Naisten Mestis (; from ''Mestaruussarja'' meaning 'Championship series') is the second-highest women's

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

league in Finland. The league was founded as Naisten I-divisioona (Women's First Division) in 1985 by the

Finnish Ice Hockey Association The Finnish Ice Hockey Association ( fi, Suomen Jääkiekkoliitto, sv, Finlands Ishockeyförbund) is the governing body of ice hockey in Finland. In 1927, the Finnish Skating Association introduced ice hockey as part of its program and, through ...

when the number of teams playing in the Naisten SM-sarja (now 'Naisten Liiga') was limited. It was renamed Naisten Mestis prior to the 2012-13 season.

Series format

The Mestis season format has changed many times since the founding of the league in 1985. The current format was introduced for the 2019–20 season. Qualifiers With the exception of the Naisten SM-liiga teams, all club representative teams start the season in the Mestis Qualifiers (). Each team is grouped into a division () of five to eight teams; the number of divisions is determined by the total number of teams competing and each division is loosely defined by geographic location, with proximate teams being grouped. Each team plays a total of fifteen or sixteen matches within their division. The points earned in the games determine the team's ranking within their division; victories earn three points, overtime victories earn two points, and overtime losses earn one point. Teams that rank forth or lower in each division at the end of the qualifiers do not qualify to play in the Mestis and continue the season in the Naisten Suomi-sarja. The qualifying round runs from the beginning of the season in September to late November or early December. Cross qualifiers The team with the highest point total from each division of the qualifiers moves on the cross qualifying round (). If there are an odd number of divisions, the team with the highest point total of all remaining teams also moves on. The cross qualifiers are a

round-robin tournament A round-robin tournament (or all-go-away-tournament) is a competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero ...

, each team faces all other participating teams once. The two teams earning the highest point totals at the end of the tournament continue their seasons in the Lower Division () of the ''Naisten Liiga'' and have the opportunity to gain promotion to the ''Naisten Liiga'' for the following season. The teams ranked third and lower in the cross qualifiers continue the season in the Naisten Mestis regular season. The cross qualifying round is played in late November and/or early December. Regular season The teams ranked third and lower in the cross qualifiers and the teams that finished second or third in each division of the qualifiers fill the ranks of the Mestis regular season. If the number of divisions is odd, the third ranked team from the qualifiers with smallest point total does not qualify and moves to the Naisten Suomi-sarja so that an even number of teams is maintained in the Mestis. Each team in the regular season plays an equal number of games against each of the other teams. The regular season runs from January to March.

Teams participating in the 2022–2023 season

Qualifiers

''Teams listed by ranking at the conclusion of the qualifiers.'' Lohko 1 # Saimaan Pallo (SaiPa),

Lappeenranta Lappeenranta (; sv, Villmanstrand) is a city and municipality in the region of South Karelia, about from the Russian border and from the town of Vyborg (''Viipuri''). It is situated on the shore of the Lake Saimaa in southeastern Finland, and ...

# Kiekko-Espoo Akatemia (K-Espoo Ak),

Espoo Espoo (, ; sv, Esbo) is a city and municipality in the region of Uusimaa in the Republic of Finland. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, bordering the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, Kirkkonummi, Vihti and Nurmijärvi ...

# KJT Haukat,

Tuusula Tuusula (; sv, Tusby ) is a municipality of Finland. It belongs to the Helsinki sub-region of the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of () and is by far the third largest municipality in Finland after Nurmijärvi and Kirkkonummi t ...

Pelicans Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...

# HIFK U18,

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Lohko 2 # HIFK Akatemia (HIFK Ak), Helsinki # HPK Akatemia,

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; sv, Tavastehus; krl, Hämienlinna; la, Tavastum or ''Croneburgum'') is a city and municipality of about inhabitants in the heart of the historical province of Tavastia and the modern province of Kanta-Häme in the south of F ...

# TPS Akatemia,

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

# Panelian Raikas (PaRa),

Eura Eura is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Satakunta region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The municipal ...

Salo HT Salo or Salò may refer to: Places Finland *Salo, Finland, a town in Western Finland **Salo sub-region, a subdivision of Finland Proper and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009 *An old name of Saloinen, a former municipality in Ostroboth ...

Salo Salo or Salò may refer to: Places Finland *Salo, Finland, a town in Western Finland **Salo sub-region, a subdivision of Finland Proper and one of the Sub-regions of Finland since 2009 *An old name of Saloinen, a former municipality in Ostroboth ...

Turku HC Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; 1 ...

, Turku Lohko 3 #

Alavuden Peli-Veikot Alavuden Peli-Veikot ry or APV is a sports club in Alavus, Finland. APV was founded in 1953 as a speciality football club – tradition holds that it was the first specialty football club to be founded in rural Finland – but expanded to inclu ...

(APV),

Alavus Alavus ( sv, Alavo) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Southern Ostrobothnia region, southeast of Seinäjoki, north of Tampere and north of Helsinki. The town has a populat ...

# KalPa Akatemia (KalPa Ak),

Kuopio Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia. It has a population of , which makes it the most populous municipality in Finland. Along with Joensuu, Kuopio is one of the major urban, economic, and cult ...

# Kärpät Akatemia (Kärpät Ak),

Oulu Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...

# Kiilat,

Haapajärvi Haapajärvi is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Oulu and is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . Neig ...

# Jyvässeudun Kiekko (JyKi),

Jyväskylä Jyväskylä () is a city and municipality in Finland in the western part of the Finnish Lakeland. It is located about 150 km north-east from Tampere, the third largest city in Finland; and about 270 km north from Helsinki, the capital of ...

# S-Kiekko,

Seinäjoki Seinäjoki (; "Wall River"; la, Wegelia, formerly sv, Östermyra) is a city located in South Ostrobothnia, Finland; east of Vaasa, north of Tampere, west of Jyväskylä and southwest of Oulu. Seinäjoki originated around the Östermyra bru ...

# LL-89 Red Lights,

Lapinlahti Lapinlahti (; sv, Lapinlahti, also ) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Northern Savonia region, located north of the city of Kuopio. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The populatio ...

Regular season

The top two teams from each group proceeded directly to the Naisten Mestis regular season, while the teams that finished third in each group – KJT Haukat, TPS Akatemia, and Kärpät Akatemia – played a single round-robin cross-qualification () to determine the final two teams that would participate in the regular season. TPS Akatemia and all teams ranked fourth and lower in the qualifiers went on to populate the Naisten Suomi-sarja regular season.

Teams in previous seasons

The teams that qualified for the Naisten Mestis regular season, listed by overall rank at the end of the regular season. ;2017–18 1. TPS
2. Sport
3. JYP
4. RoKi
5. Hermes
6. Red Wings
7. KalPa Ak
8. Puhti ;2018–19 1. HIFK
2. RoKi
3. Hermes
4. APV
5. JYP
6. Kärpät Ak ;2019–20 1. JYP
2. Kärpät Ak
3. KJT Haukat
4. HIFK AK
5. SaiPa
6. YJK ;2020–21 1. Kärpät Ak
2. APV
3. PaRa
4. KOOVEE
–. HIFK Ak
–. K-Espoo Ak ;2021–22 1. HIFK Ak
2. K-Espoo Ak
3. Kärpät Ak
4. JYP
5. HPK Akatemia
6. KJT Haukat

Series champions

The manner in which the Mestis Championship is won has changed many times since the founding of the league in 1985. It has, for example, been awarded to the most successful team in the regular season, the winner of Mestis playoffs (which have repeatedly changed format or not been held), or to the team able to win promotion through the Naisten Liiga qualification/relegation series. The winner of the Naisten Mestis has not been historically guaranteed a place in the Naisten Liiga for the following season. * 1986: Shakers,

Kerava Kerava (; sv, Kervo) is a town and municipality within the Uusimaa region of Finland. The municipalities of Vantaa, Sipoo and Tuusula are adjacent to Kerava, which is part of the Helsinki metropolitan area. The town has a population of () an ...

* 1987: Tiikerit,

* 1988: Ilves-Kiekko,

Tampere Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...

* 1989: Tiikerit, Hämeenlinna * 1990: Espoon Kiekkoseura (EKS),

* 1991: Ketterä,

Imatra Imatra is a town and municipality in southeastern Finland. Imatra is dominated by Lake Saimaa, the Vuoksi River and the border with Russia. On the other side of the border, away from the centre of Imatra, lies the Russian town of Svetogorsk. ...

... * 2001:

Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho (HPK) is a professional ice hockey team in the Liiga, the top men's ice hockey league in Finland. Their home ice is the Ritari-areena in Hämeenlinna. HPK was established in 1929. The parent club of the team is HPK Ed ...

* 2002:

Turun Palloseura Turun Palloseura, commonly known as TPS, is a professional football club based in Turku, Finland. During the 2022 season, the men's first team of the club competes in Ykkönen, the second highest tier of men's football, and the women's repr ...

(TPS),

* 2003: Turun Palloseura (TPS), Turku * 2004: Lohjan Kisa-Veikot (LoKV),

Lohja Lohja (; sv, Lojo) is a city and municipality in the Uusimaa region of Finland. The city has a population of 47,518 (2017), and it covers an area of of which , or 8.3 percent, is water. The population density of Lohja is . The municipality is ...

* 2005: Turun Palloseura (TPS), Turku * 2006: Etelä-Vantaan Urheilijat (EVU),

Vantaa Vantaa (; sv, Vanda, ) is a city and Municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is part of the inner core of the Greater Helsinki, Finnish Capital Region along with Helsinki, Espoo, and Kauniainen. With a population of (), Vantaa i ...

* 2007:

(APV),

Kuortane Kuortane is a municipality of Finland. It is located in the South Ostrobothnia region. The municipality has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . The neighboring municipalities of Kuortane are Al ...

* 2008: Salo Hockey Team (Salo HT),

* 2009: Alavuden Peli-Veikot (APV), Kuortane * 2010:

Kalevan Pallo Kalevan Pallo (KalPa) is a professional ice hockey team which competes in the Finnish Liiga. They play in Kuopio, Finland at the Olvi Areena. Team history Established in 1929 as ''Sortavalan Palloseura'' in Sortavala, the club relocated to Ku ...

(KalPa),

* 2011: Itä-Helsingin Kiekko (IHT),

* 2012: Keski-Uudenmaan Juniorikiekkoilun Tuki (KJT),

* 2013: Keski-Uudenmaan Juniorikiekkoilun Tuki (KJT), Kerava * 2014:

Rovaniemen Kiekko RoKi is a Finnish ice hockey team based at Lappi Areena (capacity 3,500), Rovaniemi. Established in 1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of ...

(RoKi),

Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; sme, Roavvenjárga ; smn, Ruávinjargâ; sms, Ruäʹvnjargg) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is the administrative capital and commercial centre of Finland's northernmost province, Lapland, and its southern part Per� ...

* 2015: Lapinlahden Luistin -89 Red Lights (LL-89),

Champions, 2016–present

References

Content in this article is translated from the existing

Finnish Wikipedia The Finnish Wikipedia ( fi, Suomenkielinen Wikipedia) is the edition of Wikipedia in the Finnish language. By article count, it is the largest Wikipedia with about articles as of . Wikipedia is the only encyclopedia in Finnish which is still up ...

article at :fi:Naisten Mestis; see its history for attribution.

External links

* League information and statistics fro
Eliteprospects.com
an

{{Naisten Liiga, state=collapsed 1985 establishments in Finland Ice hockey leagues in Finland Second tier ice hockey leagues in Europe Sports leagues established in 1985 Women's ice hockey leagues in Europe Women's sports leagues in Finland