The Belarusian Extraleague, abbreviated BHL, also known as the BETERA Extraleague for sponsorship reasons, or known as the Belarusian Open Championship, (), officially formed in 2006, is the top
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
league in
Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
. In its past, it has switched several times between being and not being an open league (in reference to allowing foreign teams), but for the 2008–2009 season, the
Belarusian Ice Hockey Association decided to open the Belarusian Extraleague, the
Belarusian Premier League
The Belarusian Premier League (, ''Vyšejšaja Liha'' or ''Vysheyshaya Liga''; ; "Top League"), also called the BETERA Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Belarus and the highest level of the B ...
and the Belarusian junior leagues.
Before the season 2018-2019 the Belarusian Extraleague was divided in two leagues: Extraleague A with 8 teams and Extraleague B with 9 teams. For the 2021-2022 season, this division into Extraleague A and Extraleague B was canceled, with 12 teams taking part in the single championship.
The Extraleague championships for the
2016-2017 season and
2017-2018 season were won by
HC Neman Grodno
The 2019/2020 Belarusian ice hockey championship was the only championship in the world that was not interrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Teams from the BHL can participate in the
IIHF
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; ; ) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 84 member countries.
The IIHF maintains the IIHF World Ranking based on international ice hockey tourn ...
's annual
Champions Hockey League
The Champions Hockey League is a European first-level ice hockey tournament. Launched in the 2014–15 season by 26 clubs, 6 leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the tournament features top teams across Europe.
Backgrou ...
(CHL), competing for the European Trophy. Participation is based on the strength of the various leagues in Europe (excluding the European/Asian
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs.
It was considered in ...
). Going into the
2022–23 CHL season, the BHL was
ranked the No. 7 league in Europe, allowing them to send their top team to compete in the CHL.
Current teams
2024–25 season
Former teams
Champions by season
Extraleague/Extraleague A
*
1992–93:
Tivali Minsk
*
1993–94:
Tivali Minsk
*
1994–95:
Tivali Minsk
*
1995–96:
Polimir Novopolotsk
*
1996–97:
Polimir Novopolotsk
*
1997–98:
Neman Grodno
*
1998–99:
Neman Grodno
*
1999–2000:
Tivali Minsk
*
2000–01:
Neman Grodno
*
2001–02:
Keramin Minsk
*
2002–03:
HK Gomel
*
2003–04:
Yunost Minsk
*
2004–05:
Yunost Minsk
*
2005–06:
Yunost Minsk
*
2006–07:
Dinamo Minsk
*
2007–08:
Keramin Minsk
*
2008–09:
Yunost Minsk
*
2009–10:
Yunost Minsk
*
2010–11
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
:
Yunost Minsk
*
2011–12:
Metallurg Zhlobin
*
2012–13:
Neman Grodno
*
2013–14:
Neman Grodno
*
2014–15:
HC Shakhtyor Soligorsk
*
2015–16:
Yunost Minsk
*
2016–17:
Neman Grodno
*
2017–18:
Neman Grodno
*
2018–19:
Yunost Minsk
*
2019–20:
Yunost Minsk
*
2020–21:
Yunost Minsk
*
2021–22:
Metallurg Zhlobin
*
2022–23:
Metallurg Zhlobin
*
2023–24:
Metallurg Zhlobin
Extraleague B
*
2018–19:
HK Lokomotiv Orsha
*
2019–20:
HK Lokomotiv Orsha
*
2020–21:
Khimik Novopolotsk
Titles by team
Extraleague/Extraleague A
Extraleague B
References
External links
Official websiteBelarusian Extraleagueat hockey.by
Belarusian hockey websiteBelarus hockey archive website
{{Ice Hockey Leagues
Top-tier ice hockey leagues in Europe
Professional ice hockey leagues in Belarus