Slovak Extraliga

The Slovak Extraliga, called the Tipsport liga since the 2025–26 season because of sponsorship, is the top ice hockey league in Slovakia. It is where the best hockey teams in the country play against each other.

From 2018–19 to 2020–21, the league also had teams from Hungary. This let players from different countries meet on the ice.

Teams that do well in the Slovak Extraliga can play in a big international tournament called the Champions Hockey League. In the 2022–23 CHL season, the league was ranked the No. 10 best in Europe. This means the champion team from the year before got to join this event.

The Slovak Extraliga began in the 1993–94 season after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia. Before that, Slovak and Czech teams played together in the 1992–93 Czechoslovak Extraliga season. After the countries split, the Slovak Extraliga started on its own.

Game

Main article: Ice hockey

Each regular season game in the Slovak Extraliga has three parts that last 20 minutes each. There is a short break between each part. If the score is tied after all three parts, there is a short five-minute period with only three players from each team. The first team to score wins. If it is still tied, a shootout decides the winner. In a shootout, players take turns trying to score. The team with the most goals after five tries wins. If it is still tied, the shootout continues until one team scores and the other does not.

Teams

The Slovak Extraliga is the top ice hockey league in Slovakia. In the 2025–26 season, teams from several cities will compete, including Prešov, Trenčín, Nitra, Žilina, Banská Bystrica, Zvolen, Michalovce, Poprad, Košice, Liptovský Mikuláš, Bratislava, and Spišská Nová Ves.

Season structure

The Tipsport Liga season has two parts: the regular season and the playoffs. The regular season starts in late September and ends in early March. During this time, teams play each other in a set schedule. Each team plays 54 games. Teams earn points for winning: three points for a win, two for a win in extra time, one for a loss in extra time, and zero for a loss. At the end of the regular season, the team with the most points is the league leader. The top six teams go to the playoffs. Teams ranked 7 to 10 play a short series to decide the last two playoff spots. The team with the fewest points moves down to a lower league.

The playoffs start in March and end in April. This is a tournament where teams play a series of games. To move on, a team must win a best-of-seven series. The winner of the playoffs becomes the Slovak champion and receives the Vladimir Dzurilla Trophy.

Names and sponsorship

The name of the ice hockey league in Slovakia changes often because sponsors pay to use their names. It started as Extraliga and then had many different names like West Extraliga, Boss Extraliga, ST Extraliga, T-Com Extraliga, and Slovnaft Extraliga. From 2011 to 2015, it was called Tipsport Extraliga and Slovnaft Play-off. Later, it became Tipsport Liga and Slovnaft Play-off. In 2020-21, it changed to Tipos Extraliga. Since 2025, the league is known as Tipsport Liga.

Previous winners

See also: List of Slovak ice hockey champions

The Slovak Extraliga is the top ice hockey league in Slovakia. Here are the winners of the league's playoff and regular season from 1994 to 2026.

Previous Slovak Extraliga playoffs winners (Slovak Champions)

• 1994 – Dukla Trenčín
• 1995 – HC Košice
• 1996 – HC Košice
• 1997 – Dukla Trenčín
• 1998 – Slovan Bratislava
• 1999 – HC Košice
• 2000 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2001 – HKm Zvolen
• 2002 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2003 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2004 – Dukla Trenčín
• 2005 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2006 – MsHK Žilina
• 2007 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2008 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2009 – HC Košice
• 2010 – HC Košice
• 2011 – HC Košice
• 2012 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2013 – HKM Zvolen
• 2014 – HC Košice
• 2015 – HC Košice
• 2016 – HK Nitra
• 2017 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
• 2018 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
• 2019 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
• 2020 – Not held due to COVID-19 pandemic
• 2021 – HKM Zvolen
• 2022 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2023 – HC Košice
• 2024 – HK Nitra
• 2025 – HC Košice
• 2026 – HK Nitra

Previous Slovak Extraliga regular season winners

• 1994 – Dukla Trenčín
• 1995 – Dukla Trenčín
• 1996 – HC Košice
• 1997 – Dukla Trenčín
• 1998 – Slovan Bratislava
• 1999 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2000 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2001 – HKm Zvolen
• 2002 – HKm Zvolen
• 2003 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2004 – Dukla Trenčín
• 2005 – HKm Zvolen
• 2006 – HK Nitra
• 2007 – HC Košice
• 2008 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2009 – HC Košice
• 2010 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2011 – HC Košice
• 2012 – HC Košice
• 2013 – HKM Zvolen
• 2014 – HC Košice
• 2015 – HC Košice
• 2016 – HC Košice
• 2017 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
• 2018 – HK Nitra
• 2019 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
• 2020 – HC '05 Banská Bystrica
• 2021 – HKM Zvolen
• 2022 – Slovan Bratislava
• 2023 – HC Košice
• 2024 – HK Poprad
• 2025 – HK Spišská Nová Ves
• 2026 – HK Nitra

Video games

Teams from the Slovak Extraliga can be played in video games by EA Sports, especially in the NHL series, but only in the version called NHL 09.