HockeyAllsvenskan 2015-16 General Discussion

[Exarz]

AIK won the final game and will face Karlskrona in the SHL relegation round

 

[hansomreiste]

They had a good working not-so-complicated promotion/relegation system before the SHL wanted to change the relegation league to head to head (earlier, it was a round of 6 teams, 10 games and the top 2 teams would get promoted). HockeyAllsvenskan's league structure made more sense than it does now, as the people not following the league has no clue on how it works.

In the defense of the league system, I believe it's fair that you need to beat an SHL team in order to get promoted. People said that the "head to head promotion/relegation round" would kill Swedish hockey. First thing that happens is that Malmö beats Leksand in 7 games and gets promoted.

But hey, "Kvalserien" was really good. If they would've put head to head before goal differences in the standings, it would've been more fair and they could've kept it!

Yes yes, I remember Kvalserien! In fact I am confused because I thought it is still the way it was... This "you need to beat a SHL team to get promoted" idea exists in some other countries and leagues too. The most notorious one coming to my mind is German football, for example. If you are placed 3rd in second division, then you are expected to win against 16th team of the first division.

I believe this system is unfair to the lower division team simply because they are not rolling on same budgets or competitions. While Leksand plays against teams like Asplöven, Sundsvall, Mora all season; Karlskrona faces the likes of Djurgarden, Färjestad, Luleaa etc. Being in SHL grants you much more experience, competitiveness and probably even better financial status. So, pitting a successful second division team who played a whole season with "second tier" teams against a first division team doesn't sound fair to me. Kvalserien was much better in this sense: It included last two of SHL so you would again have to get in front of them. However, it was also 10-game long; which meant, you have room for mistake but at the same time, you gotta be really strong and go till the end.

In this sense, Kvalserien was probably the best promotion system. It required you to beat guys from upper league but at the same time it gave you chance to survive against them. Full 10 games... Fair enough.

Now, AIK comes first, then plays 5 games against second team, only to face Karlskrona... Coming first after 52 games should be rewarded; this way, it's more like, "LOL so you are the best team? Well, f**k you!".

 

[Desdichado93]

Promotion/relegation system in Swedish hockey is way too complicated imo. Same goes for HockeyEttan.
What's the point of forcing two leading teams of Allsvenskan for a BO3 series, after which they will not even guarantee promotion? J

The purpose is to "exhaust" the Allsvenskan teams so that the SHL-teams will have an advantage.The whole system is designed to protect the SHL-teams from being demoted.

Personally I dislike the current system. AS winner should get directly promoted while team #14 in SHL should get directly demoted.

Then you can have a mini "kvalserie" with SHL team #13 and teams #2-3-4 from HA.

Very simple, very fair but still some drama.

 

[joe89]

Grats to Leksand fans, they were down 2-1 in the penultimate game against Almtuna, had to win by four goals against Mora, and now won the series against Tingsryd. This is not a team I'd like to play right now.

Actually wouldn't be shocked if both AIK and Leksand get promoted, though MoDo will still be heavily favored obviously.

 

[hansomreiste]

After all this mess to reach this stage, AIK lost in Karlskrona after a 110-minute, five and a half period match... Heavy legs. Very heavy legs.

 

[Puckcrazy51]

anybody have any insight as to average salary in this league.....for imports.

 

[PuckPoise]

anybody have any insight as to average salary in this league.....for imports.

Tough to get an average with so many different levels of players and so little info, for many it would be around $200k after tax for a season, I would guess. It's a djungle out there with signing bonuses and different tax rules in various countries. Basically can outbid AHL salaries for the most part but not close to competing with KHL salaries of $500k+ and up in the million dollars for star imports.

The average salary of a SHL player is $160k before tax but that obviously includes lots of young players earning $35k, best Swedish players could earn around $500k before taxes.


Edit: Sorry, thought this was the SHL thread. Allsvenskan would vary from $25k and living expenses to some at $40 or something, it's not really a league of earning money, it's a league to develop and showcase yourself to SHL clubs.

 

[Ciccarelli]

Edit: Sorry, thought this was the SHL thread. Allsvenskan would vary from $25k and living expenses to some at $40 or something, it's not really a league of earning money, it's a league to develop and showcase yourself to SHL clubs.

And that depends alot on the teams too, as I've understood the budgets vary alot. Like the guys Malmö was signing in Allsvenskan certainly got paid more than 40k, more like 140k..?

Allsvenskan is a ofcourse a development league as its status as a second tier league but it's also by far the best second tier league in Europe. Lots of good players and it seems the finnish Liiga teams have started to notice this as well (highest goal scorer Wahl signed by Ilves and second highest scorer Thorell by TPS).

 

[PuckPoise]

And that depends alot on the teams too, as I've understood the budgets vary alot. Like the guys Malmö was signing in Allsvenskan certainly got paid more than 40k, more like 140k..?

Allsvenskan is a ofcourse a development league as its status as a second tier league but it's also by far the best second tier league in Europe. Lots of good players and it seems the finnish Liiga teams have started to notice this as well (highest goal scorer Wahl signed by Ilves and second highest scorer Thorell by TPS).

It's a good league for sure, what I meant was that foreign players don't go there in order to get paid, they go there in order to get a chance to get paid on the contract after that one.

The example you bring up with Malmö and some other clubs were certainly true a couple of years ago but currently there are no teams that can really go down that road, with the bigger clubs who would potentially be able to attract such names (Modo, Västerås, AIK, Södertälje) having to show financial restraint and go with youthful, homegrown and hungry rather than proven and well-known for the most part.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Good silly season by MoDo.

Bjurö
Olsson

Enström - Hedman
Léman - Lindgren
Sellgren - XXX

Björklund - Rundqvist - Karlkvist
Farley - Ritchie - XXX
Jakobsson - Edblom - Molin
Persson - Wahlgren - Lyrenäs

 

[Timrakollen]

Interesting silly for Timrå i think, lot of young players who probably will take 1 or 2 steps in the right direction this season.

66 Mattsson
60 Ohre

93 Westlund - 2 Westin
51 Nielsen - 9 Strömberg
3 Dahlroth - 4 Nilsson
55 Björkung - 47 Garpenlöv
7 Hardegård

41 Nilsson - 21 Johnsson - 10 Persson
54 Dahlén - 14 Pettersson - 81 Lööke
11 Stene - XX(Lauritzen, Molinder) - 57 Wedin
25 Westin - 23 Boyce - 22 Berglund
29 Wiberg

 

[PuckPoise]

Interesting silly for Timrå i think, lot of young players who probably will take 1 or 2 steps in the right direction this season.

66 Mattsson
60 Ohre

93 Westlund - 2 Westin
51 Nielsen - 9 Strömberg
3 Dahlroth - 4 Nilsson
55 Björkung - 47 Garpenlöv
7 Hardegård

41 Nilsson - 21 Johnsson - 10 Persson
54 Dahlén - 14 Pettersson - 81 Lööke
11 Stene - XX(Lauritzen, Molinder) - 57 Wedin
25 Westin - 23 Boyce - 22 Berglund
29 Wiberg

Dahlén-Pettersson-Lööke line would be something to be hold next year, hope they can find some chemistry and possibly be a line at WJC as well.