Volkian Hockey League
The Volkian Hockey League (VHL) (Volkian: Волкскийская хоккейная лига (ВХЛ), Volkskiyskaya hokkeynaya liga) is the top professional ice hockey league in Volkia. It comprises of 20 member clubs who compete annually for the Polivanov Cup, which is awarded to the league's playoff champion at the end of each season. The VHL is considered to be the premier professional lupine ice hockey league in the world, and is one of the major professional sports leagues in Volkia.
Sport | Ice hockey |
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Founded | March 21, 1955Volkgoroda, Volkia | ,
Inaugural season | 1956-57 |
Commissioner | Makar Uspensky |
No. of teams | 20 |
Country | Volkia |
Most recent champion(s) | Vladinsk Sharks (3rd title) |
Most titles | Volkgoroda Statesmen (15 titles) |
TV partner(s) | VTK Sports, NT, SRS |
Official website | www.vhl.vol |
The Volkian Hockey League was founded in 1955 after the suspension of operations of its predecessor, the Volkian Hockey Association (VHA). The VHL began play in the 1956-57 season with teams originally from the VHA. The Polivanov Cup was brought over by the VHA's former teams, and is still competed for by the VHL today.
The VHL began play with eight teams from the VHA, and expanded to a total of 10 in 1965. Four additional teams were added at the 1976 VHL Expansion for a total 14 teams. By 2006 the VHL had expanded to 18 teams, becoming larger than its predecessor was by one team. The VHL added a 19th team in 2015 and its 20th in 2018. The VHL is currently in talks with multiple cities for possible expansion teams.
The VHL draws many skilled players from around the world, though Volkians have historically made up the majority of players in the league.
History
Organizational structure
Board of Governors
The Board of Governors is the ruling and governing body of the Volkian Hockey League. As each team is a member of the league, they will appoint a Governor (typically the club owner) and two alternates to the Board. The Board's current chairman is Birsk HC's owner Valerii Chernoff. The Board of Governors exists to establish the league policies and uphold the league constitution. Some responsibilities include:
- review and approve any changes to league rules.
- hiring and firing of the League Commissioner.
- review and approve any purchase, sale, or relocation of any member club.
- review and approve salary caps for member clubs.
- review and approve any changes to the structure of the game schedule.
The Board of Governors meets semiannually in March and September, with the exact date and place set by the League Commissioner.
League Executives
The chief executive of the league is League Commissioner Makar Uspensky. Some of the principal decision-makers who serve under the commissioner's authority include:
- Deputy League Commissioner: Leonid Kravchuk
- Chief Legal Officer: Vlad Ponomaryov
- Executive Vice President & CFO: Yemelyan Loginovsky
- Chief Operating Officer: Ilya Nikiforov
- Executive Vice President & Hockey Operations Director: Mitrofan Bychkov
- Director of Player Safety: Nikita Sharapov
Teams
The VHL has consisted of 20 teams since the 2018-2019 season. The league is divided into two conferences containing ten teams each: the Northern Conference and the Southern Conference. Each conference is further split into two divisions of five teams each. The conferences first came about after the 1976 VHL Expansion.
The most recent expansion of the VHL occurred in 2018 with the addition of the Okha Knights in Okha, Baksansky Oblast. As of May 2021, the league is reportedly in talks with multiple cities in Volkia for potential expansion teams.
Division | Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined | Head Coach | Captain |
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Northern Conference | ||||||||
Boreal | Deyevsk Lumberjacks | Deyevsk, Kyshtovka Oblast | Gorma Center | 17,472 | 2006 | Vanya Kolesov | Filipp Isayev | |
Poltovka HC | Poltovka, Belorerino Oblast | VorkutaGas Arena | 18,915 | 1923 | 1955 | Georgy Dementyev | Anton Sychyov | |
Yadrin Penguins | Yadrin, Orlik Oblast | Rekelta Arena | 18,526 | 1916 | 1955 | Stas Tsvetkov | Rostislav Balabanov | |
Repyovka Ice Wolves | Repyovka, Kologrosk Oblast | Bank of Volkia Arena | 20,149 | 1965 | Oleg Kutuzov | Venedikt Korotkov | ||
Kovdor Falcons | Kovdor, Norindzhik Oblast | VolkiaWest Bank Arena | 19,174 | 1976 | Pavel Zarubin | Kuzma Kuzmetsov | ||
Metro | Volkgoroda Statesmen | Volkgoroda, Volkgoroda Oblast | VSB Arena | 21,872 | 1915 | 1955 | Yaromir Samoylov | Patya Bogdanov |
Uzlovaya Monarchs | Askiz, Uzlovaya Oblast | King's Coliseum | 17,186 | 1992 | Markus Soosaar | Gennady Ibragimov | ||
Kalinibinsk Atoms | Georgiyevsk, Kalinibinsk Oblast | Alexander Lapidus Arena | 18,120 | 1976* | Sergei Zaporozhets | Foreign Captain | ||
HC Kodinsk | Kodinsk, Vyalovsk Oblast | Petroyva Center | 18,920 | 1919 | 1955 | Valentin Kryukov | Fedir Lavrov | |
Okha Knights | Okha, Baksansky Oblast | Besprov Center | 17,508 | 2018 | Alexei Bobrov | Sasha Bezrukov | ||
Southern Conference | ||||||||
Central | Kursavka Golden Eagles | Kursavka, Yekartovsk Oblast | Yekartovsk Airlines Arena | 21,504 | 1927 | 1955 | Albert Vinogradov | Pavel Ozerov |
Zarinsk Wolverines | Zarinsk, Zhukovsky Oblast | TIK Arena | 17,879 | 1976* | Petya Tereschchenko | Maksim Ulyanov | ||
HC Svetlogorsk | Svetlogorsk, Vladinsk Oblast | Svetlogorsk Ice Arena | 18,375 | 1943 | 1955 | Anton Kapitsa | Foreign Captain | |
Kalista HC | Kalista, Olyutorsk Oblast | Velox Motors Center | 20,941 | 1965 | Yuliy Zaytsev | Gennady Engalychev | ||
Birsk HC | Birsk, Shipayetsk Oblast | Mishin Motors Arena | 17,059 | 1976* | Foreign Head Coach | Timur Aksyonov | ||
Coastal | Vladinsk Sharks | Izumrud, Vladinsk Oblast | Volktel Center | 19,025 | 1925 | 1955 | Vadim Nikiforov | Foreign Captain |
Osinsky Stingers | Petrovskoye, Osinsky Oblast | Air Volkia Center | 17,562 | 1919 | 1955 | Zahkar Lavrov | Kir Gagarin | |
Beryozovka Panthers | Beryozovka, Khivlyar Oblast | Osokin Financial Arena | 17,365 | 2000 | Igor Kalashnik | Leonid Yevdokimov | ||
Likhoslavl Thunder | Likhoslavl, Olyutorsk Oblast | Big Slice Center | 21,302 | 2015 | Yuri Zhdanov | Leonid Seleznyov | ||
Makushin Cyclones | Nikolayevsk, Makushin Oblast | Zhazh Center | 19,104 | 1995 | Ipatiy Balandin | Aleks Yakubovich |
- Notes
- An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.
Players
Game
Season structure
Trophies and awards
Volkian Federative Republic | ||
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Main article: Volkia | ||
Important Topics: Culture ♦ Lupine ♦ Volkian language ♦ Lunarism ♦ Volkian korona ♦ Defense Forces | ||
Government: Federal Government ♦ President ♦ Cabinet ♦ National Assembly ♦ Federal Supreme Court ♦ Political Parties | ||
History: Grand Principality of Volkia ♦ Duchy of Volkia ♦ Kingdom of Volkia ♦ Volkian Civil War ♦ Northern Revolt ♦ Volkian Revolution | ||
Important Figures (Past and Present): Yuliya Surkova ♦ Aleksey Pushkarev ♦ Stefan Gurkovsky ♦ Ivan Ogarkov ♦ Vasily Tolmachyov ♦ Yulian Lebedev | ||