Junior hockey in Sweden

Junior hockey in Sweden crowns national champions at the U16 through U20 age levels. The Swedish Ice Hockey Association governs junior hockey in the country.
The U20 champions receive the Anton Cup, a trophy donated by Anton Johansson, chairman of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association between 1924–1948, in 1952, as an award for Sweden's top-ranking ice hockey club, decided by a national tournament without Swedish Championship status. 
From 1956-57, the tournament gained Swedish Championship status and district teams were allowed to participate. In 1961, the tournament was limited to only associations and clubs. The winner of the J20 Nationell are presently bestowed the Anton Cup. 
Below the SuperElit, the J20 Regional operates as the second-tier junior league, followed by the J20 Division 1. Formerly, the J20 Division 2 operated from the 1980s until 2015, and the J20 Division 3 was contested from 1988-1999.
At the U18 level, the J18 Regional serves as the national competition to begin the season. The top 20 teams (five from each regional group) advance to play in the J18 Nationell for the second half of the season, while the other teams remain in the Regional for the remainder of the year. The winner of the national playoffs (consisting primarily of Nationell teams but also containing several from Regional) is crowned Swedish champion. Below the Nationell and the Regional lie the J18 Division 1 and the J18 Division 2. The J18 Division 3 was also recorded to have been contested in 1987-88. The J18 Utveckling was held in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
The top U16 teams form four regional, known as "Elite" in some regions, groups (North, South, East, and West) to begin the seasons. The top teams from each group then advance to the national championship. U16 Division 1 and U16 Division 2 are lower-levels of competition at this age level.
The TV-pucken is the national U15 district championship in Sweden, and has served this purpose since 1959. Teams from the various Swedish districts (not club affiliated) participate in the tournament. A girls tournament has also existed since 2006.
At the U12 through U14 age levels, the leagues are conducted solely on a regional basis, with no national championships existing at these age groups.
The Swedish U18 Female Region Championship was contested from 2015-2018. The U20-Cupen has served as the women's under 20 championship since 2022. The Dam FHL XL was played in the Uppland region from 2012-2020.
==See also==
*List of Swedish junior champions
==External links==
*Swedish Ice Hockey Association
Category:Ice hockey leagues