Potential Kontinental Hockey League expansion
From Kazakhstan Encyclopedia
The potential of including addition franchises to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) has been an ongoing topic since the league's inception. In June 2012, the league presented a plan that would see expansion to as many as 64 teams in up to 22 countries.[1] It has later been stated that the league only can comprise 32 teams, because of problems with logistics with more teams.[2]
Contents
Proposed pan-European league
United Hockey Europe was the first proposed pan-European ice hockey league. It was announced at the International Ice Hockey Federation's September 2009 congress by Alexander Medvedev, president of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[3]
The proposed league would have consisted of two conferences split into four divisions. The current KHL would have made up one of the conferences. The other conference would have been composed of a Scandinavian division and a Central European division. The winners of the two conferences would have played each other for the overall championship.[3]
The proposal of June 2012 at the International Hockey Forum in Barcelona was an updated version of this plan, that would see two conferences of 32 teams each, playing a 62-game regular schedule followed by five rounds of playoffs.[1]
The KHL would essentially replace the current model of European hockey based on relegation and promotion within national systems, supplemented by an international tournament, most recently the Champions Hockey League, and replace it with a system of franchises much like that of the North American National Hockey League (NHL).
Central Europe
The Czech Republic's HC Energie Karlovy Vary[4][5] signed letters of intent with the KHL in 2008 and hoped to begin playing in the 2009-10 season.[6] However, they had to annul plans to join the league[7] due to the financial crisis of 2007–2010.[8]
German teams Eisbären Berlin[9] and Kölner Haie[10] have been approached by the KHL but are currently not considering joining the league. The KHL also wants to expand to Austria by affiliating EC Red Bull Salzburg. SKA Saint Petersburg General manager Barry Smith said that an affiliation may be possible in three or four years. Red Bull and team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, however, favours playing in the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga.[11][12]
Italian hockey club Hockey Milano Rossoblu was slated to join the KHL in the 2012–13 season[13] but the move was delayed due to a small arena, tight finances and the club being too underdeveloped. In October 2012, they indicated plans intending to join in 2013–14.[14] There has been doubt about Milano's accession to KHL, as the negotiations has lasted for several years. However, both KHL and Milano are still positive to accession, concluded from a meeting in February 2014.[15]
A group from Switzerland was interested in starting an expansion team in Huttwil for the 2014–15 season.[16]
The owners of Polish club Olivia, based in Gdańsk, have applied in January 2013 for a new team, Oliva Gdansk, to join the KHL and play home games at Ergo Arena.[17]
In September 2016, KHL president Dmitry Chernyshenko stated, while they were still negotiating with a new team from London, there were also requests from Milan, Dresden and Geneva.[18]
Northern Europe
On 28 April 2009, it was reported that Swedish teams HV71, Linköpings HC, Färjestad BK, Frölunda HC and Djurgårdens IF (of which Färjestad and Frölunda have had offers previously from the KHL) had terminated their shareholders' agreements with Elitserien (now named the SHL).[19] This caused speculation as to whether they wanted to join the KHL or create a new league as an expansion of the Nordic Trophy. None of the clubs officially said that they wanted to stop playing in the Elitserien, although the seven remaining clubs drew such conclusions.[20] The quarrel was resolved on 16 November 2011, when the plans were officially put down. All clubs agreed to continue their operation in Elitserien.[21][22]
It is possible that the KHL will have a new team from Vilnius, Lithuania. In Autumn 2009, KHL's SKA Petersburg and Bars Kazan played an exhibition game there, with more such games likely in the future. The main hurdles to be overcome for bringing a team there is funding, as well as the fact that basketball is a more popular sport in the region.[23] The team would be called Vėtra Vilnius, and would be an expansion of the Sports Association Vėtra.[24]
In November 2009, the KHL and AIK IF from Stockholm, Sweden (at that time playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan) signed a document inviting AIK to become a member of the KHL, and join the league beginning in the 2010–11 season, provided that AIK observed all the terms and conditions, and met all KHL admission criteria.[25] AIK's interest was largely due to the club's serious financial problems at that time, however, in the end, AIK were unable to join after the plan was rejected by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association.[26] Later during the 2009–10 season, AIK were promoted back to the top Swedish league, which stabilized their finances for the time being. In January 2016, Sweden Hockey Federation manager Mikael Lundström stated that they're stopping all Swedish teams from joining the KHL. According to Russia Today News, Finnish team Kärpät from Liiga was also interested.[27] Another real candidate from Finland may be the Espoo Blues.[28]
In March 2016, information reached media about plans to form a team in Sweden- the Crowns - that has applied to join KHL prior to the 2016-17 season. In the case of inclusion, the team will hold the matches in Malmö, Oslo, Copenhagen, Lillehammer and Stockholm.[29]
Eastern Europe
The Belarus Ice Hockey Federation has announced that it plans to include up to four Belarusian teams in the KHL, with league VP Vladimir Shalaev confirming the prospect of adding a second Belarusian KHL team for the 2009-10 season.[12][30] Of these, Yunost Minsk, along with HK Homiel (which may relocate to Babruysk due to arena complications) of the Belarusian Extraleague, are actively taking steps to join the KHL.[30][31]
Ukraine's Sokil Kiev has attempted to join, but financial issues have delayed a bid. They have a new 12,000 seat arena due in 2012 and are currently in negotiation with the KHL to join in the near future. President of the Hockey Federation of Ukraine, Anatoliy Brezvin, stated "I can not say under what brand it will be [...] Sokil, HC Kyiv or some other. But there is some agreement that the next season will be [a] team from Ukraine, with Ukrainian players in the KHL."[32] Also from Kyiv, the expansion HC Budivelnyk had signed letters of intent and planned on joining the KHL for the 2010–11 season, but support fell through due to bureaucratic complications with the arena. Budivelnyk had even signed several players and personnel in order to ice a team for the coming season. HC Berkut has stated its goals are to build a new arena and join the KHL.[33]
Russian team Krylya Sovetov were interested to join the league for the 2010–11 season;[34] however, after 2011 they were not able to continue to operate as a professional hockey club and withdrew from the championship on all levels.
North Asia
Kazzinc-Torpedo, currently playing in the Higher Hockey League, has been in negotiations to join the KHL.[35] The club, formerly known as Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk, used to play in the highest division during the Soviet era. Torpedo has typically been the most dominant developmental club in Kazakhstan. Most Kazakh players who have reached the NHL trace their roots to Torpedo.[36]
East Asia
Former ice hockey player and member of the council of the Ice hockey Federation Viacheslav Fetisov, has expressed hopes of expanding the KHL into several countries in East Asia, including China, Japan, South Korea and even North Korea;[37] and the development of a Far East division in KHL was discussed in a meeting with the board in July, 2014.[38]
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is the largest city on the Island of Sakhalin, and prior to the 2014–15 season a newly created team from the city, the Sea Lions, is affiliated to the Asia League Ice Hockey.[39][40] Moreover, HC Rys' of the Higher Hockey League is in negotiations to relocate the team there, and a new arena (Kristall Ice Palace) has been built under the auspices of Gazprom,[41] it is likely that a team from the area, in some way, will be involved in KHL in the future.
Teams currently involved
| Team | City/Area | League | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Flagicon Genève-Servette HC | Geneva | National League A | Expressed hopes to join in the future.[42][43] |
| Template:Flagicon Ilves Tallinn | Tallinn | Expansion | Had intentions to join prior to 2016–17 season.[44][45] |
| Template:Flagicon Crowns[46] | Malmö and Stockholm[47] | Expansion | Had intentions to join prior to 2016–17 season;[44] now possible for the 2017–18 season.[48] |
| Template:Flagicon London Emperors | London | Expansion | Had intentions to join prior to 2016–17 season.[44] Requires new arena.[45] |
| Template:Flagicon ORG Star Ice Hockey Club | Beijing | Expansion | Expressed hopes to join in the future.[49] |
| Template:Flagicon Vålerenga Ishockey | Oslo | GET-ligaen | Vålerenga discussed joining the KHL in 2014–15,[50] and again in 2015–16.[51] |
| Template:Flagicon Malmö Redhawks | Malmö | Swedish Hockey League | Expressed hopes to join in the future.[52] |
| Template:Flagicon Stavanger Oilers | Stavanger | GET-ligaen | Expressed hopes to join in the future.[53] |
| Template:Flagicon Rubin Tyumen | Tyumen | Supreme Hockey League | Requires new arena.[54] |
| Template:Flagicon Hockey Milano Rossoblu | Milan | Elite.A (formally Serie A) | Have had partnership with the KHL since 2011.[14][55] Unclear if and when the team will join the league. |
| Template:Flagicon Olivia Gdańsk | Gdańsk | Expansion | Applied for KHL expansion prior to 2013-14 season, but were not approved for financial reasons.[56] |
| Template:Flagicon Huttwil Helvetics | Huttwil | Expansion | Planned to join league in 2015. |
| Teams that left the league prior to the 2014–15 season with intentions to return in the future | |||
| Template:Flagicon Lev Praha | Prague | Did not participate in the 2014–15 season, because of financial problems.[57] | |
| Template:Flagicon Donbass Donetsk | Donetsk | Withdrawn from KHL, due to the instability in Ukraine.[58] Joined the Ukrainian Hockey Extra League from the 2015–16 season.[59] | |
See also
References
Template:Kontinental Hockey League
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