Who will become the champion of the Swedish hockey league SHL 2023/2024: preview
The regular season of Sweden’s strongest hockey championship started in September this year and will end in March 2024. 14 teams take part in the competition. At the end of the regular season, the first six participants in the championship standings will advance to the quarter-finals of the playoffs, and clubs from seventh to 10th place will compete in the quarter-finals. The teams that take the last two lines will play in a play-out for the right to remain in the SHL league.
The four main contenders for the SHL championship are: Växjo Lakers, Frölunda, Luleå and Färjestad. By carefully analyzing each of these teams, you can choose with greater confidence the team that is most likely to win gold medals.
Vaxjo Lakers
The Blue-Orange-Whites are performing well this season. After 26 matches played, Vaxjo Lakers were second in the standings. The Vida Arena residents were one point behind the first Färjestad, and they were five points ahead of the third Linköping. Having suffered nine defeats, Jorgen Jonsson’s men won in 17 games (14 times within three periods). Juel Persson and the company look great in terms of gameplay and this club is quite capable of winning another championship.
Växjö Lakers are the current champions of Sweden and this season the representatives of the province of Småland will try to repeat their previous success. The competition for the “dark blue-orange-white” is serious, but Juel Persson and his partners know how to force a fight on any opponent.
Frelunda
The Red-Greens are not performing particularly consistently this season, but after 27 matches the club from Gothenburg was in the top six of the tournament. With two more matches played, Frölunda was two points behind fifth Timro and fourth Skellefteå, and one point ahead of seventh Luleå. Having suffered 13 defeats, the inhabitants of the Scandinavium arena won 14 victories. At the same time, during regular time, Roger Ronnberg’s guys had 10 wins and 10 losses.
Frelunda is not very stable, but the teams are able to improve. The Red-Greens are five-time Swedish champions and at the beginning of each season the club faces maximum challenges. It will not be easy for the team from Gothenburg in the relegation battles, but the team is able to create problems even for quite formidable opponents.
Luleå
The Red-Black-Yellows are likely to play in the relegation battles, but the team can start from the 1/8 stage. After 25 matches played, Luleå was in seventh place in the tournament. The representatives of the city of the same name were one point behind sixth place Frelunda and the same amount ahead of eighth place Leksand. At the same time, Thomas Berglund’s guys had two games less than the “red-greens”. Erik Gustafsson and his partners have 14 wins and 11 losses.
Luleå managed to win gold and silver medals in the Swedish elite hockey championship back in the 90s of the last century. Since then, the team won the Champions League in 2015, but the “red-black-yellows” did not shine in the domestic arena.Of course, Thomas Berglund’s team can shoot, but the chances of this are not too great.
Färjestad
The Green-Yellow-Whites perform excellently in the regular season. After 25 matches played, Ferjestad led the standings. Having a match less, the team from the city of Karlstad was one point ahead of the second Vaxjo Lakers. In addition, Thomas Mitell’s team had the most formidable attack in the championship, which on average scored just under three and a half goals per 60 minutes of playing time.
Färjestad has a competitive squad and the team managed to win the SHL league title last season. In total, the “green-yellow-white” have 10 victories in the Swedish championship. If you are a fan of hockey and want to earn money by betting on this sport, then we suggest downloading mostbet yukle apk for this.
Our forecast
Luleå and Frölunda can improve and take higher places at the end of the regular season, but the teams are unlikely to achieve impressive success in the relegation battles. A good option for the “red-greens” and “red-black-yellows” would be to reach the semi-finals. Most likely, Vaxjo Lakers and Ferjestad will fight for the championship title. The teams are approximately the same level, but in composition the “blue-orange-white” ones are slightly stronger. So, with no small probability, gold medals could go to Jorgen Jonsson’s team for the second year in a row.