All-Russian Hockey League

Sport	Ice hockey
Founded	2010
No. of teams	29 (2023–2024 season)
Countries	Russia (29 Teams)
Most recent champion(s)	Khimik Voskresensk (1st title)
Most titles	Toros Neftekamsk (3)
Related competitions	Kontinental Hockey League VHL-B Junior Hockey League National Junior Hockey League
Official website	www.vhlru.ru/en/

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.

History

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]}

Russian Classic

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.

• Bolded teams denote winners

Seasons overview

Season	Petrov Cup winner	Finalist	Final score	Regular season winner
2010–11	Rubin Tyumen	Neftyanik Almetyevsk	4–0	Rubin Tyumen
2011–12	Toros Neftekamsk	Rubin Tyumen	4–1	Rubin Tyumen
2012–13	Toros Neftekamsk	Saryarka Karagandy	4–3	Saryarka Karagandy
2013–14	Saryarka Karagandy	Rubin Tyumen	4–2	Toros Neftekamsk
2014–15	Toros Neftekamsk	Izhstal Izhevsk	4–2	Saryarka Karagandy
2015–16	Neftyanik Almetyevsk	Izhstal Izhevsk	4–1	THK Tver
2016–17	Dynamo Balashikha	Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk	4–0	Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk
2017–18	Dinamo Saint Petersburg	SKA-Neva Saint Petersburg	4–2	Dinamo Saint Petersburg
2018–19	Saryarka Karagandy	Rubin Tyumen	4–1	SKA-Neva Saint Petersburg
2019–20	Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic			Zvezda Moscow
2020–21	Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk	Metallurg Novokuznetsk	4–1	Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk
2021–22	Rubin Tyumen	Dinamo Saint Petersburg	4–1	Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk
2022–23	Khimik Voskresensk	Sokol Krasnoyarsk	4–0	Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk

Teams in 2022–23

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 Uchaly LDS Jubileiny 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

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.