World League Analysis

The world league analysis was a result of months of research and interviewing and its goal was to inform hockey players about the various possibilities out there in the world.
As it is now very common to go play overseas, it is very important to gather correct information about the league and team in order to prevent false expectations.

Also, there are lots of myths and rumors about some leagues, which we aim to clarify in this project.

World League Ranking
World League Ranking

After lots of research, we created the world league ranking chart.
This chart lists and compares many different leagues accross the world.
Of course, it is very hard to rank each league, as it is also subjective and can change from one season to the next.
The purpose of this ranking is to get a rough idea of where a league stands in comparison to the rest.
Junior League Ranking
Junior League Ranking

After lots of research, we created the world junior league ranking chart.
This chart lists and compares many different junior leagues accross the world.
Of course, it is very hard to rank each league, as it is also subjective and can change from one season to the next.
The purpose of this ranking is to get a rough idea of where a league stands in comparison to the rest.
Import Rules
Import Rules

During this project, we also inform you about the various import rules that are in place in each country, so that you will be able to calculate your possibility of playing their as a foreigner.
This is very important to know when contacting a team in a specific league.
Salaries
Fees / Scholarships

World League Ranking

After lots of research, we created the world league ranking chart.
This chart lists and compares many different leagues accross the world.

Of course, it is very hard to rank each league, as it is also subjective and can change from one season to the next.

The purpose of this ranking is to get a rough idea of where a league stands in comparison to the rest.

Junior League Ranking

After lots of research, we created the world junior league ranking chart.

This chart lists and compares many different junior leagues accross the world.

Of course, it is very hard to rank each league, as it is also subjective and can change from one season to the next.

The purpose of this ranking is to get a rough idea of where a league stands in comparison to the rest.

Import Rules

During this project, we also inform you about the various import rules that are in place in each country, so that you will be able to calculate your possibility of playing their as a foreigner.

This is very important to know when contacting a team in a specific league.

Asia

Even though ice hockey is relatively popular in Japan, the natural small body composition of the nationals makes it hard for them to break through at an international level.

We consistently see Japan do very well and compete with other nations at the junior levels, but then having a hard time at the senior level.

The common problem of not having enough teams at the same level in one country can also be observed here, and that is why we have seen Japan cooperate with South Korea and Russia to form the Asia league, which is the only pro hockey leauge in the region.

Asia League

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Matt Pope who played in this league.

Austria

Theoretically, Austria’s climate could be considered an ideal place for ice hockey. Nevertheless, ice hockey is only a secondary sport and does not have the great following that the sports enjoys in the neighbour Switzerland.
This does not mean that the first Austrian league is not good. Indeed, the ICEHL is a highly regarded league in Europe that is a great stepping stone to other top tier leagues such as the DEL or National League.

Also the Alps Hockey League, which is considered tier 2 in Austria, is still a good league that could pave the way to higher levels of hockey.

ICEHL

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Sebastien Sylvestre who played in this league for multiple years.

Alps Hockey League

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Jake Smith who played in this league for multiple years.

AUSTRALIA

Australia is a very remote place in the ice hockey world.

As the climatic conditions are not very favorable for this great sport, we have also seen very little development in the past decades.

Nevertheless, many former great hockey player from all over the world use the AIHL to continue playing ice hockey in one of the most beautiful countries on the planet.

AIHL

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Matt Climie who played in this leagueafter playing in many leagues of the world, including the NHL.

CZECH REPUBLIC

The Czech Republic is a hockey country since the birth of the sport.

This is why it is also the place of birth of many NHL stars.

On top of being a great hockey player exporter, the Czech Republic also has a very good own pro hockey league, the Czech Extraliga. This league is regarded as one of the top leagues in Europe and has got many ex NHLers in it.

Extraliga

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Samson Mahbod who played in this league for multiple years.

DENMARK

Denmark is a pretty good hockey country in relation to its small size. The first pro hockey league, the Metal Ligaen, is a very stable and good league for import players in Europe.

The salaries are decent and it can be a stepping stone to a higher league such as the EBEL or Hockey Allsvenskan.

Metal Ligaen

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Justin Maylan who played in this league for multiple years.

FINLAND

Finland is known worldwide for having the best junior hockey system in ice hockey.

It develops NHL superstars at an unbelievable proportion to their small population and stands out in making the most out of the players they have.

Their success was really underlined in the last years, as they won the U18 world championship, the U20 world championship and the senior worldchampionship only a few months apart, even though being considered an underdog amongst the top hockey nations.

Liiga

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Andreas Bernard who played in the Liiga for many years.

Mestis

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Simon Kostner who played in the Mestis for multiple years.

Suomi-Sarja

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Nikolas Ulessi who played many years in this league.

Jr.A SM-Liiga

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Jarkko Walinkovski, the head coach of the U20 team of TPS Turku.

FRANCE

France has been stable in its position as a middle of the pack hockey contender in the world hockey ranking.

In contrast to its neighbours Switzerland and Germany, it lacks a proper junior hockey development system, which is the cause for it losing ground to his competitors.

Also, the high number of import players in all of their pro and semi-pro leagues leave little room for young french players to develop.

League Magnus

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Alex Botten who played in this league.

Division 1

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Philippe Bureau-Blais who played in this league for multiple years.

Division 2

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Mark Corbett who played in this league for multiple years.

Germany

Germany has had a great last decade from the hockey standpoint. Many new German players have come to the NHL and Leon Draisaitl has risen to an absolute superstar, winning the Hart trophy in the 2019-20 season.

Also the national team of Germany has done great in the past years, reaching the final at the Olympic Games in 2018 against all the odds.
If they keep up the great work in the junior department, we can see further growth also in the next decade.

DEL

The DEL was established in 1993 and was the first private sports league in Germany. Since then, we have seen great growth in attendance and importance year by year.

It is considered one of the most important leagues in Europe and consistently does well in the Champions Hockey League.

With 9 imports allowed per team, it has a very North American style of play, similar to the ECHL.

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Alex Trivellato from the Krefelder Pinguine.

DEL 2

The DEL 2 used to be called Bundesliga but totally rebranded in order to close the gap to te DEL.
This was a successful move, as we saw a great growth in attendance in the past decade.

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Alex Lambacher from the Heilbronner Falken.

OBERLIGA

The Oberliga is the third pro hockey league in Germany.

It is a common destination for former DEL or DEL2 players and a good starting point for young imports looking to break through in Europe.

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Brad MacGowan that has played in this league for many years.

DNL

The DNL is the premier junior league in Germany. It has gone through a lot of devolpment since its creation in 2000. In the past years, we have really seen the crops coming through with many young talented players entering the NHL from Germany.

Watch the video for more details on imports, fees and an interview with Elmar Schmitz that has coached in this league for many years.

NORTH AMERICA Pro hockey

North America and especially Canada has been the Mekka of ice hockey since the beginning of the sport.
Countless junior leagues develop top notch players every year. Unfortunately, in contrast to Europe, there are only a handful of professional ice hockey leagues that allow the players to keep playing after their junior or college age.
The shortage of pro hockey spots and the low salaries in the minor leagues such as the ECHL and SPHL lead many players to a career in Europe where they often find better conditions that accomodate their level of play.

nhl

There is not much to say about the best ice hockey league in the world, the NHL.
In this league, players find the most media coverage, salaries and highest level of hockey in the world.

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Cal Petersen who played in this league for multiple years for the Los Angeles Kings.

AHL

The American Hockey League is considered the premier development league of the NHL that hosts a plethora of highly skilled players that are only inches away from making the NHL.

Even though the hockey level is very close to the NHL, the salaries and lifestyle change drastically from one league to the other.

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Don MacLean who played in the AHL for many years and also won the MVP of the league once.

ECHL

The ECHL is the tier 3 pro hockey league in North America.

It is the most common starting point for a junior or college player to turn pro and it is considered to be a very tough league, as many young players enter the league every year fighting for one of the few roster spots.

The tough game schedule and low salaries are the reasons why many players leave this league to go play in Europe.

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Mike Couch who played in this league for multiple years.

SPHL

The SPHL is one of the tier 4 pro hockey leagues in North America.

From this league, the road to the NHL is very long and almost impossible.
Nevertheless, it can be a league to build up a curriculum and then earn a contract in Europe.

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with John Schiavo who played in this league for multiple years.

NORTH AMERICA Junior Hockey

North America has countless junior hockey laegues that spread all over the various regions.
The levels are often very high and the leagues are run in a very professional manner, much like we see in actual pro teams and leagues in North America and Europe.

The players are mostly unpaid, but all chase the same dream of making the NHL.

The CHL in Canada is regarded as the best junior hockey league in the world and attracts the most talented players in the game.

CHL

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Brent Pedersen who played in this league for multiple years and is now a pro in the AHL.

USHL

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Luca Frigo who played in this league for multiple years and is now a pro in the EBEL.

Canada Jr.A

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Nick Esposto who played in this league for multiple years and is now a pro in Italy.

USA Jr.A Tier 2

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Michele Marchetti who played in this league for multiple years and is now a pro in Italy.

Watch the video for more details on imports, fees and an interview with Elmar Schmitz that has coached in this league for many years.

USA Jr.A Tier 3

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Diego Glück who played in this league.

Prep School

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Marco De Filippo who played in this league for multiple years and is now a pro in Italy.

Midget AAA

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Thomas Condon who played Midget AAA for multiple years.

NETHERLANDS

The Netherlands have always been a minor player in the ice hockey game.

The common problem of not having enough teams at the same level in one country can also be observed here, and that is why we have seen the Netherlands cooperate with Belgium to form the BENELeague, the two countries’ only semi-pro hockey leauge.

It is a lower starting point in Europe for import players from North America.

BENE League

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Nathan Pancel who played in this league.

NORWAY

Norway has always been lacking the interest for ice hockey in comparison to its scandinavian neighbours like Sweden and Finland. Nevertheless, the first pro hockey league, the Get Ligaen, is a very stable and good league for import players in Europe.

The salaries are decent and it can be a stepping stone to a higher league such as the EBEL or Hockey Allsvenskan.

Get Ligaen

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Brendan Ellis who played in this league for multiple years.

RUSSIA

Russia is known for their decades of dominance as the Sovjet Union and the Red Army of Moskau.

Their dominance has been matched by other top nations, but their great skill and pethora of world class players still makes it a constant favorite for each world championship.

With the KHL, Russia has its own version of the NHL.

KHL

Coming soon.

VHL

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Bobby Shea who played in this league.

MHL

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Peter Hochkofler who played in the MHL for two years with Red Bull Salzburg.

SWITZERLAND

Switzerland has become one of the top hockey nations in the world in the last two decades.

Apart from the many NHL players that come from Switzerland, there is also one of the best pro hockey leagues in the world with the National League. (formerly NLA)

The high salaries and top import players make this one of the best places to be for a hockey player. On top, the amazing locations sweeten the experience especially for those coming from abroad.

National League

The National League is known worldwide for being one of the best hockey leagues in the world.

The high salaries and top import players make this one of the best places to be for a hockey player. On top, the amazing locations sweeten the experience especially for those coming from abroad.

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Diego Kostner from Ambri Piotta.

Swiss League

The Suisse League used to be called NLB and is the second pro hockey league in Switzerland.

It is a great league to make the jump to the National League, as there is also the direct promotion in place.

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Hannes Kasslatter from the Ticino Rockets.

My Sports League

The My Sports League is the third hockey league in Switzerland.

Some players still have a job in this league, so that it is not fully professional.

The video analysis and interview are coming soon.

U20 Elite

The swiss junior league has become an increasingly interesting league for players from all over Europe as it gives direct access to the pro teams of the National League.

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Luca Gianinazzi, head coach of the U20 team of HC Lugano.

UNITED KINGDOM

Ice Hockey has always been a minor sport in the United Kingdom.
In the past decades, the situation has not changed much.

Nevertheless, we saw some recent success of the National team being promoted to the top division World Championship and maintaining its spot in the following year.

EIHL

Watch the video for more details on imports, salaries and an interview with Luke Moffat who played in this league for multiple years.

NIHL

Coming soon

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