J20 SuperElit

J20 SuperElit is a junior ice hockey

Junior ice hockey

Junior hockey is a catch-all term used to describe various levels of ice hockey competition for players generally between 16 and 20 years of age...

 league composed of 20 teams in Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

. It is the highest-level junior ice hockey league in Sweden. The teams are divided in two groups, or divisions, Norra (North) and Södra (South), and are usually associated with a professional team in either Elitserien

Elitserien

Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...

 or HockeyAllsvenskan in order to develop talented youth for the professional teams. The winner of the J20 SuperElit playoffs are awarded the Anton Cup

Anton Cup

The Anton Cup is the championship trophy of the Swedish junior hockey league, J20 SuperElit. The trophy was donated by Anton Johansson, chairman of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association between 1924–1948, in 1952, as an award for Sweden's top-ranking ice hockey club, decided by a national tournament...

.

Game

Each J20 SuperElit regulation game is an ice hockey game played between two teams and is 60 minutes long. The game is composed of three 20-minute periods. At the end of the 60-minute regulation time, the team with the most goals wins the game. If a game is tied after regulation time, overtime ensues. During the regular season, overtime

Overtime (ice hockey)

Overtime is a method of determining the winner and loser of an ice hockey match when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods are the overtime period and the shootout.-Overtime periods:...

 is a five-minute, four-player on four-player sudden death period, in which the first team to score a goal wins the game.

In the playoffs, one sudden-death 20 minute five-on-five period occur until one team scores. If both teams are tied after the 20 minutes of overtime, penalty shots ensues. Best of five penalty shots wins, if both teams are still tied sudden death penalties will ensue.

Teams

The J20 SuperElit currently consists of 20 teams. The two lowest ranked teams after the regular season have to play in the relegation series Norra and Södra together with four teams from the second tier league J20 Elit. The top teams of group Norra and Södra qualify for the next J20 SuperElit season, while the other four are demoted to J20 Elit. Theoretically, there is a possibility that two 'new' teams will play in J20 SuperElit at the beginning of each season.

2010–11 season

Norra Team City Arena AIK Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... Ritorps Ishall IF Björklöven IF Björklöven IF Björklöven is a Swedish professional ice hockey club in Umeå, Västerbotten, in northern Sweden... Umeå Umeå - Transport :The road infrastructure in Umeå is well-developed, with two European highways passing through the city. About 4 km from the city centre is the Umeå City Airport... SkyCom Arena SkyCom Arena Umeå Arena, formerly SkyCom Arena is an indoor arena in Umeå, Sweden. Its current capacity is 6,000. The arena was first built in 1963 as Umeå Ishall and rebuilt as Umeå Arena in 2001, which was the name until 2005. On 1 October 2008, the name was reverted to Umeå Arena after a new sponsor deal... Brynäs IF Brynäs IF Brynäs IF is a professional Swedish ice hockey team from Gävle. The club plays in the highest Swedish league , and has done so since 1960.-History:... Gävle Gävle Gävle is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 71,033 inhabitants in 12/31 2010. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland , having received its charter in 1446 from Christopher of Bavaria.-History:It is believed that the name Gävle... Läkerol Arena Läkerol Arena Läkerol Arena, formerly known as Gavlerinken, is an indoor sporting arena located in Gävle, Sweden. The capacity of the arena is 8,265 for ice hockey games and 11,000 for concerts which makes it the 5th largest ice hockey arena in Sweden. The arena is the home arena of the Brynäs IF ice hockey... Djurgårdens IF Djurgårdens IF Hockey Djurgårdens IF Hockey are a professional ice hockey team based in Stockholm, Sweden. They are the ice hockey department of the sports club Djurgårdens IF. The department was formed in 1922 with the help of Wilhelm Arwe and have since then become Sweden's most successful team, having won the Swedish... Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... Hovet Hovet Hovet , formerly known as Johanneshovs Isstadion, is an arena in Stockholm mainly used for ice hockey, concerts and corporate events. It was opened in 1955 as an outdoor arena. A roof was added in 1962, and the arena interior has also been a subject to major renovation in 2002. The arenas main... Leksands IF Leksands IF Leksands Idrottsförening is a Swedish ice hockey team from the town of Leksand in the region of Dalarna. The team is currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan. Leksand has played 53 seasons in the top Swedish league – between 1951 to 2001, 2002 to 2004, and 2005–06... Leksand Leksand Leksand is a locality and the seat of Leksand Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 5,861 inhabitants in 2005.- Sport :Leksand is famous for the Leksands IF ice hockey team. Leksand is also home to the Leksands Baseball and Softball Club, one of the oldest and more successful baseball clubs... Ejendals Arena Ejendals Arena Tegera Arena is an arena in Leksand, Sweden primarily used for ice hockey, and is the home arena of Leksands IF. It opened in 2005 and holds 7,650 people. The arena was host to the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships together with FM Mattsson Arena in Mora. The following season, the 2007 4... Luleå HF Luleå HF Luleå Hockeyförening is an ice hockey club from Luleå, Sweden. Luleå is the most northern club in the league and has played in Elitserien constantly since the 1984-85 season. They have won the Swedish championships once, in 1996... Luleå Luleå - Transportation :Local buses are run by .A passenger train service is available from Luleå Centralstation on Sweden's national SJ railway service northbound to Narvik on the Norwegian coast, or southbound to Stockholm. See Rail transport in Sweden.... Coop Arena Coop Arena Coop Arena is an indoor sporting arena located in Luleå, Sweden. The seating capacity of the arena is 6 200 and it's the home arena of the Luleå HF ice hockey team... Modo Hockey MODO Hockey Modo Hockey is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The club plays in Sweden's premier ice hockey league, the Elitserien. They were founded in 1921 and have won two Elitserien championships; in 1979 and 2007. The team's home arena is the Fjällräven Center since 2006... Örnsköldsvik Örnsköldsvik Örnsköldsvik is a locality and the seat of Örnsköldsvik Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 28,617 inhabitants in 2005.Its natural harbour and archipelago is in the Gulf of Bothnia and the northern boundaries of the High Coast area. It is well known as an exporter of paper products... Swedbank Arena Mora IK Mora IK Mora Ishockeyklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey club from Mora, Sweden. They are currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan... Mora FM Mattsson Arena FM Mattsson Arena FM Mattsson Arena is an indoor sporting arena located in Mora, Sweden. The capacity of the arena is 4,500 and it was built in 1967. It is the home arena of the Mora IK ice hockey team. Together with Ejendals Arena in Leksand, it hosted the 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.-External... Skellefteå AIK Skellefteå AIK Skellefteå AIK Hockey is a Swedish professional ice hockey club from Skellefteå, playing in the Swedish elite league Elitserien.- History :... Skellefteå Skellefteå -Industry:*Boliden AB, a big mining and smelting company*Alimak*Natural User Interface Technologies AB - NUITEQ, a promising emerging technology start-up company-Sports:*Skellefteå AIK, an ice hockey team in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien.... Skellefteå Kraft Arena Skellefteå Kraft Arena Skellefteå Kraft Arena is an indoor sporting arena located in Skellefteå, Sweden. The capacity of the arena is 6,001 and it was built in 1966. It is the home arena of the Skellefteå AIK ice hockey team... Timrå IK Timrå IK Timrå IK is a Swedish ice hockey team from Timrå, who currently plays in the top division, Elitserien. Seasons in the top division include 1956–57 to 1975–76, 1977–78, 1981–82, and 2000–01 until present.-History:... Timrå Timrå Timrå is a locality and the seat of Timrå Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 10,199 inhabitants in 2005.It is located about 13 km north of Sundsvall , and could arguably be considered a satellite to that town.The two closest cities share one airport, Midlanda, that is geographically... E.ON Arena

Södra Team City Arena Frölunda HC Frölunda HC Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the... Gothenburg Gothenburg Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area... Wallenstamhallen Scandinavium Scandinavium Scandinavium is the primary indoor sports and event arena in Gothenburg, Sweden. Construction on Scandinavium began in 1969 after decades of setbacks, the arena was built in time for the 350th year anniversary celebration of the City of Gothenburg and was inaugurated on May 18, 1971.Scandinavium... Huddinge IK Huddinge IK Huddinge IK is a Swedish ice hockey team from Huddinge, a southern suburb of Stockholm. The team is currently playing in the third highest league in Sweden, Division 1... Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... Björkängshallen HV71 HV71 HV71, often referred to as just HV, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Jönköping, playing in the Swedish elite league Elitserien... Jönköping Jönköping -Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian... Kinnarps Arena Kinnarps Arena Kinnarps Arena is an ice hockey venue in Jönköping, Sweden.The arena, which is located in the Rosenlund district of Jönköping, was built between September 1999 and September 2000... IF Troja/Ljungby IF Troja/Ljungby IF Troja/Ljungby is an ice hockey club from Ljungby, Sweden. They are currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan.-External links:*... Ljungby Ljungby, Sweden Ljungby is a locality and the seat of Ljungby Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden, with 14,810 inhabitants in 2005.Ljungby was originally a köping , which did not become a municipality of its own when the first local government acts took effect in 1863, but retained part of the surrounding rural... Sunnerbohovs Ishall Linköpings HC Linköpings HC Linköpings Hockey Club, often known by its acronym LHC or, colloquially among its fans, Cluben, is an ice hockey team from Linköping, Sweden.... Linköping Linköping Linköping is a city in southern middle Sweden, with 104 232 inhabitants in 2010. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality with 146 736 inhabitants and the capital of Östergötland County... Stångebro Ishall Stångebro Ishall Stångebro Ishall is an arena in Linköping, Sweden. It opened in 1975 and after having undergone a series of renovations over the years currently has a capacity of 4,700 people during sport events. It served as home arena for the ice hockey team Linköpings HC until the 2004-05 Elitserien season,... Malmö Redhawks Malmö Redhawks The Malmö Redhawks is an ice hockey club from Malmö, Sweden. The team is currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan. Malmö has played 16 seasons in the top Swedish league Elitserien .-History:... Malmö Malmö Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County... Malmö Isstadion Malmö Isstadion Malmö Isstadion is an indoor sports arena, located in Malmö, Sweden. The capacity of the arena is 5,800 and it was built in 1970.It is the former home arena of the Malmö Redhawks ice hockey team, and was replaced as such by the Malmö Arena, which was inaugurated in November 2008.International... Rögle BK Rögle BK Rögle Bandyklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey club. They currently play in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second highest league in Sweden. The team has previously played four seasons in Elitserien between 1992–93 and 1995–96 and between 2008–09 and 2009–10.... Ängelholm Ängelholm Ängelholm is a locality and the seat of Ängelholm Municipality in Skåne County, Sweden with 22,532 inhabitants in 2005.It is known for its clay cuckoos — a special kind of ocarina. This is however a dying tradition as there is now only one producer of clay cuckoos, Sofia Nilsson.Tourism is an... Lindab Arena Lindab Arena Lindab Arena, is an indoor arena in Ängelholm, Sweden. It replaced the former arena in October 2008 and the capacity is 5,150. It is the home for the Rögle BK ice hockey team.-History:... Södertälje SK Södertälje SK Södertälje Sportklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey club playing in HockeyAllsvenskan. Södertälje were charter members of Elitserien when the league was founded in 1975 and have since played 24 seasons in the league... Södertälje Södertälje Södertälje is a city and the seat of Södertälje Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 86,069 inhabitants in 2010.The industrial city, about south of Stockholm, is the home to truck maker Scania AB and a top 10 pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.... AXA Sports Center Tingsryds AIF Tingsryds AIF Tingsryds AIF, also known as just Tingsryd or TAIF, is an ice hockey club based in Tingsryd, Sweden. The club was founded in 1923. Since the 2010–11 season, Tingsryd is playing in Sweden's second highest division, HockeyAllsvenskan. The club has been quite successful and played in Division I when... Tingsryd Tingsryd Tingsryd is a locality and the seat of Tingsryd Municipality, Kronoberg County, Sweden with 3,023 inhabitants in 2005.-Sister cities: Lindstrom - Minnesota, USA- References :... Dackehallen Dackehallen Nelson Garden Arena is an indoor arena in Tingsryd, Sweden. It was completed in 1969 and has a capacity of 3,400 spectators. Its current name was inaugurated in September 2011.... VIK Västerås HK VIK Västerås HK VIK Västerås HK is an ice hockey club from Västerås, Sweden. The team is currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan. Västerås IK has played 12 seasons in the top Swedish league Elitserien .-History:Västerås IK was founded in 1913 and started playing ice hockey in... Västerås Västerås Västerås is a city in central Sweden, located on the shore of Lake Mälaren in the province Västmanland, some 100 km west of Stockholm... ABB Arena Nord

Season structure

The J20 SuperElit season is divided into a regular season from mid September through the beginning of March, when teams play each other in a predefined schedule, and a playoff

Playoff

The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...

s from March to the beginning of April, which is an elimination tournament where two teams play against each other to win a best-of-three series in order to advance to the next round. The final remaining team is crowned the Swedish Junior Champion, or Svenska juniormästare in Swedish

Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...

.

Regular season

In the regular season, each team plays 41 or 42 games. Points are awarded for each game, where three points are awarded for a win, one point for losing in overtime, two points for winning in overtime, and zero points for a loss in regulation. After 27 games the top four teams from group Norra and Södra advance to the Top 8 group, where each team plays each other twice. The remaining teams from each group play in the continuation series Norra Vår (North Spring) and Södra Vår (South Spring), facing each team three times.

The eight teams from the Top 8 group and the two highest ranked teams by points in the two continuation series qualify for the playoffs. The two lowest ranked teams in the continuation series have to play in the relegation and promotion

Promotion and relegation

In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...

 series in order to qualify for the next season of J20 SuperElit.

Playoffs

The Elitserien Playoffs is an elimination tournament, where two teams battle to win a best-of-three series in order to advance to the next round. The first round of the playoffs are the pre-qualifications for quarterfinals, which consists of the fifth to eight ranked teams in the Top 8 group playing the four teams from the continuation series. In the second round, or quarterfinals, the first to fourth seeded teams from the Top 8 group chooses which of the winning teams from round one to play. In the third round, the semifinals, the teams are re-seeded, with the top remaining seed choose which of the lowest remaining seed to play, and the other two remaining teams pairing off. In the fourth round, the finals, the two remaining teams face each other.

In each round the higher-ranked team is said to be the team with the home-ice advantage. Two of the three games are played at this team's home venue — the second, and, when necessary, the third games — with the first game played at the lower-ranked team's home venue.

Trophies and awards

At the end of the J20 SuperElit playoffs the Swedish Junior Champions are awarded the Anton Cup

Anton Cup

The Anton Cup is the championship trophy of the Swedish junior hockey league, J20 SuperElit. The trophy was donated by Anton Johansson, chairman of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association between 1924–1948, in 1952, as an award for Sweden's top-ranking ice hockey club, decided by a national tournament...

.