Dreaming about playing hockey in Norway?
Here’s everything that you need to know about Norway’s main hockey leagues in one place.
In this post, we'll go through the primary leagues in Norway to give you a solid stick grip on the league hierarchy.
We’ll start out with EliteHockey Ligaen and skate our way down through the various divisions below it.
Kom igjen...let's do this!
EliteHockey Ligaen (EHL)
EliteHockey Ligaen is the top professional ice hockey league in all of Norway.
The top league's origins date way back to the 1930’s. Throughout that time, the league's official name has changed a number of times, but the premise of it being the top league in the country has stayed intact.
To play in Norway’s top league today, you either need to be a top Norwegian player or possess high-end playing experience as an import player.
Although Norway may not get the same recognition as its neighboring powerhouse hockey country Sweden and the top few Swedish Hockey Leagues, the country of Norway continues to get stronger as a hockey nation. Players like Mats Zuccarello, Epsen Knutsen, and others are hockey legends in Norge but more and more Norwegian players overall are playing at the highest stages today both in Europe and abroad (AHL/NHL, etc).
The top Norwegian clubs in EliteHockey Ligaen have shown in international play (ex: Champions HL) in recent years that they can compete quite well against a good portion of top clubs in other respective EU countries.
Hockey fans in Norway's top couple leagues bring quite an energy to the rinks on game nights. It’s not uncommon to watch a game here and enjoy the home supporters playing instruments, blowing horns, holding team labeled scarfs, and chanting on their feet throughout a match.
It’s quite an environment to play in as a player and to enjoy as a spectator. Norwegian hockey fans are first-class.
Let's continue on to the 2nd tier within the Norwegian hockey landscape...
Norwegian 1. Divisjon (Norway2)
The Norwegian First Division is the second highest level of hockey in Norway. It’s commonly referred to as Norway2.
Founded back in 1990, the league sits today between EliteHockey Ligaen above it and Norway3 below it.
Top teams can compete for promotion to the elite league and bottom teams can face relegation if the top clubs from the lower division earn promotion at the end of the season.
The level of hockey in Norway2 is still quite competitive, but the overall caliber and team depth is naturally a bit lower than in the top league. With limited import spots per team and tight visa restrictions in a country like Norway, clubs here will still have pretty high expectations for import players as they expect them to be big impact players for their club.
Much like the top hockey league, a number of top teams draw strong fan attendance numbers and arenas get quite electric on game nights. Below is a quick example of that showing the passionate fanbase of Narvik Hockey which is the north most team in all of Norway.
Next in the hockey hierarchy of Norwegian hockey is Norway3.
Norwegian 2. Divisjon (Norway3)
Norway3 (2. Divisjon) sits at the third highest level of hockey in Norway directly below Norway2.
Here at this level, it’s a pretty wide range of setups as some clubs have more ample budgets and sponsorship support than others do. Because of this, you can have a handful of teams that attract many former top players from the higher leagues added in with a few key imports.
These clubs have more strength and resources when competing against clubs with less budget and player experience. Many players at this level will go to university, work part-time (coach hockey, etc) while playing as hockey is not their full-time focus from a financial standpoint.
A few select imports may be compensated as the highest paid players on rosters here depending on the organization's structure.
Norwegian 3. Divisjon (Norway4)
The 4th highest level of hockey in Norway is 3. Divisjon (known by some as Norway4).
At this lower tier, you’ll still find a handful of quality players on many rosters, but ice hockey is not the main focus.
Many Norwegian players who continue to play here in Norway4 may have played at a higher level prior, but now they’re working or studying near where they live. Playing here allows them to continue playing competitively but in a lower tier.
As you can see based on the Norwegian hockey leagues we’ve gone through above, there’s quite a range of leagues from the top down to the lower tiers.
We’ve had a number of players play in the top couple leagues here over the past decade and players all had extremely positive things to say about the level of hockey and the first in class lifestyle that Norway affords off the ice.
Having spent a good amount of time in Norway and at ice halls across the country with our team/partners there, we can attest to this.
No ones complaining about these views...
In learning more about the leagues we’ve shared above, we hope that you have a stronger grasp on the playing levels and tiers in Norway.
The caliber and level from the top league down the the lower tiers differs quite a bit, but Norway is a grade-A hockey country when you combine the on and off ice experience.
With that being said, the only thing left to ask is…do you think you have what it takes to play hockey in Norway (or Europe)?
If you believe that you do, send our team a message. We’d be happy to look over your information and story to see if we think it aligns or not to help you play here (or in another country) depending on your situation.
