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.
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| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | March 21, 1955, Volkgoroda, 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 24 teams since the 2018-2019 season. The league is divided into two conferences containing twelve teams each: the Northern Conference and the Southern Conference. Each conference is further split into two divisions of six 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Conference | ||||||||
| Boreal | Deyevsk Lumberjacks |  Deyevsk
|
Gorma Center | 17,472 | 2006 | Vanya Kolesov
|
Filipp Isayev
| |
| Poltovka HC | Poltovka
|
VorkutaGas Arena | 18,915 | 1923 | 1955 |  Georgy Dementyev
|
Anton Sychyov
| |
| Yadrin Penguins | Yadrin
|
Rekelta Arena | 18,526 | 1916 | 1955 | Stas Tsvetkov
|
Rostislav Balabanov
| |
| Repyovka Ice Wolves | Repyovka
|
Bank of Volkia Arena | 20,149 | 1965 | Oleg Kutuzov
|
Venedikt Korotkov
| ||
| Kovdor Falcons | Kovdor
|
VolkiaWest Bank Arena | 19,174 | 1976 | Pavel Zarubin
|
Kuzma Kuzmetsov
| ||
| Grenitsagorov Icemen |  Tano, SH
|
Grand Northern Hockey Center | 23,806 | 2015 | Yuri Orevolikov
|
Kantov Feravov
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| Metro | Volkgoroda Statesmen | Volkgoroda
|
VSB Arena | 21,872 | 1915 | 1955 | Yaromir Samoylov
|
Patya Bogdanov
|
| Uzlovaya Monarchs | Askiz
|
King's Coliseum | 17,186 | 1992 | Markus Soosaar
|
Gennady Ibragimov
| ||
| Kalinibinsk Atoms | Georgiyevsk
|
Alexander Lapidus Arena | 18,120 | 1976* | Sergei Zaporozhets
|
Foreign Captain | ||
| HC Kodinsk | Kodinsk
|
Petroyva Center | 18,920 | 1919 | 1955 | Valentin Kryukov
|
Fedir Lavrov
| |
| Okha Knights | Okha
|
Besprov Center | 17,508 | 2018 | Alexei Bobrov
|
Sasha Bezrukov
| ||
| Yugrepyovka Ice Warriors | Tano, SH
|
Sultana Alice Jbenamin Center | 19,806 | 2013 | Jakob Valentinorov
|
Johan Darensen
| ||
| Southern Conference | ||||||||
| Central | Kursavka Golden Eagles | Kursavka
|
Yekartovsk Airlines Arena | 21,504 | 1927 | 1955 | Albert Vinogradov
|
Pavel Ozerov
|
| Zarinsk Wolverines | Zarinsk
|
TIK Arena | 17,879 | 1976* | Petya Tereschchenko
|
Maksim Ulyanov
| ||
| HC Svetlogorsk | Svetlogorsk
|
Svetlogorsk Ice Arena | 18,375 | 1943 | 1955 | Anton Kapitsa
|
Foreign Captain | |
| Kalista HC | Kalista
|
Velox Motors Center | 20,941 | 1965 | Yuliy Zaytsev
|
Gennady Engalychev
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| Birsk HC | Birsk
|
Mishin Motors Arena | 17,059 | 1976* | Foreign Head Coach | Timur Aksyonov
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| Polonov Pitmen | Tano, SH
|
Tuyav Stadium | 20,422 | 2015 | Vlad Previkova
|
 Olaf Nilsen
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| Coastal | Vladinsk Sharks | Izumrud
|
Volktel Center | 19,025 | 1925 | 1955 | Vadim Nikiforov
|
Foreign Captain |
| Osinsky Stingers | Petrovskoye
|
Air Volkia Center | 17,562 | 1919 | 1955 | Zahkar Lavrov
|
Kir Gagarin
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| Beryozovka Panthers | Beryozovka
|
Osokin Financial Arena | 17,365 | 2000 | Igor Kalashnik
|
Leonid Yevdokimov
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| Likhoslavl Thunder | Likhoslavl
|
Big Slice Center | 21,302 | 2015 | Yuri Zhdanov
|
Leonid Seleznyov
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| Makushin Cyclones | Nikolayevsk
|
Zhazh Center | 19,104 | 1995 | Ipatiy Balandin
|
Aleks Yakubovich
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| Ozerokov Oracles | Tano, SH
|
Standard Tano Oil Arena | 17,039 | 2015 | Alloni Polinski
|
Richard Yenskov
| ||
- Notes
- An asterisk (*) denotes a franchise move. See the respective team articles for more information.
Players
Game
Season structure
Trophies and awards
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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 | ||