Description

Extraliga

In the 2021/22 season, the extraleague returned to the format of a single championship without division into divisions "A" and "B", which was present in the championship for three years. The creation of two leagues at one time was dictated, firstly, by the appearance of new clubs on the country's hockey map, which were difficult to compete with the regulars of the extra league, and secondly, by the increased difference in class between favorites and outsiders, which is why the results matches were often predictable, and the difference in the score often became indecent.

The application of the clubs for the 2021/22 season was based on the sports and financial principle. 12 teams got into the strongest division of the national championship. In the future, the federation would like to see a representative of the elite in every city with a developed hockey infrastructure and a good level ground, so in the future the number of participants in the extra league can be expanded.

The regular season in the 2021/22 season will be held in two stages. At the first stage, all participants will play among themselves in four rounds, after which they will be divided into two groups depending on the places taken (1-6, 7-12). In this case, the points scored by the teams will be saved. At the second stage, the participants will play another 10 matches, but already within their groups, according to the results of which they will determine the seeding in the playoffs, the places at the bottom of the table and the four teams that will play in the qualifying round.

Qualifying Round – An improved format for transitional matches that were present in the 2020/21 season. It will be played by four teams that have taken places from 7th to 10th according to the results of the regular season. In a series of up to two wins, they will determine two more participants in the playoffs of the extraleague with seeding "7" and "8". This format will allow more hockey players and fans to plunge into the atmosphere of the knockout round.

Since the new season, the extraleague has a two-point scoring system, which has long been used in practice in the best leagues in the world – NHL, KHL. With it, a team is awarded two points for a victory in regulation time, overtime or shootouts, and one point for a loss in an additional five-minute period or a series of post-match shots.