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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founder | BH Ice Hockey Federation |
| First season | 2002–03 |
| No. of teams | Various |
| Country | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Venue | Zetra Olympic Hall |
| Most titles | HK Vukovi (3) |
| Official website | http://www.hsbih.ba |
TheBosnia and Herzegovina Hockey League (BHL) is the top league forice hockey inBosnia and Herzegovina. It is organized by theBosnia and Herzegovina Ice Hockey Federation.
Hockey developed slowly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, all of it being concentrated in Sarajevo. By the later 1980s, one team, HK Bosna, made it to theYugoslav Hockey League. With the end of Yugoslavia came the end of hockey in the country, for some time.War and economic difficulties prevented the organization/formation of a league for some time. The first season of the league was held in 2002–03, with four teams. After the season three teams simply were not able to remain active. With their demise, the league went into a hiatus for six years until the 2009–10 season.[1] The league is strictly amateur at this time with a low/developmental level of play with no body checking.
All hockey games in BiH are played out in the country's biggest city and capital,Sarajevo, atOlympic Hall Zetra. A second rink atSkenderija that fell in disrepair was not ready in time for the 2009 season. Reconstruction started in February 2010.[2] Currently, no other city has a regulation sized ice-rink. For the start of the 2011–12 season it was announced thatHK Bosna and left the league to play in the newly formed Open Championship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an international league with teams fromBulgaria,Greece, and theRepublic of Macedonia.[3] The league also changed its abbreviation from "BHL" to "BHHL" and HK Ilidža 2010 changed its name to HK Ajkule Ilidža 2010.[4]
The 2002–03 season had four teams competing —HK Bosna,HK Ilidža 2010,HK Jahorina, andHK Šampion. However following the end of the season both HK Jahorina and HK Šampion folded and the league went on hiatus.[5] When the league returned in for the 2009–10 season two new teams,HK Stari Grad andHK Alfa, joined the league with HK Bosna.[6] The 2010–11 season has four teams competing in Sarajevo with the three teams competing from the previous season and the return of HK Ilidža 2010.[7] The 2011–12 season was reduced to three teams after HK Bosna left the league, returning in later seasons.[3]
| Team | City | Home stadium | Founded | Joined | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK Medvjedi | Novo Sarajevo | Olympic Hall Zetra | 2003 | 2009 | Played under the name of HK Medvjedi for the 2011–12 season. |
| HK Ajkule Ilidža 2010 | Ilidža | Olympic Hall Zetra | 2002 | Did not compete in the 2009–10 season. Formally known as HK Ilidža 2010. | |
| HK Bosna | Centar, Sarajevo | Olympic Hall Zetra | 1980 | 2002 | Did not compete in the 2011–12 season, currently merged with national junior team. |
| HK Vukovi | Stari Grad, Sarajevo | Olympic Hall Zetra | 2002 | 2009 | Played under the name of HK Vukovi for the 2011–12 season. |
| Blue Bulls Sarajevo | Sarajevo | Olympic Hall Zetra | 2013 | 2013 | |
| Team | City | Founded | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HK Jahorina | Pale | 2002 | Competed only in the 2002–03 season before folding. |
| HK Šampion | Sarajevo | 2002 | Competed only in the 2002–03 season before folding. |
| Club | Titles | Years won |
|---|---|---|
| HK Stari Grad | 3 | 2010, 2013, 2014 |
| HK Bosna | 2 | 2003, 2011 |
| HK Ajkule Ilidža 2010 | 2 | 2012, 2016 |
| Blue Bulls Sarajevo | 1 | 2015 |