Kvalserien (HockeyAllsvenskan)
Current season, competition or edition: 2014 HockeyAllsvenskan Kvalserien | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2001 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country | Sweden |
| Most recent champion(s) | HC Vita Hästen, IF Björklöven |
| Promotion to | HockeyAllsvenskan |
| Relegation to | Hockeyettan |
| Official website | Kvalserien @ HockeyAllsvenskan.se |
Kvalserien, also known as Kvalserien till HockeyAllsvenskan, is the name of the Swedish round-robin ice hockey tournament to qualify for play in the next season of HockeyAllsvenskan (formerly named Allsvenskan), Sweden's second highest ice hockey league for men.
Teams
Kvalserien is formed after the regular seasons of HockeyAllsvenskan and Hockeyettan (formerly named Division 1) are played. Prior to 2006, the two worst ranked teams in Allsvenskan Södra Vår and Allsvenskan Norra Vår, and the two best ranked teams in each Division 1 series, formed the leagues (one qualification league for the southern Allvenskan, and another for the northern Allsvenskan). However, since 2006, the two worst ranked teams in HockeyAllsvenskan, and the four winning teams in the Division 1 playoffs, form the league. The six teams play each other twice, once at home and once on the road, for a total of 10 games per team and a total of 30 games. The teams finishing first and second are promoted to HockeyAllsvenskan the next season, while the other four teams play in Division 1 the following season.
The exemption was the 2009 HockeyAllsvenskan Kvalserien, when the teams ranked 14th and 15th in HockeyAllsvenskan, and the four winning teams in the Division 1 playoffs, formed the league. The worst ranked team in HockeyAllsvenskan was automatically relegated to Division 1, and only the best team in the 2009 HockeyAllsvenskan Kvalserien was promoted to HockeyAllsvenskan, to allow a change in HockeyAllsvenskan from 16 to 14 teams.
Although Allsvenskan (currently named HockeyAllsvenskan) was formed in the 1999–2000 season, no Kvalserien was played in 2000; instead, the four worst teams in Allsvenskan were relegated to Division 1 while the four best teams in Division 1 were promoted to Allsvenskan.
Previous winners
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Previous seasons
2001 season
Halmstad Hammers HC, HC Örebro 90, Huddinge IK, and Almtuna IS were promoted to Allsvenskan. IFK Kumla, IF Mölndal Hockey, Tierps HK, and IF Vallentuna BK were relegated to Division 1.
2013 season
IF Björklöven returned to HockeyAllsvenskan after a three-year absence, and Karlskrona HK remained in the second-tier league for the 2013–14 season. Tingsryds AIF were relegated to Division 1.