All-Russian Hockey League B
FormerlyPervaya Liga
SportIce hockey
Founded2011
No. of teams5 (2022–2023 season)
CountriesRussia (5 teams)
Most recent
champion(s)		CSK VVS Samara (1st title)
Most titlesHC Rostov (3)
Related
competitions		KHL
VHL
MHL
NMHL
Official websitevhl.su

The All-Russian Hockey League B or VHL-B (Russian: Первенство Всероссийской хоккейной лиги (ВХЛ-Б), Pervenstvo Vserossiyskoy hokkeynoy ligi) is an ice hockey league in Russia. It stands at the third-tier of the Russian ice hockey pyramid, below the second-level VHL and the top-tier KHL.

History

Since 1992, it was the First League of the Russian Ice Hockey Championship. During the 2010–11 season, it was known as the Championship of Russia between the club teams of regions (Russian: Первенство России среди клубных команд регионов, Pervenstvo Rossii sredi klubnykh komand regionov), which was considered a feeder league to both the KHL and the VHL. A majority of the teams were simply junior versions of their professional counterparts. During the era of the Soviet Championship League, it was referred to as "Class B"

The league in 2010–11 featured clubs from the 2009–10 season of the Pervaya Liga and also clubs from the 2009–10 season of the Vysshaya Liga that were not accepted into the VHL for 2010–11.

On August 23, 2011, the FHR announced the creation of the Russian Hockey League that replaced the Pervaya Liga. The league had 2 divisions. The West Division featured teams from both the Central and Povolzhie divisions of the Pervaya Liga. The East Division featured teams from the Ural and West Siberia division as well as teams from the Siberian and Far East division. The Russian Hockey League was also the same name of the organization responsible for organizing the top-tier hockey league of Russia at the time that existed from 1996 and 2008, when it was rebranded and reorganized as the Kontinental Hockey League.

Prior to the beginning of the 2014–15 season, there was a big decrease in league members (with seven teams either leaving to join a different league or disbanding altogether). In connection with this number of losses, FHR officials who ran the league were forced to combine the two territorial divisions into one league table.

After the 2014–15 season and prior to the 2015–16 season, the FHR transferred the organization of the RHL (which had seen its membership numbers plummet from 24 teams in 2011/12 to nine in 2014/15) to the Supreme Hockey League, with the hope of developing a better third-tier competition with an eventual promotion/relegation system with the second-level league thus creating the Supreme Hockey League Championship.

Prospects for expansion

It was planned to replenish the league from the following sources:

  • VHL teams, for financial reasons, leaving the league.
  • Foreign clubs. For example, interest to the league has been shown by representatives of Latvia.
  • Teams from different cities of Russia.
  • Independent teams of the MHL and/or the NMHL who left due to reorganization.[1]

Teams for 2022–2023

Team City Arena Capacity Founded Joined league
Dinamo-Altay Russia Barnaul Titov Sports Palace 3,800 2006 2011
CSK VVS Samara Russia Samara Vladimir Vysotsky Sport Palace 5,000 1993 2022
Feniks Russia Kazan Sport Palace 3,345 2022 2022
HC Chelny Russia Naberezhnye Chelny Ice Palace Naberezhny Chelny 1,500 2004 2016
Kristall Russia Saratov Ice Sports Palace Saratov 5,000 1946 2017

Former teams

Team City Arena Capacity Fate of the team
Angel Sibiri Russia Tobolsk Crystal Sports Complex Unknown Unknown
Avangard-Yugra Russia Kogalym Iceberg Sports Complex Unknown Originally joined, but ultimately did not participate; possibly disbanded
Buran Voronezh Russia Voronezh LDS Jubileiny 3,200 Joined the VHL in 2012
Burevestnik Yekaterinburg Russia Yekaterinburg KRK Uralets 5,570 Withdrew during 2013–14 season; later disbanded due to connection with financial problems
Burevestnik-1976 Russia Tomsk Crystal Sport Palace Unknown Currently, the club performs in the Siberian Student Hockey League
HC Belgorod Russia Belgorod Oranzevjy led 1,200 Joined the NMHL (then MHL-B) in 2012 due to financial issues
HC Bryansk Russia Bryansk Desna Stadium 1,000 Joined the NMHL (then MHL-B) in 2014
HC Cheboksary Russia Cheboksary Cheboksary-Arena 7,500 Disbanded
HC Lipetsk Russia Lipetsk Zvezdny Sports Complex 2,000 Joined the VHL in 2013; later withdrew in 2015
HC Rostov Russia Rostov-on-Don Ice Arena 600 Joined the VHL in 2019
HC Tambov Russia Tambov Crystal Ice Palace 1,200 Joined the VHL in 2018
Junior-Sputnik Russia Nizhny Tagil Sotnikov Ice Sports Palace 4,200 Club skips season due to financial problems
Kedr Novouralsk Russia Novouralsk Novouralsk Ice Palace 1,200 Disbanded
Krasnoyarskie Rysi Russia Krasnoyarsk Arena Sever 2,600 Joined the JHL in 2022
Kristall Elektrostal Russia Elektrostal Kristall Sport Palace 3,500 Disbanded
Kristall-Yugra Beloyarsky Russia Beloyarsky Palace of Sports 450 Possibly disbanded
Krylya Sovetov Novosibirsk Russia Novosibirsk Unknown - Disbanded
Neftyanik Almetyevsk-2 Russia Almetyevsk Yubileyny Sports Palace 2,000 Changed name to Sputnik; joined the MHL in 2012 as farm club of Neftyanik (Almetyevsk) (VHL)
Progress Glazov Russia Glazov Progress Sports Palace 4,300 Joined the NMHL (then MHL-B) in 2014; became farm club of Izhstal (Izhevsk) (VHL)
Rubin Tyumen-2 Russia Tyumen Sports Palace Tyumen 3,300 Unknown
Shakhtyor Prokopyevsk Russia Prokopyevsk Snowflake Sports Complex 3,150 Due to financial problems, the club decided to go to the Siberian Student Hockey League in 2013
Slavutych Smolensk Russia Smolensk Ice Palace SGAFKST 1,080 Left league in 2017 due to financial problems
Sokol Novocheboksarsk Russia Novocheboksarsk LD Sokol 3,000 Disbanded
Soyuz Russia Zarechny Sports Palace Soyuz Unknown Possibly disbanded
THK Tver Russia Tver Ice Palace Yubileyny 1,980 Joined the VHL in 2012; later declared bankruptcy and ceased in 2017
Yamal Sterkhi Russia Noyabrsk KSK Fakel Unknown Disbanded
Yantar Seversk Russia Seversk SK North Unknown Withdrew from league after 2011–12 season; later disbanded due to financial issues in 2013-14
Yuzhny Ural-Metallurg Orsk Russia Orsk Unknown - Disbanded
Zauralje Kurgan-2 Russia Kurgan Ice Sports Palace Mostovik 2,500 Changed name to Junior and became a youth team joining the MHL and then the NMHL (then MHL-B) in 2012; currently still member of the league

Champions

Season Champion Finalist Series
Result		 Bronze Medalist Regular season winner
2011–12Russia Slavutych SmolenskRussia Buran VoronezhRRRussia THK TverRussia Buran Voronezh
2012–13Russia Mordovia SaranskRussia Yamal Sterkhi3–2Russia Slavutych SmolenskRussia Slavutych Smolensk
2013–14Russia Slavutych SmolenskRussia Mordovia Saransk[NK]Russia Altai Barnaul &
Russia Yamal Sterkhi[*]		Russia Slavutych Smolensk
2014–15Russia HC RostovRussia CSK VVS Samara3–0Russia Mordovia Saransk &
Russia Slavutych Smolensk[*]		Russia Slavutych Smolensk
2015–16Russia HC TambovRussia HC Rostov4–1Russia Mordovia SaranskRussia HC Rostov
2016–17Russia HC RostovRussia Slavutych Smolensk4–1Russia Mordovia SaranskRussia HC Rostov
2017-18Russia HC TambovRussia HC Cheboksary4–0Russia Mordovia SaranskRussia HC Rostov
2018-19Russia HC RostovRussia Mordovia Saransk4–0Russia HC CheboksaryRussia HC Rostov
  • [*]: Both losing semifinalists received bronze medals
  • [NK]: Result not known

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Оптимизация МХЛ поможет возродить РХЛ". Sports.ru. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
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