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Mestis (from , meaning 'Championship series', stylized as MEST1S) is the second-highest men's
* Jää-Kotkat, relegated to the Suomi-sarja in 2003.
* Hyvinkään Ahmat, relegated to the Suomi-sarja in 2004.
* KalPa, promoted to the SM-liiga in 2005.
* Haukat, resigned in 2006.
* HC Salamat, relegated to the Suomi-sarja in 2008.
* Kotkan Titaanit relegated to the Suomi-sarja in 2009.
* Kiekko-Laser went bankrupt in 2011.
* Vaasan Sport, promoted to the SM-liiga in 2014.
* HC Keski-Uusimaa was abandoned serial place in 2014.
* KooKoo, promoted to the SM-liiga in 2015.
* Jukurit, promoted to the SM-liiga in 2016.
* JYP-Akatemia, relegated to the Suomi-sarja and folded in 2017.
* Espoo United, went bankrupt in 2018.
* LeKi, did not receive a license in 2019.
* SaPKo, went bankrupt in 2022.
* HK Zemgale/LBTU, will not play in Mestis for the season 2023-24.
* Peliitat, went bankrupt in 2023 and did not receive a license to Mestis
* FPS, relegated to the Suomi-sarja in 2024.
* Kiekko-Espoo, promoted to the SM-liiga in 2024.
* KOOVEE, went bankrupt in 2024.
* Hokki, went bankrupt in 2025.
Official website
(in Finnish) {{Mestis Professional ice hockey leagues in Finland Fin
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 Finland
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
. The league was established by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
to replace the I-divisioona ('First Division').
Being promoted to SM-liiga is possible if a Mestis team beats a SM-liiga club in the qualification series and matches all the criteria set by the SM-liiga. Mestis, however, is an open league where relegation and promotion are possible with the 3rd league, Suomi-sarja.
Mestis is also the highest league governed by the FIHA.
History
In the years 2000–2008, it was not practically possible for Mestis teams to get promoted to the SM-liiga, which was closed in 2000, but it was possible to drop down to the Suomi-sarja instead. However, KalPa was promoted to the SM-liiga in the spring of 2005, when the number of teams in the league was increased from 13 to 14 teams. For the 2008–2009 season, the SM-liiga qualifiers were brought back for a few seasons, but in the 2013–2014 season, the qualifiers were removed again. After the elimination of the qualifiers,Sport
Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...
, KooKoo and Jukurit have been promoted to the SM-liiga through the license system. The promotion and relegation between the SM-liiga was brought back for the 2024–25 season.
Mestis got a new team, HK Zemgale/LLU, from Latvia for the 2022–23 season. HK Zemgale had never played in a Finnish league before and was added to Mestis to bring more entertainment and internationalization to Finnish ice hockey.
According to Mestis themselves, they are talking with other international clubs about joining the Mestis league.Clubs
The team names are usually the traditional name of the club. All clubs are commonly known by the name of their team. ''Oy'' and ''Ab'' are the abbreviations forlimited company
In a limited company, the Legal liability, liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a c ...
in Finnish and Swedish respectively.
Past participants
* Jää-Kotkat, relegated to the Suomi-sarja in 2003.
* Hyvinkään Ahmat, relegated to the Suomi-sarja in 2004.
* KalPa, promoted to the SM-liiga in 2005.
* Haukat, resigned in 2006.
* HC Salamat, relegated to the Suomi-sarja in 2008.
* Kotkan Titaanit relegated to the Suomi-sarja in 2009.
* Kiekko-Laser went bankrupt in 2011.
* Vaasan Sport, promoted to the SM-liiga in 2014.
* HC Keski-Uusimaa was abandoned serial place in 2014.
* KooKoo, promoted to the SM-liiga in 2015.
* Jukurit, promoted to the SM-liiga in 2016.
* JYP-Akatemia, relegated to the Suomi-sarja and folded in 2017.
* Espoo United, went bankrupt in 2018.
* LeKi, did not receive a license in 2019.
* SaPKo, went bankrupt in 2022.
* HK Zemgale/LBTU, will not play in Mestis for the season 2023-24.
* Peliitat, went bankrupt in 2023 and did not receive a license to Mestis
* FPS, relegated to the Suomi-sarja in 2024.
* Kiekko-Espoo, promoted to the SM-liiga in 2024.
* KOOVEE, went bankrupt in 2024.
* Hokki, went bankrupt in 2025.
Mestis timeline
Winners
Medal table:References
External links
Official website
(in Finnish) {{Mestis Professional ice hockey leagues in Finland Fin