Kontinental Hockey League team changes

From the league's inception in 2008 there have always been team changes in the Kontinental Hockey League between seasons, as some new teams have joined the league or others have left it. There is no promotion/relegation system with the VHL in place like there was with the Superleague and Vysshaya Liga. The number of teams in the league stayed at 24 throughout the first two seasons. In the third season the number of teams was reduced to 23 because Budivelnyk, a team that planned to join the league, dropped out before the start of the season.[1] Initially, Lev Poprad replaced Budivelnyk to retain the number of teams at 24.[2] However, Lev was excluded by the KHL before the start of that season,[3] but would be accepted into the league for 2011–12. The league plans to expand this number for future seasons.

The inaugural season of KHL included all 20 teams of the 2007–08 Russian Superleague. Non–Russian teams Barys Astana, Dinamo Riga and Dinamo Minsk also joined the newly formed league. Likewise, the recreated team of Khimik Voskresensk, the champion of the 2007–08 season of the Major League, joined. Thus the initial number of teams was 24.

Team changes by season

edit
Season Teams left the league Fate of the team   Teams joined the league Whence Number of teams in the league
2008–09 inaugural season of competition 24
2009–10   Khimik Joined VHL     Avtomobilist VHL 24
2010–11   Lada Joined VHL   UHC Dynamo Newly created team by merger of Dynamo and MVD 23
  Dynamo M Merged with MVD to form UHC Dynamo   Yugra VHL
  MVD Merged with Dynamo to form UHC Dynamo  
2011–12   Lokomotiv Scratched from season due to plane crash   Lev Poprad Newly created team 23
2012–13   Lev Poprad Disbanded   Slovan Slovak Extraliga 26
    Donbass VHL
  Lokomotiv Returned to KHL after plane tragedy
  Lev Praha Newly created team
2013–14     Admiral Newly created team 28
  Medveščak Austrian EBEL
2014–15   Donbass Joined the Ukrainian Hockey Extra League prior to the 2015–16 season, after one year of inactivity.   Lada Togliatti Returned to the league 28
  Lev Praha Disbanded   Jokerit Liiga
  Spartak Moscow Took one year off due to financial issues   HC Sochi Newly created team
2015–16   Atlant Folded due to financial issues.   Spartak Moscow Returned to the league 28
2016–17     HC Red Star Kunlun Newly created team 29
2017–18   Medveščak Returned to Austrian EBEL   27
  Metallurg Novokuznetsk Joined VHL
2018–19   Lada Rejoined VHL   25
  Yugra Joined VHL
2019–20   Slovan Left league due to financial issues to attempt to rejoin Slovak Extraliga   24
2020–21   Admiral Took hiatus due to financial issues   23
2021–22   Dinamo Riga
  Jokerit
Left the league due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine   Admiral Return to league after COVID-19 break 22

Division lineup changes

edit
Season Divisions
Bobrov Tarasov Kharlamov Chernyshev
Joined division Left division Joined division Left division Joined division Left division Joined division Left division
2008–09
(initial composition)
  Atlant
  Dinamo Mn
  Metallurg Nk
  Salavat Yulaev
  Severstal
  Spartak
  CSKA
  Khimik
  Metallurg Mg
  HC MVD
  SKA
  Traktor
  Amur
  Avangard
  Dinamo R
  Lada
  Lokomotiv
  Sibir
  Ak Bars
  Barys
  Dynamo M
  Neftekhimik
  Torpedo
  Vityaz
2009–10
(geographical realignment)
  CSKA
  Dinamo R
  Dynamo M
  SKA
  Atlant
  Metallurg Nk
  Salavat Yulaev
  Severstal
  Atlant
  Lokomotiv
  Severstal
  Torpedo
  Vityaz
  CSKA
  Khimik
  Metallurg Mg
  SKA
  Traktor
  Ak Bars
  Avtomobilist
  Metallurg Mg
  Neftekhimik
  Traktor
  Amur
  Avangard
  Dinamo R
  Lokomotiv
  Sibir
  Amur
  Avangard
  Metallurg Nk
  Salavat Yulaev
  Sibir
  Ak Bars
  Dynamo M
  Neftekhimik
  Torpedo
  Vityaz
2010–11   UHC Dynamo   Dinamo Mn
  Dynamo M
  Dinamo Mn   HC MVD   Yugra   Lada
2011–12   Lev Poprad   Lokomotiv
2012–13   Donbass
  Lev Praha
  Slovan
  Vityaz
  CSKA
  Lev Poprad
  Spartak
  CSKA
  Lokomotiv
  Spartak
  Vityaz
2013–14   CSKA
  Dinamo Mn
  Medveščak
  Donbass
  Dynamo M
  Vityaz
  Donbass
  Dynamo M
  Vityaz
  CSKA
  Dinamo Mn
  Torpedo
  Torpedo   Admiral
2014–15[4]   Atlant
  Jokerit
  CSKA
  Lev Praha
  CSKA
  HC Sochi
  Torpedo
  Atlant
  Donbass
  Spartak Moscow
  Lada   Torpedo
2015–16   Spartak M   Atlant
2016–17   HC Red Star Kunlun
2017–18   Medveščak   Metallurg Nk
2018–19   Dynamo M
  Severstal
  Dinamo Mn
  Slovan
  Dinamo Mn
  Slovan
  Torpedo
  Dynamo M
  Severstal
  Torpedo   Lada
  Yugra
2019–20[5]   Torpedo   Slovan   Sibir   Torpedo   Sibir
2020–21   HC Sochi
  Vityaz
  Dinamo R
  Dynamo M
  Dinamo R
  Dynamo M
  HC Sochi
  Torpedo
  Vityaz
  Torpedo   Sibir   Sibir   Admiral
2021–22   Torpedo   Severstal   Severstal   HC Red Star Kunlun   Torpedo   Admiral   HC Red Star Kunlun

References

edit
  1. ^ "Budivelnik will not play in KHL". Kontinental Hockey League. 26 June 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  2. ^ "HC Lev to join KHL". Kontinental Hockey League. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  3. ^ "Лев" не сыграет в ближайшем сезоне (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 28 July 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  4. ^ "Regular Season Format Unveiled". 2014-07-09. Retrieved 2014-07-11.
  5. ^ "League confirms structure for the new season". 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2019-08-08.