Potential Kontinental Hockey League expansion
Encyclopedia
The potential of including addition franchises to the Kontinental Hockey League
(KHL) has been an ongoing topic since the league's inception. It has been reported that the league seeks to expand to 30 teams.
), to play across Europe starting in 2011.
's HC Energie Karlovy Vary
signed letters of intent with the KHL in 2008 and hoped to begin playing in the 2009-10 season. However, they had to annul plans to join the league due to the financial crisis of 2007–2010. The club intended to continue its operations in the Czech Extraleague
, while creating an expansion franchise consisting of top Czech players to play in the KHL.
Representatives of the Hradec Králové hockey club
had been negotiating with their KHL counterparts in Moscow
in December 2009 about a possible future participation in the KHL of the Hradec Králové
team. The team would have been named Hradecký Lev (Hradec's Lion). A protocol of intentions was signed between the club's management and representatives of the KHL on March 5, 2010. The Czech Ice Hockey Association
, however, refused to give the permission to the club to play in the KHL. The team's management decided to move the team to Poprad
, Slovakia
. Lev Poprad
was accepted into the league for 2010–11 season
. Later, however, the KHL excluded the team from the league for 2010–11. Alexander Medvedev
, in interview in March, 2011 stated that with 99.9% probability the Lev Poprad will join KHL for the 2011-2012 season.
German
teams Eisbären Berlin
and Kölner Haie
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.
In a interview for Croatian sports portal Sportal.hr, Croatian hockey club KHL Medveščak Zagreb
's president Damir Gojanović revealed that he and club's management have been in contacts with KHL expansion representatives about possibility of Croatian club joining the KHL. KHL Medveščak has a very high attendance, loyal fan base and comes from a large and regionally important city
with a brand new multi-purpose arena.
Italian hockey club Hockey Milano Rossoblu
and Slovak hockey club HC Slovan Bratislava
are slated to join the KHL in the 2012–13 season.
On 28 April 2009, it was reported that the Swedish teams HV71
, Linköpings HC
, Färjestads BK
, Frölunda HC
and Djurgårdens IF
(of which Färjestad and Frölunda have had offers previously from the KHL) broke their contracts with Elitserien
's club association. This caused speculation as to whether they want to join the KHL or create a new league as an expansion of the Nordic Trophy. None of the clubs have officially said that they want to stop playing in Elitserien, although the seven remaining clubs have drawn such conclusions. The quarrel was at least temporarily resolved on 9 June 2009, when all clubs agreed to continue their operation in Elitserien through the 2010–11 season.
According to Russia Today News, the Finnish team Kärpät
is also interested. Another real candidate from Finland may be the Espoo Blues
for the 2011–12 season.
In November 2009, the KHL and AIK IF
from Stockholm
, Sweden
(at that time playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan) signed a document announcing an invitation from the KHL to AIK IF club to become a member of the KHL, and join the league, beginning from the 2010–11 season provided that AIK observes all the terms and conditions, and meets all KHL admission criteria. The reason for the invitation was because of AIK's serious economical problems at that time. However, in the end, AIK were unable to join after the plan was rejected by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association
(SIHA). Later during the 2009–10 season, AIK were promoted back to the Swedish top league Elitserien
and saved their economy.
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 the fact that basketball
is very popular in the region. The team will be called Vėtra Vilnius, and will be an expansion of the Sports Association Vėtra. http://balticreports.com/?p=3882
has announced that it plans to include up to four Belarussian teams in the KHL, with league VP Vladimir Shalaev confirming the prospect of adding a second Belarussian KHL team for the 2009-10 season. 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.
Ukraine's Sokil Kyiv 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 Kiev or some other. But there is some agreement that the next season will be [a] team from Ukraine, with Ukrainian players in the KHL." Also from Kiev, 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 Donbass
of Donetsk
are currently in the process of building a KHL regulation arena and developing its infrastructure so that it may make a pitch to join the league as soon as possible. HC Berkyt has stated its goals are to build a new arena and join the KHL.
Krylya Sovetov
had declared interest to join the league for the 2010-11 season.
Another potential candidate city for expansion is Sochi
. The 2014 Winter Olympics
will result in huge amounts of investment in the city, with one result being the construction of the Bolshoi Palace arena. It is possible that the city may see a new team or relocated team there by the start of the Olympics.
replaced Khimik Voskresensk
for the 2009-10 season. Gazovik Tyumen may join the league in coming years, whereas Vityaz Chekhov
may leave the league.
Of the Russian Major League, Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk has expressed interest in joining in the future, with ownership hoping to ascend by 2013 or beyond. By the end of 2008 they planned to have a 5,500 capacity arena
completed to meet KHL specifications. The low population of this area, however, makes it highly unlikely a team will ever garner enough interest to warrant such an investment.
The Island of Sakhalin
in the Russian Far East
might receive a team in the future. HC Rys', of the Russian Major League, is in negotiations to relocate the team there. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
, the largest city on the island, has a population of almost 200,000. Plans are in the works to build a new arena in the city by 2011.
Kazzinc-Torpedo, currently playing in the Russian Major League, has been in negotiations to join the KHL. 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.
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
(KHL) has been an ongoing topic since the league's inception. It has been reported that the league seeks to expand to 30 teams.
Proposed pan-European league
In 2009, KHL proposed merging itself into a new league (called United Hockey EuropeUnited Hockey Europe
United Hockey Europe is a proposed pan-European ice hockey league. It was announced at the International Ice Hockey Federation's September 2009 congress by Alexander Medvedev, the head of the Kontinental Hockey League ....
), to play across Europe starting in 2011.
Central Europe
The Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
's HC Energie Karlovy Vary
HC Energie Karlovy Vary
HC Energie Karlovy Vary is a professional ice hockey team based in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. They play in the Czech Extraliga.-KHL Expansion:The club planned to create an independent expansion team for the 2009-10 KHL season...
signed letters of intent with the KHL in 2008 and hoped to begin playing in the 2009-10 season. However, they had to annul plans to join the league due to the financial crisis of 2007–2010. The club intended to continue its operations in the Czech Extraleague
Czech Extraliga
The Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe....
, while creating an expansion franchise consisting of top Czech players to play in the KHL.
Representatives of the Hradec Králové hockey club
HC VCES Hradec Králové
HC VCES Hradec Králové is an ice hockey team in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. They play in the Czech 1.liga, the second level of Czech ice hockey.-History:The club was founded as BK Hradec Králové in 1926...
had been negotiating with their KHL counterparts in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
in December 2009 about a possible future participation in the KHL of the Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové
Hradec Králové is a city of the Czech Republic, in the Hradec Králové Region of Bohemia. The city's economy is based on food-processing technology, photochemical, and electronics manufacture. Traditional industries include musical instrument manufacturing – the best known being PETROF pianos...
team. The team would have been named Hradecký Lev (Hradec's Lion). A protocol of intentions was signed between the club's management and representatives of the KHL on March 5, 2010. The Czech Ice Hockey Association
Czech Ice Hockey Association
The Czech Ice Hockey Association is the governing body of ice hockey in the Czech Republic....
, however, refused to give the permission to the club to play in the KHL. The team's management decided to move the team to Poprad
Poprad
Poprad is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the tenth largest city in Slovakia with a population of approximately 55,000.The Poprad-Tatry Airport is...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. Lev Poprad
Lev Poprad
Hockey Club Lev , also known as HC Lev Poprad, is a professional ice hockey team based in Poprad, Slovakia that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League .-History:...
was accepted into the league for 2010–11 season
2010–11 KHL season
The 2010–11 KHL season is the third season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It was held from 8 September 2010 and ended on 16 April 2011.The season started with the Opening Cup game between the last season's finalists, Ak Bars Kazan and the new team that was created by merging last season's...
. Later, however, the KHL excluded the team from the league for 2010–11. Alexander Medvedev
Alexander Medvedev
Alexander Ivanovich Medvedev is the current Deputy Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of Russian energy company Gazprom, president of the Kontinental Hockey League, and the Director-General of Gazprom's export arm Gazprom Export...
, in interview in March, 2011 stated that with 99.9% probability the Lev Poprad will join KHL for the 2011-2012 season.
German
Ice hockey in Germany
Ice hockey is one of the more popular sports in Germany, however it still ranks far behind football in spectator favour and meaning. Ice hockey is organized today in Germany by the Deutsche Eishockey Liga, the highest professional league, and by the Deutschen Eishockey-Bund ice hockey federation,...
teams Eisbären Berlin
Eisbären Berlin
' are a professional ice hockey team based in Berlin, Germany. The team competes in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga , the highest level of play in professional German ice hockey and is also one of the league's founding members...
and Kölner Haie
Kölner Haie
The Kölner Haie are an ice hockey club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. The team was one of the founding members of the DEL.The team colours are red and white....
have been approached by the KHL but are currently not considering joining the league. The KHL also wants to expand to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
by affiliating EC Red Bull Salzburg. SKA Saint Petersburg
SKA Saint Petersburg
SKA Saint Petersburg is a Russian professional ice hockey club that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League. SKA is an abbreviation for "Sports Club of the Army"...
General manager Barry Smith said that an affiliation may be possible in three or four years. Red Bull
Red Bull GmbH
Red Bull GmbH is an Austrian company which sells the Red Bull energy drink. In 2010, more than 4.204 billion cans were sold in over 161 countries. 7,758 employees generated 3.78 billion euros in revenue...
and team owner Dietrich Mateschitz
Dietrich Mateschitz
Dietrich Mateschitz is an Austrian businessman who co-founded the Red Bull energy drink company and holds 49 per cent of the company's shares.-Biography:...
, however, favours playing in the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga.
In a interview for Croatian sports portal Sportal.hr, Croatian hockey club KHL Medveščak Zagreb
KHL Medveščak Zagreb
KHL Medveščak Zagreb is a Croatian ice hockey team. It is by far the most successful and the most popular ice hockey team in Croatia. Currently the team plays in the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, and is the only Croatian team in the league. Last season club attracted over 200,000 spectators on live...
's president Damir Gojanović revealed that he and club's management have been in contacts with KHL expansion representatives about possibility of Croatian club joining the KHL. KHL Medveščak has a very high attendance, loyal fan base and comes from a large and regionally important city
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
with a brand new multi-purpose arena.
Italian hockey club Hockey Milano Rossoblu
Hockey Milano Rossoblu
Hockey Milano Rossoblu is an ice hockey team from Milan, Italy. It replaced Milano Vipers after that organization was disbanded in 2008...
and Slovak hockey club HC Slovan Bratislava
HC Slovan Bratislava
Hockey Club Slovan Bratislava is a professional ice hockey team in the Slovak Extraliga from the Slovak capital Bratislava. They play their home games at Samsung Arena....
are slated to join the KHL in the 2012–13 season.
Northern Europe
HV71
HV71, often referred to as just HV, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Jönköping, playing in the Swedish elite league Elitserien...
, Linköpings HC
Linköpings HC
Linköpings Hockey Club, often known by its acronym LHC or, colloquially among its fans, Cluben, is an ice hockey team from Linköping, Sweden....
, Färjestads BK
Färjestads BK
Färjestads Bollklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey team based in Karlstad. Färjestad has had 18 Swedish Championship final appearances, winning nine times since Elitserien was started in 1975. The team plays in the highest Swedish league, and have done so since 1965...
, Frölunda HC
Frölunda HC
Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the...
and Djurgårdens IF
Djurgårdens IF Hockey
Djurgårdens IF Hockey are a professional ice hockey team based in Stockholm, Sweden. They are the ice hockey department of the sports club Djurgårdens IF. The department was formed in 1922 with the help of Wilhelm Arwe and have since then become Sweden's most successful team, having won the Swedish...
(of which Färjestad and Frölunda have had offers previously from the KHL) broke their contracts with Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
's club association. This caused speculation as to whether they want to join the KHL or create a new league as an expansion of the Nordic Trophy. None of the clubs have officially said that they want to stop playing in Elitserien, although the seven remaining clubs have drawn such conclusions. The quarrel was at least temporarily resolved on 9 June 2009, when all clubs agreed to continue their operation in Elitserien through the 2010–11 season.
According to Russia Today News, the Finnish team Kärpät
Kärpät
Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat ; "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships .-History:...
is also interested. Another real candidate from Finland may be the Espoo Blues
Espoo Blues
The Blues are an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga. They play in Espoo, Finland at the Barona Areena.-Team history:The club was established in February 1984 as Kiekko-Espoo and played their first season in 1984-1985 in the Finnish Second Division...
for the 2011–12 season.
In November 2009, the KHL and AIK IF
AIK IF
Allmänna Idrottsklubben Ishockeyförening is the ice hockey section of the sports club Allmänna Idrottsklubben based in Stockholm, Sweden...
from Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, 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....
(at that time playing in the HockeyAllsvenskan) signed a document announcing an invitation from the KHL to AIK IF club to become a member of the KHL, and join the league, beginning from the 2010–11 season provided that AIK observes all the terms and conditions, and meets all KHL admission criteria. The reason for the invitation was because of AIK's serious economical problems at that time. However, in the end, AIK were unable to join after the plan was rejected by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association
Swedish Ice Hockey Association
The Swedish Ice Hockey Association or Svenska Ishockeyförbundet in Swedish, is an association of Swedish sports clubs with ice hockey activities....
(SIHA). Later during the 2009–10 season, AIK were promoted back to the Swedish top league Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
and saved their economy.
It is possible that the KHL will have a new team from Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. 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 the fact that basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
is very popular in the region. The team will be called Vėtra Vilnius, and will be an expansion of the Sports Association Vėtra. http://balticreports.com/?p=3882
Eastern Europe
The Belarus Ice Hockey FederationBelarus Ice Hockey Federation
Belarusian Ice Hockey Association is the Belarusian national ice hockey federation. It was founded on March 6, 1992 and became a member of the IIHF in two months ....
has announced that it plans to include up to four Belarussian teams in the KHL, with league VP Vladimir Shalaev confirming the prospect of adding a second Belarussian KHL team for the 2009-10 season. Of these, Yunost Minsk, along with HK Homiel (which may relocate to Babruysk
Babruysk
Babruysk or Bobruysk is a city in the Mahilyow Voblast of Belarus on the Berezina river. It is a large city in Belarus with a population of approximately 227,000 people . The name Babruysk probably originates from the Belarusian word babyor , many of which used to inhabit the Berezina...
due to arena complications) of the Belarusian Extraleague, are actively taking steps to join the KHL.
Ukraine's Sokil Kyiv 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 Kiev or some other. But there is some agreement that the next season will be [a] team from Ukraine, with Ukrainian players in the KHL." Also from Kiev, the expansion HC Budivelnyk
HC Budivelnyk
HC Budivelnyk was a potential professional ice hockey team to based in Kiev, Ukraine. It planned to join the Kontinental Hockey League for the 2010-11 season. However on June 24, 2010 the team's management announced the postponement of the team's debut in the KHL...
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 Donbass
HC Donbass
Hockey Club Donbass is a Ukrainian professional ice hockey team based in Donetsk. They are members of the Russian Major League , and are the reigning Ukrainian national champions. Following the 2010-11 season, Donbass split into two teams with their affiliate, HC Donbass-2, representing the club...
of Donetsk
Donetsk
Donetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region...
are currently in the process of building a KHL regulation arena and developing its infrastructure so that it may make a pitch to join the league as soon as possible. HC Berkyt has stated its goals are to build a new arena and join the KHL.
Krylya Sovetov
Krylya Sovetov
Krylya Sovetov may refer to:*FC Krylia Sovetov Samara, football club from Samara, Russia*FC Krylia Sovetov-SOK, football club from Dimitrovgrad, Russia*MHC Krylya Sovetov, ice hockey club that competes in the Russian MHL...
had declared interest to join the league for the 2010-11 season.
Another potential candidate city for expansion is Sochi
Sochi
Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains...
. The 2014 Winter Olympics
2014 Winter Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially the XXII Olympic Winter Games, or the 22nd Winter Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event scheduled to be celebrated from 7 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana. Both the Olympic and...
will result in huge amounts of investment in the city, with one result being the construction of the Bolshoi Palace arena. It is possible that the city may see a new team or relocated team there by the start of the Olympics.
North Asia
Avtomobilist YekaterinburgAvtomobilist Yekaterinburg
Avtomobilist is a professional ice hockey team based in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. They replaced Khimik Voskresensk in the Kontinental Hockey League in 2009.-External links:...
replaced Khimik Voskresensk
Khimik Voskresensk (2005–)
Khimik Voskrenensk , also known as Moscow Hockey Club Khimik, is an ice hockey team based in Voskresensk, Moscow Oblast, Russia. The team plays its home games in the 4,500 seat Podmoskovie Sports Palace, which was previously known as the Khimik Sports Palace.This team is not to be confused HC...
for the 2009-10 season. Gazovik Tyumen may join the league in coming years, whereas Vityaz Chekhov
Vityaz Chekhov
Hockey Club Vityaz is a professional ice hockey team based in Chekhov, Moscow, Russia. They are members of the Tarasov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League and are currently coached by former National Hockey League enforcer Andrei Nazarov...
may leave the league.
Of the Russian Major League, Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk has expressed interest in joining in the future, with ownership hoping to ascend by 2013 or beyond. By the end of 2008 they planned to have a 5,500 capacity arena
Arena Ugra
Arena Ugra is an indoor sporting arena located in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. It is used for various indoor events and is the home arena of the ice hockey team Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk which plays in the Kontinental Hockey League . The capacity of the arena is 5,500 spectators.-External links:*...
completed to meet KHL specifications. The low population of this area, however, makes it highly unlikely a team will ever garner enough interest to warrant such an investment.
The Island of Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
in the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
might receive a team in the future. HC Rys', of the Russian Major League, is in negotiations to relocate the team there. Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk
-Demographics:Most residents are ethnic Russians, but there also exists a sizable population of Koreans. Of the 43,000 Sakhalin Koreans, half are estimated to live in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, comprising roughly 12% of the city's population...
, the largest city on the island, has a population of almost 200,000. Plans are in the works to build a new arena in the city by 2011.
Kazzinc-Torpedo, currently playing in the Russian Major League, has been in negotiations to join the KHL. 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.
Teams involved to date
| Team | City/Area | League | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
 Lev PopradLev Poprad Hockey Club Lev , also known as HC Lev Poprad, is a professional ice hockey team based in Poprad, Slovakia that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League .-History:... |
Poprad Poprad Poprad is a city in northern Slovakia at the foot of the High Tatra Mountains famous for its picturesque historic centre and as a holiday resort. It is the biggest town of the Spiš region and the tenth largest city in Slovakia with a population of approximately 55,000.The Poprad-Tatry Airport is... |
Expansion | accepted for 2011-12 |
 Torpedo Leipzig |
Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing... |
Expansion | Plans to join league in 2012 |
 HC Vladivostok |
Vladivostok Vladivostok The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m... |
Expansion | Plans to build new arena, join league |
 Hockey Milano RossobluHockey Milano Rossoblu Hockey Milano Rossoblu is an ice hockey team from Milan, Italy. It replaced Milano Vipers after that organization was disbanded in 2008... |
Milan Milan Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,... |
Expansion | accepted for 2012-13 |
| HC Sochi |
Sochi Sochi Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains... |
Expansion | Plans to join league in 2013 |
| Gazovik Tyumen |
Tyumen Tyumen Tyumen is the largest city and the administrative center of Tyumen Oblast, Russia, located on the Tura River east of Moscow. Population: Tyumen is the oldest Russian settlement in Siberia. Founded in 16th century to support Russia's eastward expansion, the city has remained one of the most... |
Russian Major League | Requires new arena |
 HC DonbassHC Donbass Hockey Club Donbass is a Ukrainian professional ice hockey team based in Donetsk. They are members of the Russian Major League , and are the reigning Ukrainian national champions. Following the 2010-11 season, Donbass split into two teams with their affiliate, HC Donbass-2, representing the club... |
Donetsk Donetsk Donetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region... |
Russian Major League | Plans to build new arena, join league |
 Yunost Minsk |
Minsk Minsk - Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened... |
Belarusian Extraleague | unknown |
 Oulun Kärpät |
Oulu Oulu Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world.... |
SM-liiga SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
no concrete plans |
| Sokil Kyiv |
Kiev Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press.... |
Ukrainian Hockey League | stopped due to lack of funds |
| HC Berkyt |
Kiev Kiev Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press.... |
Ukrainian Hockey League | Goal is to build new arena, join KHL |
 KHL Medveščak |
Zagreb Zagreb Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city... |
Austrian Hockey League | unknown |
| HC Slovan Bratislava HC Slovan Bratislava Hockey Club Slovan Bratislava is a professional ice hockey team in the Slovak Extraliga from the Slovak capital Bratislava. They play their home games at Samsung Arena.... |
Bratislava Bratislava Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava... |
Slovak Extraliga Slovak Extraliga Slovak Extraliga is the name of the highest-level ice hockey league in Slovakia. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the fifth strongest league in Europe. The name of the league is leased to sponsor and changes frequently. From 1993/94 to 1997/98 season it was called Extraliga, then the name... |
Plans to join league in 2012 |