# 2021–22 SHL season

The 2021–22 SHL season was the 47th season of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). The regular season began on 11 September 2021 and ended on 15 March 2022, it was then followed by the playoffs and the relegation playoffs. The league consisted of 14 teams; Timrå IK returned to the SHL after two seasons in HockeyAllsvenskan, having won the 2020–21 HockeyAllsvenskan.
Like the previous season, the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden has resulted in many games being postponed, resulting in an uneven schedule.

## Teams

| Team | City | Arena | Capacity |
| Brynäs IF | Gävle | Monitor ERP Arena | 7,909 |
| Djurgårdens IF | Stockholm | Hovet | 8,094 |
| Frölunda HC | Gothenburg | Scandinavium | 12,044 |
| Färjestad BK | Karlstad | Löfbergs Arena | 8,647 |
| Leksands IF | Leksand | Tegera Arena | 7,650 |
| Linköping HC | Linköping | Saab Arena | 8,500 |
| Luleå HF | Luleå | Coop Norrbotten Arena | 6,300 |
| Malmö Redhawks | Malmö | Malmö Arena | 13,000 |
| IK Oskarshamn | Oskarshamn | Be-Ge Hockey Center | 3,275 |
| Rögle BK | Ängelholm | Catena Arena | 5,150 |
| Skellefteå AIK | Skellefteå | Skellefteå Kraft Arena | 6,001 |
| Timrå IK | Timrå | NHC Arena | 6,000 |
| Växjö Lakers | Växjö | Vida Arena | 5,700 |
| Örebro HK | Örebro | Behrn Arena | 5,150 |

## Regular season

Each team will play 52 games, playing each of the other thirteen teams four times: twice on home ice, and twice away from home. Points will be awarded for each game, where three points will be awarded for winning in regulation time, two points for winning in overtime or shootout, one point for losing in overtime or shootout, and zero points for losing in regulation time. At the end of the regular season, the team that will finish with the most points will be crowned the league champion.
The four best teams of the regular season will qualify for the 2022–23 Champions Hockey League (if the play-off winners qualify through the regular season, its spot will go to the 5th placed team of the regular season; if a Swedish team wins 2021–22 Champions Hockey League, three best teams of the regular season will qualify, and, if the play-off winners qualify through the regular season, its spot will go to the 4th placed team of the regular season).

### Standings

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OTW | OTL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Rögle BK | 52 | 27 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 154 | 129 | +25 | 100 | Qualification to Quarter-finals |
| 2 | Luleå HF | 52 | 25 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 161 | 117 | +44 | 97 | Qualification to Quarter-finals |
| 3 | Skellefteå AIK | 52 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 167 | 122 | +45 | 94 | Qualification to Quarter-finals |
| 4 | Frölunda HC | 52 | 21 | 10 | 4 | 17 | 155 | 139 | +16 | 87 | Qualification to Quarter-finals |
| 5 | Växjö Lakers | 52 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 153 | 144 | +9 | 85 | Qualification to Quarter-finals |
| 6 | Färjestad BK | 52 | 22 | 6 | 4 | 20 | 153 | 149 | +4 | 82 | Qualification to Quarter-finals |
| 7 | Örebro HK | 52 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 19 | 144 | 123 | +21 | 81 | Qualification to Eighth-finals |
| 8 | Leksands IF | 52 | 20 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 148 | 154 | −6 | 75 | Qualification to Eighth-finals |
| 9 | IK Oskarshamn | 52 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 23 | 140 | 163 | −23 | 72 | Qualification to Eighth-finals |
| 10 | Brynäs IF | 52 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 126 | 138 | −12 | 69 | Qualification to Eighth-finals |
| 11 | Linköping HC | 52 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 23 | 121 | 142 | −21 | 69 | |
| 12 | Malmö Redhawks | 52 | 17 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 134 | 153 | −19 | 67 | |
| 13 | Djurgårdens IF (R) | 52 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 27 | 130 | 169 | −39 | 58 | Qualification to Play Out |
| 14 | Timrå IK | 52 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 29 | 133 | 177 | −44 | 56 | Qualification to Play Out |

### Statistics
#### Scoring leaders

The following shows the top ten players who led the league in points, at the conclusion of the regular season. If two or more skaters are tied (i.e. same number of points, goals and played games), all of the tied skaters are shown.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
| Ryan Lasch | Frölunda HC | 52 | 13 | 53 | 66 | –1 | 8 |
| Max Véronneau | Leksands IF | 51 | 34 | 26 | 60 | +18 | 14 |
| Linus Omark | Luleå HF | 52 | 21 | 37 | 58 | +11 | 32 |
| Patrik Karlkvist | IK Oskarshamn | 49 | 26 | 26 | 52 | +6 | 2 |
| Jonathan Johnson | Skellefteå AIK | 51 | 14 | 38 | 52 | +10 | 16 |
| Richard Gynge | Växjö Lakers | 52 | 23 | 25 | 48 | –3 | 6 |
| Carter Camper | Leksands IF | 50 | 11 | 37 | 48 | +7 | 28 |
| Ty Rattie | Timrå IK | 51 | 21 | 26 | 47 | –16 | 32 |
| Linus Karlsson | Skellefteå AIK | 52 | 26 | 20 | 46 | +10 | 18 |
| Leon Bristedt | Rögle BK | 46 | 14 | 32 | 46 | +19 | 78 |

#### Leading goaltenders

The following shows the top ten goaltenders who led the league in goals against average, provided that they have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, at the conclusion of the regular season.
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | W | T | L | GA | SO | Sv% | GAA |
| Jesper Wallstedt | Luleå HF | 22 | 1302:55 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 43 | 3 | 91.79 | 1.98 |
| Jhonas Enroth | Örebro HK | 42 | 2486:08 | 23 | 3 | 15 | 83 | 6 | 92.33 | 2.00 |
| Gustaf Lindvall | Skellefteå AIK | 30 | 1797:18 | 17 | 3 | 10 | 62 | 3 | 91.98 | 2.07 |
| Strauss Mann | Skellefteå AIK | 22 | 1317:55 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 48 | 3 | 91.44 | 2.19 |
| Joel Lassinantti | Luleå HF | 31 | 1839:35 | 18 | 4 | 8 | 67 | 4 | 91.10 | 2.19 |
| Veini Vehviläinen | Brynäs IF | 45 | 2600:51 | 20 | 4 | 20 | 101 | 5 | 90.77 | 2.33 |
| Adam Åhman | Växjö Lakers | 29 | 1662:02 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 65 | 3 | 90.90 | 2.35 |
| Christoffer Rifalk | Rögle BK | 37 | 2189:08 | 22 | 1 | 14 | 87 | 4 | 92.05 | 2.38 |
| Marcus Högberg | Linköping HC | 41 | 2426:19 | 17 | 4 | 19 | 97 | 4 | 91.07 | 2.40 |
| Daniel Marmenlind | Malmö Redhawks | 31 | 1870:23 | 12 | 5 | 14 | 75 | 1 | 90.48 | 2.41 |

## Playoffs

Ten teams qualify for the playoffs: the top six teams in the regular season have a bye to the quarterfinals, while teams ranked seventh to tenth meet each other (7 versus 10, 8 versus 9) in a preliminary playoff round.

### Format

In the first round, the 7th-ranked team meets the 10th-ranked team and the 8th-ranked team meets the 9th-ranked team for a place in the second round. In the second round, the top-ranked team will meet the lowest-ranked winner of the first round, the second-ranked team will face the other winner of the first round, the third-ranked team will face the sixth-ranked team, and the fourth-ranked team will face the fifth-ranked team. In the third round, the highest remaining seed is matched against the lowest remaining seed. In each round the higher-seeded team is awarded home advantage. The meetings are in the first round played as best-of-three series, and in the later rounds as best-of-seven series. In the eighth-finals, the higher-seeded teams play at home for game 2 (plus 3 if necessary) while the lower-seeded teams play at home for game 1. In the later rounds, the higher-seeded teams are at home for games 1 and 2 (plus 5 and 7 if necessary) while the lower-seeded teams are at home for games 3 and 4 (plus 6 if necessary).

### Playoff bracket

| Eighth-finals Swedish: Åttondelsfinal | Eighth-finals Swedish: Åttondelsfinal | Eighth-finals Swedish: Åttondelsfinal | Quarter-finals Swedish: Kvartsfinal | Quarter-finals Swedish: Kvartsfinal | Quarter-finals Swedish: Kvartsfinal | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| | | | 1 | Rögle BK | 4 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Örebro HK | 2 | 9 | IK Oskarshamn | 3 | | | | | | |
| 10 | Brynäs IF | 1 | | | | 1 | Rögle BK | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | | 6 | Färjestad BK | 4 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Luleå HF | 4 | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | | | |
| | | | 7 | Örebro HK | 1 | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | | | |
| | | | | | | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | 6 | Färjestad BK | 4 |
| | | | | | | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | 2 | Luleå HF | 3 |
| | | | 3 | Skellefteå AIK | 2 | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | | | |
| 8 | Leksands IF | 1 | 6 | Färjestad BK | 4 | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | (Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second round) | | | |
| 9 | IK Oskarshamn | 2 | | | | 2 | Luleå HF | 4 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Frölunda HC | 1 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Frölunda HC | 4 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Växjö Lakers | 0 | | | | | | |

### Eighth-finals
#### (7) Örebro HK vs. (10) Brynäs IF

* Örebro HK win series 2–1

#### (8) Leksands IF vs. (9) IK Oskarshamn

* IK Oskarshamn win series 2–1

### Quarter-finals
#### (1) Rögle BK vs. (9) IK Oskarshamn

* Rögle BK win series 4–3

#### (2) Luleå HF vs. (7) Örebro HK

* Luleå HF win series 4–1

#### (3) Skellefteå AIK vs. (6) Färjestad BK

* Färjestad BK win series 4–2

#### (4) Frölunda HC vs. (5) Växjö Lakers

* Frölunda HC win series 4–0

### Semi-finals
#### (1) Rögle BK vs. (6) Färjestad BK

* Färjestad BK win series 4–2

#### (2) Luleå HF vs. (4) Frölunda HC

* Luleå HF win series 4–1

### Finals
#### (2) Luleå HF vs. (6) Färjestad BK

* Färjestad BK win series 4–3

### Statistics
#### Scoring leaders

The following players led the league in points, at the conclusion of the playoffs. If two or more skaters are tied (i.e. same number of points, goals and played games), all of the tied skaters are shown.
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
| Per Åslund | Färjestad BK | 19 | 5 | 13 | 18 | +11 | 8 |
| Linus Omark | Luleå HF | 17 | 4 | 13 | 17 | +7 | 10 |
| Joakim Nygård | Färjestad BK | 19 | 3 | 12 | 15 | +12 | 6 |
| Sami Lepistö | Luleå HF | 17 | 2 | 13 | 15 | +6 | 20 |
| Victor Ejdsell | Färjestad BK | 19 | 8 | 6 | 14 | +5 | 16 |
| Theodor Lennström | Färjestad BK | 19 | 4 | 10 | 14 | +5 | 18 |
| Pontus Andreasson | Luleå HF | 13 | 8 | 5 | 13 | +6 | 12 |
| Gustav Rydahl | Färjestad BK | 19 | 6 | 6 | 12 | +9 | 23 |
| Linus Johansson | Färjestad BK | 19 | 5 | 6 | 11 | +2 | 35 |
| Daniel Zaar | Rögle BK | 13 | 4 | 7 | 11 | –5 | 2 |

#### Leading goaltenders

The following shows the top five goaltenders who led the league in goals against average, provided that they have played at least 40% of their team's minutes, at the conclusion of the playoffs.
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | Sv% | GAA |
| Joel Lassinantti | Luleå HF | 17 | 1053:45 | 11 | 6 | 33 | 2 | 91.85 | 1.88 |
| Jhonas Enroth | Örebro HK | 8 | 504:13 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 0 | 91.30 | 2.14 |
| Dominik Furch | Färjestad BK | 19 | 1172:02 | 12 | 7 | 43 | 3 | 91.21 | 2.20 |
| Veini Vehviläinen | Brynäs IF | 3 | 160:08 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 90.63 | 2.25 |
| Christoffer Rifalk | Rögle BK | 11 | 624:26 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 92.36 | 2.31 |

## Play Out

Teams 13 and 14 from the regular season played a best-of-seven series, with the winner remaining in the SHL and the loser relegated to the second tier, HockeyAllsvenskan. The higher-seeded team held home advantage over the series, playing at home for the odd-numbered games while the lower-seeded team was at home for the even-numbered games.
* Timrå IK win series 4–0

## SHL awards

| Award | Winner(s) |
| Guldhjälmen | Max Véronneau (Leksands IF) |
| Guldpucken | |
| Honken Trophy | Jhonas Enroth (Örebro HK) |
| Håkan Loob Trophy | Max Véronneau (Leksands IF) |
| Rookie of the Year | Linus Karlsson (Skellefteå AIK) |
| Salming Trophy | Maja Nylén Persson (Brynäs IF) |
| Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy | Per Åslund (Färjestad BK) |
| Guldpipan | |