Vysshaya Liga (RUS-2)

Four new clubs join VHL

The 2024-2025 edition of Russian 2nd Division (VHL) will count with a record of 33 clubs.
Four new clubs enter in the league: Magnitka Magnitogorsk, Olimpia Kirovo-Chepetsk, Torpedo-Gorky Nizhny Novgorod and Yunison Moscow.

The 2024-2025 season will begin on September 1 and will last until May 31

(18 May 2024)

Turkey plans to enter clubs in the KHL, VHL and MHL

The Turkish Hockey Federation plans to enter clubs into the KHL, VHL and MHL.

- Yes, we have such plans, because we need to fill our arenas. Over the past 20 years, more than 25 new arenas have been built in Turkey where hockey can be developed, and we are actively moving in this direction - said Halit Albayrak, President of the Turkish Hockey Federation.

On May 9, the Russian Hockey Federation and the Turkish Hockey Federation signed a memorandum of cooperation.

- For us, this signing is a paramount, big step. We believe that it will make our relations warm, brotherly and will bring a lot of good things to the relations between our peoples -  said Halit Albayrak.

(10 May 2024)

New club in Norlisk next season?

Accordeing to Russian media, a VHL club may appear in Norilsk next season. Previously, teams from this city played in the lower divisions of the championships of the USSR and Russia until 2001. Norilsk is located 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle.

(12 Jan 2023)

Buran withdraw from Dizel Cup and tournament was stopped and cancelled

Hockey team Buran announced that was forced to withdraw from the Dizel Cup tournament held in Penza.

Due to the fact that the team went to this competition in a truncated composition, and due to the numerous injuries to the players received in the matches held at the tournament, today the team does not have enough minimum number of hockey players to apply for the match.

Dizel Penza decided to end the tournament ahead of schedule.

(19 Aug 2020)

Torpedo-Gorky leaves VHL

Hockey club Torpedo-Gorky Nizhny Novgorod made a decision not taking part in the VHL season 2020-2021 due to the difficult financial situation in the club caused by significant unplanned spending on the fight against coronavirus infection.

(15 Aug 2020)

Pavel Kruty passed away

Forward Pavel Kruty died in Orsk today, as reported by the VHL official website. He was 23 years old.

In the morning, Pavel Kruty, who was at the training camp of the Yuzhny Ural Orsk, felt unwell. He was given first aid by the club doctor. The player was taken by an ambulance to the intensive care unit, where he died. A preliminary diagnosis is pulmonary embolism.

Last season Pavel Kruty played for Saryarka Karaganda and recently moved to Yuzhny Ural Orsk. He played also for KRS Heilongjiang and Amur Tigers Khabarovsk, In 1997 was named to MHL All-Star Game

(10 Jul 2020)

Chinese clubs won’t compete in VHL anymore

According to Sport-Express portal, all the three Chinese clubs competing in VHL - Tseng Tau Jilin City, KRS Beijing and ORGZHI Beijing - won't compete in the next season. At the moment only ORGZHI, the Kunlun Red Star farm club, confirmed the withdrawal and rumours are it could move somewhere to Russia. No specific reason was cited, but the possible cause is the planned debut of the Chinese championship or the Covid-19 outbreak which has made travel between nations difficult.
Previously also the Uzbek club Humo Tashkent announced the withdrawal from the league

(27 Apr 2020)

Two more teams accepted in VHL

After the inclusion of four new teams at the beginning of June - Dynamo Tver, Torpedo-Gorky Nizhny Novgorod, Nomad Nur-Sultan (KAZ) and Humo Tashkent (UZB) - VHL announced the addition of two more clubs for the upcoming season: HC Rostov, competing since 2013 in VHL-B, the Russian third division, and Shougang Beijing, a new club acting as Red Star Kunlun farm club. With a record of 34 teams, VHL will be organized into 2 conferences and 4 divisions

(16 Jul 2019)

Alexander Titov disqualified for 4 years

Russian defender Alexander Titov, 28,  was suspended for four years for violating anti-doping rules, as reported by the official website of Russian Anti Doping Agency RUSADA.
Titov lastly played for Dizel Penza in 2017-2018 season.

(09 Jul 2019)

Sary Arka wins VHL title

Sary Arka beat Rubin Tyumen 4-1 in today's VHL final to win the series 4-1.
The club from Kazakhstan was also VHL champion 2014.

(24 Apr 2019)