EUROPA SUPER LEAGUE (ESL)
While the real-life football counterpart concept to this league proved to be one of the biggest publicity disasters of all time – the concept of a European “Super League” applied to hockey has long intrigued me and while in real life there would likely be too many obstacles to pull it off – NHLX allows you to play out this fantasy scenario with real teams and players. The Europa Super League in NHLX is a 16-team (Western/Central) European-based league featuring the biggest and most well-supported teams across the continent. The ESL serves as a peer to the new, more compact KHL in the NHLX series (see the Russian Leagues section) – the two leagues occupying the top tier of professional hockey in Europe and the best leagues in the world outside of the NHL.
Switzerland serves as the HQ nation for the ESL (the NL and SL continue as the top domestic leagues in the country), although the ESL is a multi-national league. A 16-team format allows for a variety of clubs but keeps things compact enough to create an air of exclusivity and power. It is very important to keep in mind membership into this league is not based simply on recent on-ice success in current domestic leagues. More important determining factors are financially-related – big clubs in big arenas with big attendance – this league is about capturing the elite hockey markets on the continent and about big-time hockey in packed arenas.
Keep in mind that NHLX features a multitude of new domestic-based cup competitions (see the Domestic Cups section)– so elite domestic clubs that remain in current domestic leagues will still have a chance to go toe-to-toe with ESL clubs from their nation every year for trophies. It was important for me that the ESL’s development does not exclude the challenges that come with domestic pride and rivalries.
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EUROPA SUPER LEAGUE MEMBERS
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The ESL is a 16-team league in a single league format (no conferences or divisions). The schedule has been hand-created to ensure a good weight of the 60 games spread over the season with built-in gaps for domestic cups and international breaks. Every team plays every other team 4 times – 2 home and 2 away games. The top 8 clubs make the playoffs to compete for the Europa Cup. Each round features a best-of-7 series.
At the end of April, the Europa Cup champion faces off against the Garagin Cup winner from the KHL and the Champions Hockey League winner in the Kings of Europe Cup to crown the best team in the entirety of Europe. There is no performance-based relegation or promotion from and to the ESL - like the NHL and KHL, it has permanent members.
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The ESL also features an All-Star Game like the NHL & KHL!
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ADLER MANNHEIM (DEU)
Location: Mannheim, Germany
Regularly top 5 in all of Europe in attendance, Adler are true heavyweights. They are based in a populous metropolitan area of over 2 million, have a huge state-of-the-art arena (SAP Arena) to call home, have eight German titles to their name and have a vibrant youth academy. The club have long been a favored destination of NHL players (during lockouts) and former NHL players and have a history of connections with the NHL.
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Djurgårdens IF (SWE)
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Hockey clubs in Europe don’t get bigger than this – a Swedish record 16 Le Mat Trophies playing in Sweden’s capital and a true World City in Stockholm. While recent on-ice success has been limited, the club still produce an amazing amount of talent through their academy and with their arrival in the ESL, the club move full-time to the modern Avicci Arena (formerly the “Globe”) where they look ready to fulfill their potential as giants of the game.
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Eisbären Berlin (DEU)
Location: Berlin, Germany
The “Polar Bears” have the potential to become one of the real power teams of the ESL. Like their German rivals, they regularly rank in the top 5 in Europe in all of attendance and their Berlin location and Mercedes Benz Arena give them an allure and glamour that perhaps no other team on the continent can match. Oh, and they win too – a record eight titles during the DEL-era in German hockey.
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Frölunda HC (SWE)
Location: Göteborg, Sweden
The “Indians” have been at the fore of SHL success in recent years where they have captured multiple titles recently, have produced a copious amount of hockey talent from their youth programs and have led all of Sweden in support and attendance. Their home city Is Sweden’s “second city” of Goteborg and the Scandinavium provides the canvas for a club that has truly been a model of achievement.
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Färjestad BK (SWE)
Location: Karlstad, Sweden
By most measures FBK are the most successful club of modern Swedish hockey with 9 titles and 20 finals appearances since 1975 and they have never been relegated from the top tier of Swedish hockey since 1965. They also compete with Djurgården as the most well-supported club in Sweden behind Frölunda despite Karlstad being a modestly sized city. This is a fanbase used to winning, and winning a lot.
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HC Dynamo Pardubice (CZE)
Location: Pardubice, Czech Republic
While their six domestic titles may lag behind a few other Czech teams and while Pardubice is a modestly sized city, Dynamo are a club of both great history and promise – mostly based on their fantastic fans who have pushed the club into the top 15 of European attendance rankings (and second in Czechia) and fill historic Enteria Arena. The club is famous as the hometown club for Czech, NHL and world hockey legend Dominik Hasek.
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HC Kometa Brno (CZE)
Location: Brno, Czech Republic
Kometa Brno are the pinnacle of success in Czech hockey – they own a whopping 13 domestic titles (including back-to-back in 16-17 and 17-18 recently) and three European Cup titles which is also the most of any Czech club in history. Their home of Brno is the second largest city after Prague in the Czech Republic and the club is, of course, extremely well-supported – usually checking in around 15th in European attendance rankings.
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HC Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
Based in Slovakia’s capital city, Slovan are an interesting case. Unprecedented domestic success (8 league titles in 14 seasons) led to them leaving Slovakia’s Extraliga for the KHL for a few seasons where they had absolutely massive support ranking near the top of Europe in attendance. While financial issues resulted in them returning to Slovakia’s domestic league – the ESL offers the club an opportunity to get back to their glory years and be a beacon of Slovakian hockey at the highest level in Europe.
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HC Sparta Praha (CZE)
Location: Praha (Prague), Czech Republic
Historic and world-class European capital city as a home? Doesn’t get much better than Prague…check. Top facilities? O2 Arena is one of the largest modern arenas on the continent…check. Well-supported? Best attendance in the Extraliga and regularly top 10 in Europe…check. On-ice success? Eight domestic titles and a slew of continental trophies and appearances. An absolute no-brainer to include Sparta in the ESL.
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Helsingin IFK (FIN)
Location: Helsinki, Finland
The Helsinki derby is back! One of the fiercest hockey rivalries in Europe is set to resume with the highest of stakes as HIFK join their neighbors in the ESL. Also of course based in the capital, HIFK have seven Finnish titles and are the most well-supported club of the current Liiga setup, regularly in the top 15-20 in Europe in attendance. While other clubs in Finland can boast of more recent success, HIFK’s support and location make them an ideal pairing with Jokerit in the ESL.
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Helsingin Jokerit (FIN)
Location: Helsinki, Finland
One of the interesting features of the new ESL/KHL setup is that it sees Finnish power Jokerit moving back west to join the Europa Super League from the KHL. Jokerit bring a powerful, KHL-level to the ESL on day one with a base in Finland’s cosmopolitan capital and a big modern arena. They regularly rank first in Finland in attendance and around the top 10 in all of Europe and bring a rich, colorful history to match their nickname.
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IF Malmö Redhawks (SWE)
Location: Malmö, Sweden
Despite limited on-ice success since their glory days of the early 90’s when they won two Swedish championships and a European Cup, the Redhwaks are brimming with potential. Malmo is the third largest city in Sweden, Malmo Arena is a large and modern arena and the team regularly are in the top 25 of European attendance despite not challenging for many titles recently. The ESL could provide the launchpad for a new golden era for the club and city.
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Kölner Haie (DEU)
Location: Köln, Germany
Even amongst their German rivals, the rabid support for the “Sharks” stands out. Often ranking second in Europe in attendance behind SC Bern, the "Sharks" play their home games in the massive and modern Lanxess Arena and with a capacity of 18,500 – you can be sure home ice will be a real advantage for the club. With eight German titles to their credit and a famous youth academy – this is a big club through and through.
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Lausanne HC (SUI)
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
At first glance Lausanne might seem like an outlier in the ESL. Their namesake hometown is a very modestly sized city and while the club have a long history – it has arguably been filled with more periods of strife than real success. However, LHC are a club very much on the rise. They are the third most-well supported club in Switzerland and were 13th in all of Europe in attendance and play in a sparkling new state-of-the-art arena while heavy investment has led to an increase in the attraction of hockey talent.
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SC Bern (SUI)
Location: Bern, Switzerland
SC Bern have lead Europe (including the KHL) in attendance for 18 years straight despite Bern being a relatively moderately sized Swiss city. The club have a fanatical fanbase and pack the standing room grandstand at PostFinance Arena – creating one of the most intimidating hockey experiences in the world for visiting teams. The club own 16 domestic titles and have appeared in 10 European Cups.
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ZSC Lions (SUI)
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
“Z” are the prime hockey club in Switzerland’s largest city, Zurich. With a big, cosmopolitan market as a setting and a historic arena in the Hallenstadion to call home, ZSC have been a conveyor belt of talent and have to their name 9 domestic titles and were crowned champions of Europe as CHL winners (albeit a different format from today’s CHL) in 2009. The club consistently rank in the top 10 of European clubs in attendance.
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SCREENSHOTS
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