordovia Saransk HC Rostov
2016–17 HC Rostov Slavutych Smolensk 4–1 Mordovia Saransk HC Rostov
2017-18 HC Tambov 4–0 Mordovia Saransk HC Rostov
2018-19 HC Rostov Mordovia Saransk 4–0 HC Cheboksary HC Rostov

Both losing semifinalists received bronze medals

Result not known

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Оптимизация МХЛ поможет возродить РХЛ . Sports.ru . 30 October 2017.