From the league's inception in 2008 until 2010 there were always team changes in the Kontinental Hockey League between seasons as some new teams joined the league while others left it. There is no promotion/relegation system with the VHL in place like there was with the Superleague and Vysshaya Liga. The number of teams in the league stayed at 24 throughout the first two seasons. In the third season the number of teams was reduced to 23 because Budivelnyk, a team that planned to join the league, dropped out before the start of the season.[1] Initially, Lev Poprad replaced Budivelnyk to retain the number of teams at 24.[2] However, Lev was excluded by the KHL before the start of that season,[3] but would be accepted into the league for 2011–12. The league plans to expand this number for future seasons.
The inaugural season of KHL included all 20 teams of the 2007–08 Russian Superleague. Non–Russian teams Barys Astana, Dinamo Riga and Dinamo Minsk also joined the newly formed league. Likewise, the recreated team of Khimik Voskresensk, the champion of the 2007–08 season of the Major League, joined. Thus the initial number of teams was 24.
Season | Teams left the league | Fate of the team | Teams joined the league | Where from | Number of teams in the league | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2008–09 | inaugural season of competition | 24 | ||||
2009–10 | Khimik | Joined VHL | Avtomobilist | VHL | 24 | |
2010–11 | Lada | Joined VHL | UHC Dynamo | Newly created team by merger of Dynamo and MVD | 23 | |
Dynamo | Merged with MVD to form UHC Dynamo | Yugra | VHL | |||
MVD | Merged with Dynamo to form UHC Dynamo | |||||
2011–12 | Lokomotiv | Scratched from season due to plane tragedy | Lev | Newly created team | 23 |
Season | Divisions | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bobrov | Tarasov | Kharlamov | Chernyshev | |||||||
Joined division | Left division | Joined division | Left division | Joined division | Left division | Joined division | Left division | |||
2008–09 (initial composition) |
Atlant Dinamo Mn Metallurg Nk Salavat Yulaev Severstal Spartak |
CSKA Khimik Metallurg Mg HC MVD SKA Traktor |
Amur Avangard Dinamo R Lada Lokomotiv Sibir |
Ak Bars Barys Dynamo M Neftekhimik Torpedo Vityaz |
||||||
2009–10 (geographical realignment) |
CSKA Dynamo M Dinamo R SKA |
Atlant Metallurg Nk Salavat Yulaev Severstal |
Atlant Lokomotiv Severstal Torpedo Vityaz |
CSKA Khimik Metallurg Mg SKA Traktor |
Ak Bars Avtomobilist Metallurg Mg Neftekhimik Traktor |
Amur Avangard Dinamo R Lokomotiv Sibir |
Amur Avangard Metallurg Nk Salavat Yulaev Sibir |
Ak Bars Dynamo M Neftekhimik Torpedo Vityaz |
||
2010–11 | UHC Dynamo | Dynamo M Dinamo Mn |
Dinamo Mn | HC MVD | Yugra | Lada | ||||
2011–12 | Lev | Lokomotiv |
|