| Linköping HC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Linköping, Sweden |
| League | Swedish Hockey League |
| Founded | 4 August 1976 |
| Home arena | Saab Arena Capacity: 8,190 |
| Colors | |
| General manager | Peter Jakobsson |
| Head coach | Klas Östman |
| Captain | Oscar Fantenberg |
| Website | lhc.eu |
| Franchise history | |
| 1932–1976 | BK Kenty |
| 1976–2019 | Linköpings HC |
| 2019–present | Linköping HC |
 Current season | |
Linköping Hockey Club, often known by itsinitialsLHC, orcolloquially among its fans asCluben, is a Swedish professionalice hockey club fromLinköping, founded in 1976. The home arena of the team is Saab Arena (formerly Cloetta Center) which accommodates 8,190 spectators.
Competing in theSwedish Hockey League (SHL; formerly Elitserien), the club is placed twelfth in themarathon standings for the top Swedish ice hockey league.[1]
In 1942, a group of football players ofBK Kenty founded the ice hockey clubBK Robbi, who mostly played friendlies against other local clubs onStångån during the winter.[2] The board of Kenty had first been hesitant to establish a hockey department, but in 1945, the two clubs merged following lengthy discussions.[3] Being heavily dependent on weather conditions, Kenty only played 30 games in five seasons during the second half of the 1940s.[4] By the end of the 1950s, Kenty had established itself inDivision 2, the domestic second tier. Meanwhile, the club was also granted a permanent home ground atFolkungavallen, close to the city centre.[5] In 1969, Kenty merged with another local club,IK Terra.[6] In the 1970s, Kenty suffered from internal differences, since part of the club's board wanted to financially prioritize football in favor of ice hockey.
Linköping HC was founded on 4 August 1976, as a spin-off from BK Kenty, and moved in to the newly-built indoor arenaStångebro Ishall.[7][8]
Linköping HC first played in theSwedish Hockey League (SHL; formerly Elitserien) in the 1999–2000 season, and has been in the top division since the 2001–02 season. They have reached the playoffs eight times. LHC reached the final for the first time in 2006–07, where they lost toModo Hockey. In the 2007–08 season, Linköping HC advanced to the final again, this time againstHV71; they lost and won the silver medal.
This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by Linköpings. For the full season-by-season history, seeList of Linköping HC seasons.
| Season | Level | Division | Record | Avg. home atnd. | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | W-T-L W-OT-L | |||||
| 2018–19 | Tier 1 | SHL | 12th | 15–14–23 | 6,079 | |
| 2019–20 | Tier 1 | SHL | 11th | 14–17–21 | 6,306 | |
| 2020–21 | Tier 1 | SHL | 12th | 17–7–28 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | Tier 1 | SHL | 11th | 16–13–23 | 4,987 | |
| 2022–23 | Tier 1 | SHL | 12th | 20–11–21 | 6,045 | |
Updated 15 August 2024
| No. | Player | Nat. | Position | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Magnus Johansson |  | D | 1990–1997, 2004–2007, 2009–2015 |
| 10 | Mats Andersson | | C | 1976–1989 |
| 15 | Stefan Jakobsson | | F | 1988–1999 |
| 16 | Mike Helber |  | RW | 1992–2002 |
| 33 | Fredrik Emvall | | LW | 1999–2010 |
These are the top-ten point-scorers of Linköping HC since the 1975–76 season, in the top tier (Elitserien and SHL). Figures are updated after each completed regular season.[9]
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; = current Linköpings HC player
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnus Johansson | D | 463 | 63 | 223 | 286 | 0.62 |
| Broc Little | F | 340 | 148 | 136 | 284 | 0.83 |
| Tony Mårtensson | C | 312 | 85 | 192 | 277 | 0.88 |
| Mikael Håkanson | RW | 416 | 84 | 134 | 218 | 0.52 |
| Jonas Junland | D | 401 | 39 | 135 | 174 | 0.43 |
| Niklas Persson | C | 316 | 64 | 103 | 167 | 0.53 |
| Jaroslav Hlinka | C | 180 | 41 | 126 | 167 | 0.93 |
| Pär Arlbrandt | RW | 162 | 61 | 100 | 161 | 0.99 |
| Jan Hlaváč | LW | 172 | 81 | 78 | 159 | 0.92 |
| Andrew Gordon | RW | 261 | 65 | 87 | 152 | 0.58 |
These are the top-ten players of Linköping HC with the most appearances since the 1975–76 season, in the top tier (Elitserien and SHL). Figures are updated after each completed regular season.[9]
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; = current Linköpings HC player
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Karlsson | C | 514 | 56 | 52 | 108 | 0.21 |
| Fredrik Emvall | LW | 497 | 66 | 68 | 134 | 0.27 |
| Magnus Johansson | D | 463 | 63 | 223 | 286 | 0.62 |
| Mikael Håkanson | RW | 416 | 84 | 134 | 218 | 0.52 |
| Jonas Junland | D | 401 | 39 | 135 | 174 | 0.43 |
| Andreas Pihl | D | 377 | 21 | 36 | 57 | 0.15 |
| Henrik Törnqvist | RW | 349 | 52 | 58 | 110 | 0.31 |
| Broc Little | F | 340 | 148 | 136 | 284 | 0.83 |
| Niklas Persson | C | 316 | 64 | 103 | 167 | 0.53 |
| Tony Mårtensson | C | 312 | 85 | 192 | 277 | 0.88 |
Linköping'swomen's football team,Linköpings FC, is affiliated with and financially backed by Linköping HC. On 3 October 2008, the club announced that the elite men's and women's teams of localvolleyball club Team Valla would also become affiliated with Linköping HC, under the name Linköpings Volleyboll Club.[10]
