Formerly | Division I (1944–2014) Division 1 (1999–2014) |
---|---|
Sport | Ice hockey |
Founded | 1944 |
No. of teams | 40 in 4 groups |
Country | Sweden |
Promotion to | HockeyAllsvenskan |
Relegation to | Hockeytvåan |
Official website | hockeyettan.com |
Hockeyettan is the third tier of ice hockey in Sweden. As of the 2015–16 season, the league consists of 39 teams divided geographically into four groups. Hockeyettan operates a system of promotion and relegation with HockeyAllsvenskan and Division 2.
From 1944 to 1975, Division I was the highest league in the Swedish ice hockey system, but with the creation of Elitserien (now the SHL) in 1975, it became the second tier. Division I was further relegated to third-tier status in 1999 as HockeyAllsvenskan was spun off into a standalone league, but was frequently written as "Division 1" on the Internet, as it was pronounced "Division One". The league was renamed Hockeyettan for the 2014–15 season.
Hockeyettan is the lowest tier to be organized by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association; all men's tiers below Hockeyettan are organized regionally.