The Players’ Association wants to participate in deciding on the series systems of Finnish top hockey.
The SM League announced on October 12 that from spring 2025 onwards, annual qualifiers will be held between the team that finished last in the League and the winner of Mestis.
In addition, the rising team must meet the League’s license conditions and redeem the league share at a price of 3.6–3.8 million euros. The number of teams in the league was limited to a maximum of 16.
According to information from Iltalehti, the Finnish Ice Hockey Players Association (SJRY) wants to establish a tripartite working group with the League and the Jääkiekkoliitto, where changes to the league system will be prepared.
The goal of the players’ association is to create two professional leagues in Finland, because the current Mest cannot be called such.
In practice, this would correspond to the “A and B league” presented by many experts in public, or at least a model where professional players would have more jobs than currently.
This could already be achieved with, for example, 10+10 team series, but the association is reportedly not taking a position at this stage on the exact number of teams or the exact schedule of the change.
However, according to Iltalehti’s information, SJRY is ready to examine the legality of the current series system at the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (KKV).
Victory in KKV
The players want to participate in decision-making about the future of the League through their association. An illustration of Tampere’s local match. Mika Kylmäniemi / AOP
The last time SJRY made a request for action to KKV was in the spring of 2017 in the matter concerning Jokerien’s KHL players.
At that time, according to the League’s decision, those players who had a contract with the Jokers at the start of the season could not sign a contract with the SM league club during the season.
Ilves published in December 2016 Michael Keränen the player contract he signed with, as a result of which the SM league board would fine Ilves 100,000 euros.
In the fall of 2019, KKV made the decision that SJRY had hoped for.
With that, the League canceled the contract between the league clubs, which had prohibited the clubs from hiring players who left the Jokers during the season. The decision also imposed a fine of 75,000 euros.