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2026-27 SHL Preview
Skellefteå AIK made it two wins in three seasons with their fifth championship in 2026 and have now made 10 of the last 15 finals! They won back-to-back championships in 2013-14. Could they repeat that feat with another win in 2027?
You would expect the usual suspects, Färjestad BK and Brynäs IF, to be a couple of the bookie's pre-season favourites to lift the Le Mat Trophy, which is presented to the SHL champions each year; the pair of them have twenty-three championships between them.
We have specialist European-based hockey fans who will be sharing their SHL Predictions throughout this season, so be sure to see which Swedish Hockey League teams they are tipping today.
Leksands IF were relegated from the SHL and will be replaced by IF Bjöklöven, who, after finishing top with 119 in regular, then only lost 1 game in the playoffs, whilst winning the other 12 to secure promotion.
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How often do Favourites win in SHL?
How do the Favourites Compare?
The SHL does not come out well for winning favourites. From the twelve leagues listed, they are rock bottom and the only league with a sub-60% win rate, but at the same time, it does indicate there is more value with underdogs being successful more.
- French Ligue Magnus: 69.45%
- British Elite League: 66.26%
- Danish Metal Ligaen: 65.16%
- Austrian EHL: 64.03%
- Russian KHL: 63.55%
- Swiss NLA: 62.4%
- Czech Extraliga: 62.05%
- USA NHL: 61.93%
- Slovakian Extraliga: 61.83%
- German DEL: 61.33%
- Finnish SM Liiga: 61.29%
- Swedish SHL: 58.51%
Which teams are the most and least reliable?
The most reliable team when it comes to favourites in the Swedish Hockey League over the past five seasons is Vaxjo. They have a win rate of 64.69% when priced up by the bookmakers as favourites with 251 wins from a total of 388 games.
At the other end of the scale is Djurgarden with a win rate of 37.84%. That has come from 37 games producing 14 wins; they are maybe the team in this league to avoid when they are priced up as favourites.
Swedish Hockey League Favourite Statistics by Season
| 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Favs | 62.64% | 56.57% | 60.74% | 58.84% | 62.63% |
| Away Favs | 52.73% | 55.25% | 57.51% | 48.81% | 55.74% |
| Overall Favs | 60.00% | 56.29% | 59.98% | 56.80% | 60.58% |
*Favourite statistics only include regular-season games
Past SHL Regular Season Winners
Unlike other leagues, the regular season winner is not the most reliable when it comes to the playoffs; they are very hit and miss.
From the last nine completed playoffs (No playoff in 2020), only four of the nine regular-season winners went on to win the playoffs; four of them didn't even make the final.
Here are the last ten regular-season champions and how they went on to perform in the playoffs.
| Season | Team (Points) | Playoff Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 2025–26 | Skellefteå AIK (108) | SHL Champions |
| 2024–25 | Brynäs IF (97) | Lost Final |
| 2023–24 | Färjestad BK (104) | Lost in Quarter-Finals |
| 2022–23 | Växjö Lakers (102) | SHL Champions |
| 2021–22 | Rögle BK (100) | Lost in Semi-Finals |
| 2020–21 | Växjö Lakers (102) | SHL Champions |
| 2019–20 | Luleå HF (106) | Playoffs not completed |
| 2018–19 | Färjestad BK (101) | Lost in Semi-Finals |
| 2017–18 | Växjö Lakers (116) | SHL Champions |
| 2016–17 | Växjö Lakers (99) | Lost in Quarter-Finals |
Past SHL Champions
The Le Mat Trophy is what the SHL Champions receive and have done so since 1926. The trophy was donated by Raoul Le Mat, the man who brought ice hockey to Sweden and is the oldest trophy in Sweden that is competed for by professional athletes.
Djurgårdens IF leads the way in both final appearances and success. From their twenty-eight finals appearances, they have gone on to be crowned SHL Champions a total of sixteen times, giving them a 57% success rate when making the finals; however, their last win came back in 2001, and they have only made two finals since losing both times (2010 & 2019).
Brynäs IF have won thirteen SHL Championships, and their success rate when making the final is much better, as they have only made nineteen finals, meaning they have won 68%.
Färjestad BK, along with Djurgårdens IF, are the only other team to have made twenty or more finals; however, they have lost more than they have won, with ten titles meaning they have lost eleven times.
Here are the last ten SHL Champions
| Year | Champions | Series | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Skellefteå AIK | 4-1 | Rögle BK |
| 2025 | Luleå HF | 4-2 | Brynäs IF |
| 2024 | Skellefteå AIK | 4-1 | Rögle BK |
| 2023 | Växjö Lakers | 4-1 | Skellefteå AIK |
| 2022 | Färjestad BK | 4-3 | Luleå HF |
| 2021 | Växjö Lakers | 4-1 | Rögle BK |
| 2020 | No competition | ||
| 2019 | Frölunda HC | 4-2 | Djurgårdens IF |
| 2018 | Växjö Lakers | 4-0 | Skellefteå AIK |
| 2017 | HV71 | 4-3 | Brynäs IF |
2025-26 Playoff Bracket
Swedish Hockey League Teams
2026-27 Teams in the SHL
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brynäs IF | Gävle | Monitor ERP Arena | 7,909 |
| Djurgårdens IF | Stockholm | Hovet | 8,094 |
| Färjestad BK | Karlstad | Löfbergs Arena | 8,647 |
| Frölunda HC | Gothenburg | Scandinavium | 12,044 |
| HV71 | Jönköping | Husqvarna Garden | 7,000 |
| Linköping HC | Linköping | Saab Arena | 8,500 |
| Luleå HF | Luleå | Coop Norrbotten Arena | 6,300 |
| Malmö Redhawks | Malmö | Malmö Arena | 13,000 |
| Örebro HK | Örebro | Behrn Arena | 5,150 |
| Rögle BK | Ängelholm | Catena Arena | 5,150 |
| Skellefteå AIK | Skellefteå | Skellefteå Kraft Arena | 6,001 |
| Timrå IK | Timrå | NHC Arena | 6,000 |
| Västerås IK | Västerås | ABB Arena Nord | 4,902 |
| Växjö Lakers | Växjö | Vida Arena | 5,700 |
Author Information
Andy Powell manages this Swedish Hockey League (SHL) Preview & Betting Guide and other hockey content in this section of the site, as well as the Ice Hockey Tipsters in the OLBG tipster competition, in his role in the OLBG Expert Team. Andy meticulously updates the date and results for these pieces and is an erstwhile Penguins fan in the NHL. He provides Ice Hockey betting advice in our bookmaker reviews, as well as providing a huge contribution to the Best Ice Hockey Betting Sites Guide.
Andy Powell
Content Editor
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