The 2023–24 Liiga season was the 49th season of the Liiga, the top level of ice hockey in Finland, since its formation in 1975.
Format The regular season started on Tuesday, 12 September 2023, with a match between Rauman Lukko and Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho in Rauma. The match was the only one of the day. As in previous seasons, 450 matches will be played in the regular season, 60 for each team. There are 25 full rounds of seven matches played, 16 of which are on Saturdays. A little more than half of the regular season, 262 matches, are played on Fridays and Saturdays. Most weekday games are played on Wednesdays (98). There were a total of 106 game days in the regular season, i.e. eight less than in the previous season.
As usual, the series is on break in November for a week and a half while the national teams play in the Euro Hockey Tour. The Christmas break lasts 5–7 days, depending on the team, with the exception of KalPa, which participates on the 26th–31st of December in the Spengler Cup in Switzerland. For other teams, the Christmas break ends on Saint Stephen's day, 26 December. The regular season ends on Tuesday, 12 March 2024.
Teams
TeamCityHead coachArenaCapacityCaptainHIFKHelsinkiVille PeltonenHelsingin jäähalliJori LehteräHPKHämeenlinnaMaso LehtonenPohjantähti AreenaJuuso HietanenIlvesTampereAntti PennanenNokia ArenaNiklas FrimanJukuritMikkeliOlli JokinenIkioma AreenaPekka JormakkaJYPJukka Rautakorpi 20 Dec 2023Mikko HeiskanenLähiTapiola AreenaTeemu EronenKalPaKuopioPetri KarjalainenOlvi AreenaTuomas KiiskinenKooKooKouvolaOlli SaloLumon AreenaOtto PaajanenKärpätOuluLauri Marjamäki 18 Dec 2023Ville MäntymaaOulun Energia AreenaAtte OhtamaaLukkoRaumaTomi LämsäKivikylän AreenaJulius MattilaPelicansLahtiTommi NiemeläIsku AreenaMiika RoineSaiPaLappeenrantaVille HämäläinenLappeenrannan jäähalliMiska SiikonenSportVaasaRisto DufvaVaasan Sähkö AreenaSebastian StålbergTapparaTampereRikard GrönborgNokia ArenaOtto RauhalaTPSTurkuTommi MiettinenGatorade CenterJuhani JasuÄssätPoriJere HärkäläEnersense AreenaJesse Joensuu
Regular season standings Top six advanced straight to the quarter-finals, while teams between 7th and 10th positions play a wild card round for the final two spots. The SM-liiga is a closed series and thus there is no relegation to the Mestis.
Statistics
Scoring leaders The following shows the top ten players leading the league in points.
Player Team Ilves 60 20 44 64 +19 63 JYP 60 21 42 63 +4 18 Ilves 58 21 38 59 +17 22 Kärpät 60 30 27 57 +3 20 Tappara 55 19 38 57 +11 22 Kärpät 59 22 34 56 +7 26 HIFK 57 6 50 56 +10 36 Pelicans 55 9 45 54 +14 14 Pelicans 51 18 32 50 +23 28 KooKoo 57 15 35 50 +10 74
Playoffs Bracket
Wild-card round
Quarter-finals
Semi-finals
Bronze medal game
Finals
Tappara wins the finals 4-1.
Final rankings TapparaPelicansKärpät4KalPa5Ilves6Jukurit7HIFK8TPS9Lukko10Sport11Ässät12KooKoo13JYP14HPK15SaiPa
Broadcast rights For the 2023–2024 season, Telia had transferred the television rights of the SM-liiga to MTV, which it owns. Telia had acquired the broadcast rights starting from the 2018–2019 season, and with the new agreement MTV has the rights until the end of the 2026–2027 season. MTV pays more than 90 million euros for television rights over four seasons, and the company has admitted that the operation is loss-making. The broadcasts are produced by MTV and during the season games can be seen live from C More, Discovery+, DNA, Elisa Viihde, MTV and Telia.
Attendances
References