J20 SuperElit
Encyclopedia
J20 SuperElit is a junior ice hockey
league composed of 20 teams in Sweden
. It is the highest-level junior ice hockey league in Sweden. The teams are divided in two groups, or divisions, Norra (North) and Södra (South), and are usually associated with a professional team in either Elitserien
or HockeyAllsvenskan in order to develop talented youth for the professional teams. The winner of the J20 SuperElit playoffs are awarded the Anton Cup
.
is a five-minute, four-player on four-player sudden death period, in which the first team to score a goal wins the game.
In the playoffs, one sudden-death 20 minute five-on-five period occur until one team scores. If both teams are tied after the 20 minutes of overtime, penalty shots ensues. Best of five penalty shots wins, if both teams are still tied sudden death penalties will ensue.
s from March to the beginning of April, which is an elimination tournament where two teams play against each other to win a best-of-three series in order to advance to the next round. The final remaining team is crowned the Swedish Junior Champion, or Svenska juniormästare in Swedish
.
The eight teams from the Top 8 group and the two highest ranked teams by points in the two continuation series qualify for the playoffs. The two lowest ranked teams in the continuation series have to play in the relegation and promotion
series in order to qualify for the next season of J20 SuperElit.
In each round the higher-ranked team is said to be the team with the home-ice advantage. Two of the three games are played at this team's home venue — the second, and, when necessary, the third games — with the first game played at the lower-ranked team's home venue.
.
Junior ice hockey
Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...
league composed of 20 teams in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It is the highest-level junior ice hockey league in Sweden. The teams are divided in two groups, or divisions, Norra (North) and Södra (South), and are usually associated with a professional team in either Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
or HockeyAllsvenskan in order to develop talented youth for the professional teams. The winner of the J20 SuperElit playoffs are awarded the Anton Cup
Anton Cup
The Anton Cup is the championship trophy of the Swedish junior hockey league, J20 SuperElit. The trophy was donated by Anton Johansson, chairman of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association between 1924–1948, in 1952, as an award for Sweden's top-ranking ice hockey club, decided by a national tournament...
.
Game
Each J20 SuperElit regulation game is an ice hockey game played between two teams and is 60 minutes long. The game is composed of three 20-minute periods. At the end of the 60-minute regulation time, the team with the most goals wins the game. If a game is tied after regulation time, overtime ensues. During the regular season, overtimeOvertime (ice hockey)
Overtime is a method of determining the winner and loser of an ice hockey match when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods are the overtime period and the shootout.-Overtime periods:...
is a five-minute, four-player on four-player sudden death period, in which the first team to score a goal wins the game.
In the playoffs, one sudden-death 20 minute five-on-five period occur until one team scores. If both teams are tied after the 20 minutes of overtime, penalty shots ensues. Best of five penalty shots wins, if both teams are still tied sudden death penalties will ensue.
Teams
The J20 SuperElit currently consists of 20 teams. The two lowest ranked teams after the regular season have to play in the relegation series Norra and Södra together with four teams from the second tier league J20 Elit. The top teams of group Norra and Södra qualify for the next J20 SuperElit season, while the other four are demoted to J20 Elit. Theoretically, there is a possibility that two 'new' teams will play in J20 SuperElit at the beginning of each season.2010–11 season
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Season structure
The J20 SuperElit season is divided into a regular season from mid September through the beginning of March, when teams play each other in a predefined schedule, and a playoffPlayoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
s from March to the beginning of April, which is an elimination tournament where two teams play against each other to win a best-of-three series in order to advance to the next round. The final remaining team is crowned the Swedish Junior Champion, or Svenska juniormästare in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
.
Regular season
In the regular season, each team plays 41 or 42 games. Points are awarded for each game, where three points are awarded for a win, one point for losing in overtime, two points for winning in overtime, and zero points for a loss in regulation. After 27 games the top four teams from group Norra and Södra advance to the Top 8 group, where each team plays each other twice. The remaining teams from each group play in the continuation series Norra Vår (North Spring) and Södra Vår (South Spring), facing each team three times.The eight teams from the Top 8 group and the two highest ranked teams by points in the two continuation series qualify for the playoffs. The two lowest ranked teams in the continuation series have to play in the relegation and promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
series in order to qualify for the next season of J20 SuperElit.
Playoffs
The Elitserien Playoffs is an elimination tournament, where two teams battle to win a best-of-three series in order to advance to the next round. The first round of the playoffs are the pre-qualifications for quarterfinals, which consists of the fifth to eight ranked teams in the Top 8 group playing the four teams from the continuation series. In the second round, or quarterfinals, the first to fourth seeded teams from the Top 8 group chooses which of the winning teams from round one to play. In the third round, the semifinals, the teams are re-seeded, with the top remaining seed choose which of the lowest remaining seed to play, and the other two remaining teams pairing off. In the fourth round, the finals, the two remaining teams face each other.In each round the higher-ranked team is said to be the team with the home-ice advantage. Two of the three games are played at this team's home venue — the second, and, when necessary, the third games — with the first game played at the lower-ranked team's home venue.
Trophies and awards
At the end of the J20 SuperElit playoffs the Swedish Junior Champions are awarded the Anton CupAnton Cup
The Anton Cup is the championship trophy of the Swedish junior hockey league, J20 SuperElit. The trophy was donated by Anton Johansson, chairman of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association between 1924–1948, in 1952, as an award for Sweden's top-ranking ice hockey club, decided by a national tournament...
.