Swedish Hockey League

The Swedish Hockey League (SHL; Swedish: Svenska Hockeyligan) is a professional hockey league in Sweden and the highest level of the . The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, and while have been crowned through various formats since 1922, the title and the Le Mat Trophy have been awarded to the winner of the SHL playoffs since the league's inaugural 1975–76 season.

The league was founded in 1975 as the Elitserien (known in English as the Swedish Elite League or SEL), and initially featured 10 teams, though this was expanded to 12 for the 1987–88 season. The league was renamed the SHL in 2013, and in 2014, a number of format changes were announced, including an expansion to 14 teams to be finalized prior to the 2015–16 season, and a new format for promotion from and relegation to HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier league.

Teams from the SHL participate in the IIHF's annual Champions Hockey League (CHL), competing for the European Trophy. Participation is based on the strength of the various leagues in Europe, which excludes the European/Asian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Going into the 2022–23 CHL season, the SHL was ranked the No. 1 league in Europe, allowing them to send their top five teams to compete in the CHL.

In 2025, for the 13th consecutive year, The Hockey Writers ranked the SHL the third strongest professional hockey league in the world, behind the second ranked KHL and the top ranked National Hockey League (NHL).