 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(March 2024) |
Current season, competition or edition: 2025–26 KHL season | |
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| Formerly | Russian Superleague (RSL) |
|---|---|
| Game | Hockey |
| Founded | 2008; 17 years ago (2008) |
| President | Alexei Morozov |
| Motto | Хоккей – наша игра! (Hockey is our game!) Хакей – наша гульня! Хоккей – біздің ойын! 冰球，就是我们的生活！[1] |
| No. of teams | 22 |
| Country |
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| Most recent champions | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (1st title) |
| Most titles | HC CSKA Moscow Ak Bars Kazan Metallurg Magnitogorsk (3 titles each) |
| Broadcasters | KHL TV,KHL Prime (Russia (as part of theNTV Plus package), Russia and international throughKHL's website)
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| Sponsor | Fonbet |
| Related competitions |
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| Official website | KHL.ru |
TheKontinental Hockey League (KHL;Russian:Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ),romanized: Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professionalice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based inRussia (19),Belarus (1),Kazakhstan (1), andChina (1) for a total of 22 clubs.
It is considered to be the strongest professional ice hockey league inEurope, and the second-strongest in the world behindNorth America'sNational Hockey League.[4] The KHL had in 2025 total attendance of 5,706,785 spectators in the regular season[5] and the average attendance of 7,256 spectators per game in the regular season.[6] TheGagarin Cup is awarded annually to the league's playoff champion at the end of each season. The title ofChampion of Russia is given to the highest-ranked Russian team.[7]
The league formed from theRussian Superleague (RSL) and the champion of the2007–08 season of thesecond division, with 24 teams: 21 from Russia and one each fromBelarus,Latvia, andKazakhstan. The teams were divided into four divisions, based on the performance in previous seasons.[citation needed]
The start of thefourth season was overshadowed by the2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash on 7 September 2011 in which almost all members of the teamLokomotiv Yaroslavl lost their lives shortly after take-off for their flight to their season-opening game inMinsk. TheOpening Cup game inUfa, which was already underway when news of the disaster arrived, was suspended. In memory of the disaster, 7 September remained a day of mourning on which no KHL regular-season games took place,[8] until after the2017–18 KHL season. JournalistVsevolod Kukushkin acted as the firstpress secretary for the league, after it evolved from the Superleague.[9]
After the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, theNational Hockey League suspended operation of its Memorandum of Understanding with the KHL.[10] An NHL memo instructed NHL teams to "immediately cease all dealings [direct or indirect] with the KHL and KHL Clubs [and all representatives of both], as well as with player agents who are based in and continue to do business in Russia."[10]
In the2009–10 season,Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg joined the KHL andKhimik Voskresensk was transferred to a lower league. In the2010–11 season,Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk joined the league.
After several attempts by teams fromCentral Europe andScandinavia to join the KHL, expansion beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union was finally realized in 2011.Lev Poprad, a newly founded team based inPoprad,Slovakia was admitted to the league. But after only one season, Lev was replaced by a team of the same name,Lev Praha, fromPrague,Czech Republic, whileSlovan Bratislava fromBratislava,Slovakia andUkraine'sDonbass fromDonetsk joined the KHL as expansion teams for the2012–13 season.[11] Lev and Slovan qualified for the playoffs in their first KHL season.
In 2013,Medveščak fromZagreb,Croatia, previously playing in theAustrian Hockey League, and Russian expansion teamAdmiral Vladivostok joined the league, thus expanding the league even further.[12] The league comprised 28 teams during the2013–14 season, of which 21 were based in Russia and 7 located in the other countries.
In 2014,Finnish teamJokerit fromHelsinki,Lada Togliatti (which previously played in the league), and newly created teamHC Sochi joined the league.[13] However, HC Donbass did not play in the league for the2014–15 season, due to theRussia's involvement in the Donbas war in Ukraine, but had intended to rejoin later.[14] Two other teams, Lev Praha andSpartak Moscow, also withdrew from the 2014–15 season due to financial problems.[15][16]
Prior to the2015–16 season,Atlant Moscow Oblast withdrew from the KHL due to financial issues, whileSpartak Moscow returned after a one-year hiatus.[17] The newly createdChinese clubHC Kunlun Red Star fromBeijing was admitted for the2016–17 season.[18] Kunlun was established as part ofChina’s efforts to prepare a competitive national team for the2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.[19]
Prior to the2017–18 season, Medveščak Zagreb withdrew from the league to rejoin the Austrian league andMetallurg Novokuznetsk was sent down to theVHL.[20]
After the end of the2018–19 season,HC Slovan Bratislava withdrew from the KHL due to financial issues to rejoin theSlovak Tipsport Liga.[21]
On 24 February 2022, Finnish clubJokerit announced the team would withdraw from the league for the remainder of the season, including the playoffs, due to the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[22] On 27 February 2022, Latvian clubDinamo Riga announced that they too would withdraw for the same reasons.[23] Prior to the2023–24 season,HC Lada Togliatti rejoined the KHL.
Since 2009, the league has been divided into East and West conferences. In the current season, both conferences include 12 teams divided into two divisions of 6 teams. Each team plays four games against each division opponent (20), three games against each non-division conference opponent (18), and two games against each non-conference opponent (24) for a total of 62 games.[24]
The eight top-ranked teams in each conference receive playoff berths. Within each conference quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are played before the conference winners play against each other for theGagarin Cup. The division winners are seeded first and second in their conference, based on their regular-season record. All playoff rounds are played as best-of-seven series. In each round, the top-seeded remaining team is paired with the lowest-seeded team, etc.[25]
In the 2012–13 season, theNadezhda Cup (Cup of Hope) was introduced, a consolation tournament for the teams who did not qualify for the playoffs. The winning team in the tournament wins the first overall pick in theKHL Junior Draft. The tournament is intended to extend the season and help maintain interest in hockey in the cities of these teams, and help players of national teams prepare for upcoming World Championships.[26]
:Kharlamov,
:Chernyshev), except for
Shanghai, which is in the Western Conference.| Name | City | Arena | Creation | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Khimik Voskresensk | Voskresensk,Moscow Oblast | Podmoskovie Ice Palace | 2005 | 2008–2009 |
| HC MVD | Balashikha,Moscow Oblast | Balashikha Arena | 2004 | 2008–2010 |
 Lev Poprad | Poprad,Slovakia | Poprad Ice Stadium | 2010 | 2011–2012 |
 HC Donbass | Donetsk,Ukraine | Druzhba Arena | 2001 | 2012–2014 |
 Lev Praha | Prague,Czech Republic | Tipsport Arena | 2012 | 2012–2014 |
| Atlant Mytichtchi | Mytishchi,Moscow Oblast | Mytishchi Arena | 1953 | 2008–2015 |
| Metallurg Novokuznetsk | Novokuznetsk,Kemerovo Oblast | Kuznetsk Metallurgists Sports Palace | 1949 | 2008–2017 |
 Medveščak Zagreb | Zagreb,Croatia | Dom Sportova | 1961 | 2013–2017 |
| Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk | Khanty-Mansiysk,Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug | Arena Ugra | 2006 | 2010–2018 |
| Slovan Bratislava | Bratislava,Slovakia | Ondrej Nepela Arena | 1921 | 2012–2019 |
 Jokerit Helsinki | Helsinki,Finland | Hartwall Arena | 1967 | 2014–2022 |
 Dinamo Riga | Riga,Latvia | Arena Riga | 2008 | 2008–2022 |
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Prior to the inaugural season, several KHL teams signed several players from the NHL.[27] A dispute between the two leagues over some of these signings was supposed to have been resolved by an agreement signed on 10 July 2008, whereby each league would honor the contracts of the other, but the signing ofAlexander Radulov by the KHL was made public one day after the agreement (though it was actually signed two days prior to the agreement taking effect),[28] leading to an investigation by the International Ice Hockey Federation.[29] On 4 October 2010, the conflict between the leagues was settled when both signed a new agreement to honor one another's contracts.[30]
The league also set up rules for theNHL lockout which lasted from 16 September 2012 to 12 January 2013. According to these regulations, each KHL team was allowed to add up to three NHL players to its roster, with only one foreign player allowed.[31] 40 NHL players, the majority of them Russians, played in the KHL during the lockout.
For the 2012–13 season, the KHL board limited Russian clubs to a maximum of five foreign players on their roster and required non-Russian clubs to have at least five players from their respective countries. Foreign goaltenders on Russian teams also became subject to a limit regarding their total seasonal ice time.[32] In response to restrictions on Russian athletes following the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the limit on foreign players for Russian clubs was initially reduced to three for the 2023–24 season,[33] then restored to five for the 2024-25 season and onwards.[34]
KHL players are represented by theKontinental Hockey League Players' Trade Union.[35]
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, some non-Russian players elected to leave their teams, at the risk of forfeiting their salaries. The departing players included former NHL playersMarkus Granlund,Nick Shore,Geoff Platt,Kenny Agostino,Teemu Hartikainen,Philip Larsen,Sakari Manninen,Harri Säteri,Jyrki Jokipakka,Joakim Nordström,Lucas Wallmark, andJuho Olkinuora.[10][36]
During the 2023–2024 season, players representing 18 nations played at least one game in the KHL.[37] A player's nationality is for various reasons sometimes ambiguous. For the table presented below, the nationality "is determined based on the last country that the player represented in international competition. If a player has never played for a national team, usually the country of birth is chosen as the player nationality, unless there is strong evidence indicating otherwise".[38]
For players born in former Soviet republics, the situation is often more complex due to dual citizenship and naturalization. For instance, alist of players born in Ukraine gives case-by-case details for some of those players. China has also given citizenship to several hockey players without Chinese ancestry in order for them to compete internationally for China while allowing them to maintain their previous citizenship.[39] In some cases, players can change their nationality registration with the league on a year-by-year basis, and their nationality with the league may not match that of theirInternational Ice Hockey Federation registration. Non-Russians represented about 30–35% of KHL players and were mostlyCentral European,Nordic, andNorth American. Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, some non-Russian players elected to leave their teams and clubsJokerit Helsinki andDinamo Riga left the league, reducing non-Russians to about 25% of KHL players. In 2023–24, more than 800 players played at least one game in the league (seetable below). Russian teams are currently limited to a maximum of three foreign players.[33]—
| Country (current number of teams) | Players active (2008-09)[40] | Players active (2009-10)[41] | Players active (2010–11 )[42] | Players active (2011-12)[43] | Players active (2012–13)[44] | Players active (2013–14)[45] | Players active (2014–15)[46] | Players active (2015–16)[47] | Players active (2016–17)[48] | Players active (2017–18)[49] | Players active (2018–19)[50] | Players active (2019–20)[51] | Players active (2020–21)[52] | Players active (2021–22)[53] | Players active (2022–23)[54] | Players active (2023–24)[55] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Austria | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
 Belarus (1 team) | 32 | 31 | 24 | 25 | 35 | 46 | 50 | 43 | 40 | 38 | 34 | 49 | 50 | 42 | 44 | 50 |
 Canada | 34 | 28 | 29 | 19 | 31 | 61 | 50 | 35 | 54 | 53 | 59 | 62 | 48 | 56 | 62 | 58 |
 China (1 team) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | 2 | — | — | 10 | 5 | — |
| Croatia | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Czech Republic | 31 | 30 | 33 | 41 | 46 | 47 | 29 | 35 | 35 | 33 | 28 | 20 | 23 | 20 | 4 | 6 |
 Denmark | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
 Estonia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 |
| Finland | 8 | 16 | 1 | 33 | 40 | 37 | 50 | 47 | 51 | 40 | 42 | 44 | 53 | 39 | 1 | 1 |
 France | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
 Germany | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
 Italy | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
 Israel | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
 Japan | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
 Kazakhstan (1 team) | 43 | 37 | 37 | 32 | 35 | 36 | 34 | 41 | 33 | 29 | 24 | 23 | 18 | 18 | 21 | 29 |
| Latvia | 31 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 35 | 32 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 28 | 35 | 33 | 25 | 2 | 1 |
 Lithuania | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
 Norway | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Russia (19 teams) | 538 | 532 | 492 | 475 | 539 | 569 | 592 | 632 | 663 | 644 | 580 | 571 | 638 | 565 | 626 | 629 |
| Slovakia | 17 | 22 | 28 | 28 | 51 | 43 | 32 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
 Slovenia | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
 South Korea | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
 Sweden | 11 | 12 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 22 | 28 | 27 | 24 | 26 | 26 | 32 | 35 | 39 | 7 | 4 |
 Switzerland | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ukraine[a] | 12 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
 United States | 11 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 12 | 19 | 25 | 19 | 23 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 23 |
| Total | 773 | 758 | 727 | 715 | 863 | 936 | 936 | 956 | 1,006 | 956 | 884 | 868 | 933 | 847 | 806 | 819 |
The winner of the playoff is awarded theGagarin Cup. The highest placed Russian team is awarded the Championship of Russia. The team ranked first in the standings after the regular season, i.e. the winner of the regular season, is awarded theContinental Cup[56] (Russian:Кубок Континента, Kubok Kontinenta). The winners of theconference finals are awarded the Eastern Conference Champion Cup (Russian:Кубок Победителю конференции Восток, Kubok Pobeditelyu konferentsii Vostok) and the Western Conference Champion Cup (Russian:Кубок Победителю конференции Запад, Kubok Pobeditelyu konferentsii Zapad).[57]
The KHL presents annual awards to its most successful players. The KHL also awards theOpening Cup annually to the winner of the first game between the Gagarin Cup winner and the runner-up of the previous season. On 10 September 2011, three days after the2011 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash, the KHL head office decided to honor the deceased in the 2011 Opening Cup.[58] The League gives theAndrey Starovoytov Award annually to itsreferees of the year, also called the "Golden Whistle".[59]
| Record | Name | Season | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 89 | Nikita Gusev(Dynamo Mo.) | 2023-24 |
| Goals | 49 | Josh Leivo(Ufa) | 2024-25 |
| Assists | 66 | Nikita Gusev(Dynamo Mo.) | 2023-24 |
| Shots on goal | 253 | Darren Dietz(Barys) | 2018–19 |
| Plus/minus | +48 | Vladislav Gavrikov(SKA) | 2018–19 |
| Penalty minutes | 374 | Darcy Verot(Vityaz) | 2009–10 |
| Wins | 38 | Jakub Kovář(Avtomobilist) | 2018–19 |
| Shutouts | 13 | Alexei Murygin(Lokomotiv) | 2015–16 |
| Record | Name | Season | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 33 | Sergei Mozyakin(Magnitogorsk) | 2013–14 |
| Goals | 15 | Evgenii Dadonov(SKA) | 2014–15 |
| Danis Zaripov(Magnitogorsk) | 2016–17 | ||
| Assists | 20 | Sergei Mozyakin(Magnitogorsk) | 2013–14 |
| Chris Lee(Magnitogorsk) | 2016–17 | ||
| Shots on goal | 82 | Evgeny Kuznetsov(Chelyabinsk) | 2012–13 |
| Plus/minus | +16 | Dominik Graňák(Dynamo Moscow) | 2012–13 |
| Chris Lee(Magnitogorsk) | 2016–17 | ||
| Penalty minutes | 69 | Maxim Goncharov(Ufa) | 2015–16 |
| Wins | 16 | Alexander Yeryomenko(Dynamo Moscow) | 2011–12,2012–13 |
| Vasily Koshechkin(Magnitogorsk) | 2013–14 | ||
| Mikko Koskinen(SKA) | 2014–15 | ||
| Emil Garipov(Kazan) | 2017–18 | ||
| Ilya Sorokin(CSKA Moscow) | 2018–19 | ||
| Shutouts | 7 | Lars Johansson(CSKA Moscow) | 2020–21 |
| Record | Name | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 756 | Sergei Mozyakin(Atlant, Magnitogorsk) | 2008–2021 |
| Goals | 351 | Sergei Mozyakin(Atlant, Magnitogorsk) | 2008–2021 |
| Assists | 506 | Vadim Shipachyov(Cherepovets, Saint Petersburg, Dynamo Moscow, Ak Bars Kazan, Dinamo Minsk) | 2008–2022 |
| Games played | 745 | Yevgeny Biryukov(Ufa, Magnitogorsk) | 2008–2022 |
| Plus/minus | +201 | Vadim Shipachyov(Cherepovets, Saint Petersburg, Dynamo Moscow, Ak Bars Kazan, Dinamo Minsk) | 2008–2022 |
| Penalty minutes | 1088 | Evgeny Artyukhin(Saint Petersburg, Atlant, CSKA Moscow, Novosibirsk, Dynamo Moscow, Vityaz, Admiral, Neftekhimik) | 2008–2022 |
| Wins | 281 | Vasily Koshechkin(Togliatti, Magnitogorsk, Cherepovets) | 2008–2022 |
| Shutouts | 73 | Vasily Koshechkin(Togliatti, Magnitogorsk, Cherepovets) | 2008–2022 |
| Record | Name | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 172 | Sergei Mozyakin(Atlant, Magnitogorsk) | 2008–2021 |
| Goals | 68 | Sergei Mozyakin(Atlant, Magnitogorsk) | 2008–2021 |
| Assists | 104 | Sergei Mozyakin(Atlant, Magnitogorsk) | 2008–2021 |
| Games played | 161 | Yevgeny Biryukov(Magnitogorsk, Ufa) | 2008–2021 |
| Plus/minus | +52 | Danis Zaripov(Kazan, Magnitogorsk) | 2008–2021 |
| Penalty minutes | 312 | Grigori Panin(Kazan, CSKA Moscow, Ufa) | 2008–2021 |
| Wins | 71 | Vasily Koshechkin(Togliatti, Magnitogorsk, Cherepovets) | 2008–2021 |
| Shutouts | 16 | Ilya Sorokin(CSKA Moscow) | 2015–2020 |
| Game duration | Date | Game | Home | Visitor | Result | Overtime goal scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142 min 09 sec (5 OT) | 22 March 2018 | Conference Semi-FinalsGame 5 | CSKA | Jokerit | 1–2 | Mika Niemi |
Since its foundation in 2008, 35 different teams have played in the KHL, with 32 having qualified for at least one postseason. Of the 24 founding teams, onlyMetallurg Novokuznetsk andKhimik Voskresensk had never qualified for the playoffs (both are no longer in the league). 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.
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Total and average attendance by season, including play-offs:
| Season | Total Attendance | Average Attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 3,886,948 | 6,233 |
| 2009–10 | 4,223,698 | 6,264 |
| 2010–11 | 4,293,271 | 6,944 |
| 2011–12 | 4,320,908 | 6,861 |
| 2012–13 | 4,775,086 | 6,912 |
| 2013–14 | 5,190,133 | 6,614 |
| 2014–15 | 6,066,093 | 7,405 |
| 2015–16 | 5,875,645 | 7,065 |
| 2016–17 | 5,892,889 | 7,210 |
| 2017–18 | 5,318,175 | 7,005 |
| 2018–19 | 5,644,804 | 7,544 |
| 2019–20 | 5,118,949 | 6,854 |
| 2020-21 | 1,791,346 | 2,329 |
| 2021-22 | 1,842,676 | 2,771 |
| 2022–23 | 4,792,508 | 5,740 |
| 2023-24 | 5,929,949 | 6,879 |
| 2024-25 | 6,543,257 | 7,530 |
TheKontinental Hockey League All-Star Game is an exhibition game held annually at the midway point (usually January or February) of the season, with the league's star players playing against each other. Previously played in a "Russian players versus the rest of the world" format, it is now run in a similar format to theNHL All-Star Game, where the four divisions face off in 3v3 matches.
| Preceded by | Kontinental Hockey League 2008—present | Succeeded by none |
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