National League (ice hockey) facts for kids
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| Formerly | NDA 1938–1999 Nationalliga A 1999–2007 National League A 2007–2017 National League 2017–present |
|---|---|
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 1938 |
| CEO | Denis Vaucher |
| No. of teams | 14 |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Most recent champion(s) |
ZSC Lions (2023–24) |
| Most titles | HC Davos (31 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | MySports SRG |
| Relegation to | Swiss League |
| International cup(s) | Champions Hockey League |
| Related competitions |
Swiss League |
| Official website | National League |
The National League (NL) is the top professional ice hockey league in Switzerland. It's the highest level of ice hockey in the country. Before the 2017–18 season, it was known as National League A.
The NL is very popular! During the 2018–19 season, it had the most fans per game among all European leagues. An average of 6,949 people watched each game. This was more than the KHL and the DEL. The team from the capital city, SC Bern, has been the most popular European club for 18 seasons. They had an average of 16,290 fans per game after the regular season. The ZSC Lions are also very popular, ranking seventh in Europe with 9,694 spectators.
Teams from the NL also play in the IIHF's yearly Champions Hockey League (CHL). This is a competition where teams from different European leagues play for a trophy. How many teams a league can send depends on how strong that league is. For the 2022–23 CHL season, the NL was ranked the second-best league in Europe. This meant its top five teams could compete in the CHL.
Contents
How the Season Works
During the regular season, each of the 14 teams plays 52 games. The top eight teams then move on to the playoffs. In the playoffs, teams play a "best-of-seven" series. This means the first team to win four games moves on. The winner of the playoffs becomes the Swiss champion.
The four teams at the bottom of the standings play in a special tournament called "playouts." In these games, teams keep their points from the regular season. They play six more matches. After these matches, the two lowest-ranked teams play each other in a best-of-seven series. The team that loses this series then plays against the winner of the Swiss League playoffs. The winner of that final series gets to play in the National League the next season.
Teams Playing Now
There are 14 exciting teams in the National League. They come from different cities and regions across Switzerland. Each team has its own home arena where fans gather to cheer them on.
| Team | Location | Arena | Capacity | Founded | Joined league | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City | Canton | |||||
| HC Ajoie | Porrentruy |  Jura |
Raiffeisen Arena | 5,178 | 1973 | 2021 |
| HC Ambrì-Piotta | Ambrì |  Ticino |
Gottardo Arena | 6,775 | 1937 | 1985 |
| SC Bern | Bern |  Bern |
PostFinance Arena | 17,031 | 1931 | 1986 |
| EHC Biel | Biel/Bienne | Bern |
Tissot Arena | 6,562 | 1939 | 2008 |
| HC Davos | Davos |  Grisons |
zondacrypto Arena | 6,547 | 1921 | 1993 |
| Fribourg-Gottéron | Fribourg |  Fribourg |
BCF Arena | 9,262 | 1938 | 1980 |
| Genève-Servette HC | Geneva |  Geneva |
Patinoire des Vernets | 7,135 | 1905 | 2001 |
| EHC Kloten | Kloten |  Zürich |
SWISS Arena | 7,600 | 1934 | 2022 |
| Lausanne HC | Lausanne |  Vaud |
Vaudoise Aréna | 9,600 | 1922 | 2013 |
| HC Lugano | Lugano | Ticino |
Cornèr Arena | 7,800 | 1941 | 1981 |
| SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers | Rapperswil-Jona |  St. Gallen |
St. Galler Kantonalbank Arena | 6,100 | 1945 | 2018 |
| SCL Tigers | Langnau im Emmental | Bern |
Emmental Versicherung Arena | 6,000 | 1946 | 2015 |
| ZSC Lions | Zürich | Zürich |
Swiss Life Arena | 12,000 | 1930 | 1989 |
| EV Zug | Zug |  Zug |
Bossard Arena | 7,800 | 1967 | 1987 |
Players from Other Countries
Teams in the National League can have a maximum of six non-Swiss players in each game. This is not a strict rule, but more like an agreement between the teams. It's because Swiss laws don't allow limiting foreign workers in a business.
Some players might not be Swiss citizens but are still counted as "Swiss players." This happens if they have a special "Swiss player-license." These players often grew up playing hockey in Switzerland. For example, Josh Jooris and Floran Douay play with Swiss player-licenses. They don't count as foreign players. This allows teams to save their "import player" spots for top players from other leagues. These spots are usually for players who have played well in leagues like the NHL or the KHL.
There are often discussions among team owners about how many foreign players should be allowed. Some want more foreign players to help lower the high salaries of Swiss star players. Others want to keep the limit low. They believe this helps more Swiss players get important roles on their teams.
Watching the Games
If you're in Switzerland, you can watch NL games on MySports. This is the official TV channel for the league. MySports shows all regular season and playoff games. They pay a lot of money each year for these rights. You can watch games with commentary in German, French, or Italian.
Since the 2022-23 season, some games are also shown on local TV channels for free. This means more people can watch the games without paying extra. The SRG SSR no longer has the rights to broadcast games as of the 2024-25 season.
Past Champions
Many teams have won the Swiss ice hockey championship over the years. Here are some of the past winners:
- 1938 – HC Davos
- 1939 – HC Davos
- 1940 – no winner
- 1941 – HC Davos
- 1942 – HC Davos
- 1943 – HC Davos
- 1944 – HC Davos
- 1945 – HC Davos
- 1946 – HC Davos
- 1947 – HC Davos
- 1948 – HC Davos
- 1949 – Zürcher SC
- 1950 – HC Davos
- 1951 – EHC Arosa
- 1952 – EHC Arosa
- 1953 – EHC Arosa
- 1954 – EHC Arosa
- 1955 – EHC Arosa
- 1956 – EHC Arosa
- 1957 – EHC Arosa
- 1958 – HC Davos
- 1959 – SC Bern
- 1960 – HC Davos
- 1961 – Zürcher SC
- 1962 – EHC Visp
- 1963 – HC Villars
- 1964 – HC Villars
- 1965 – SC Bern
- 1966 – Grasshopper-Club Zürich
- 1967 – EHC Kloten
- 1968 – HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
- 1969 – HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
- 1970 – HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
- 1971 – HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
- 1972 – HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
- 1973 – HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
- 1974 – SC Bern
- 1975 – SC Bern
- 1976 – SC Langnau
- 1977 – SC Bern
- 1978 – EHC Biel
- 1979 – SC Bern
- 1980 – EHC Arosa
- 1981 – EHC Biel
- 1982 – EHC Arosa
- 1983 – EHC Biel
- 1984 – HC Davos
- 1985 – HC Davos
- 1986 – HC Lugano
- 1987 – HC Lugano
- 1988 – HC Lugano
- 1989 – SC Bern
- 1990 – HC Lugano
- 1991 – SC Bern
- 1992 – SC Bern
- 1993 – EHC Kloten
- 1994 – EHC Kloten
- 1995 – EHC Kloten
- 1996 – EHC Kloten
- 1997 – SC Bern
- 1998 – EV Zug
- 1999 – HC Lugano
- 2000 – ZSC Lions
- 2001 – ZSC Lions
- 2002 – HC Davos
- 2003 – HC Lugano
- 2004 – SC Bern
- 2005 – HC Davos
- 2006 – HC Lugano
- 2007 – HC Davos
- 2008 – ZSC Lions
- 2009 – HC Davos
- 2010 – SC Bern
- 2011 – HC Davos
- 2012 – ZSC Lions
- 2013 – SC Bern
- 2014 – ZSC Lions
- 2015 – HC Davos
- 2016 – SC Bern
- 2017 – SC Bern
- 2018 – ZSC Lions
- 2019 – SC Bern
- 2020 – no winner
- 2021 – EV Zug
- 2022 – EV Zug
- 2023 – Genève-Servette HC
- 2024 – ZSC Lions
- 2025 – ZSC Lions
Most Wins by Club
Some clubs have won the championship many times. HC Davos has won the most titles, with 31 wins! SC Bern is also very successful with 16 wins.
| Club | Winners | Winning years |
|---|---|---|
| HC Davos | 31 | 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1958, 1960, 1984, 1985, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015 |
| SC Bern | 16 | 1959, 1965, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019 |
| ZSC | 11 | 1936, 1949, 1961, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2024, 2025 |
| EHC Arosa | 9 | 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1980, 1982 |
| HC Lugano | 7 | 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2006 |
| HC La Chaux-de-Fonds | 6 | 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 |
| EHC Kloten | 5 | 1967, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 |
| HC Bellerive Vevey | 3 | 1909, 1919, 1920 |
| HC Bern | 3 | 1916, 1917, 1918 |
| EHC St. Moritz | 3 | 1922, 1923, 1928 |
| EHC Biel | 3 | 1978, 1981, 1983 |
| EV Zug | 3 | 1998, 2021, 2022 |
| HC Les Avants | 2 | 1912, 1913 |
| HC Rosey-Gstaad | 2 | 1921, 1925 |
| HC Villars | 2 | 1963, 1964 |
| HC La Villa Lausanne | 1 | 1910 |
| Club des patineurs de Lausanne | 1 | 1911 |
| HC Château-d’Œx | 1 | 1924 |
| EHC Visp | 1 | 1962 |
| Grasshopper-Club Zürich | 1 | 1966 |
| SC Langnau | 1 | 1976 |
| Genève-Servette HC | 1 | 2023 |
More About Swiss Hockey
- Swiss League
- PostFinance Top Scorer
See also
In Spanish: National League (Suiza) para niños
