The 2010–11 VHL season was the inaugural season of the Higher Hockey League. It started on September 11, 2010, and finished on February 28, 2011. 20 teams each played 56 games.
Preseason Compared to the last 2009–10 Higher Hockey League where a total of 27 teams competed in 3 divisions, there will be a total of 20 teams and two conferences in the 2010–11 season: Western and Eastern. 18 of the 27 teams of the 2009–10 season compete in the 2010–11 season. Gazovik Tyumen were renamed to Rubin Tyumen, while Rubin's junior team, playing in the MHL, has the name Gazovik. Two new teams in the league are Lada Togliatti, excluded from the KHL after the 2009–10 season, and Dynamo Tver, the farm team of UHC Dynamo. The fates of the 9 of the 27 teams that participated in the league in 2009–10 but no longer do in 2010–11 are various: HC Yugra joined the KHL for 2010–11, Khimik were suggested by VHL's management to take a one year break and joined the MHL under the name MHC Khimik, the team from Orenburg, formerly known under the name Gazprom-OGU, also joined the MHL under the name Belye Tigry, Rys dissolved, the remaining 5 (e.g. CSK VVS Samara) joined the Pervaya Liga. HC Lipetsk was admitted into the league for 2010–11, but the team had to withdraw before the start of the season due to financial difficulties. Lipetsk's place was taken by Krylya Sovetov Moscow on 12 August 2010.
Regular season During regular season teams are to play 4 games against teams from their conference (2 home and 2 away) and 2 games against teams from the opposite conference (1 home and 1 away). The first match of the regular season took place on September 11, 2010 in Perm. Molot-Prikamye's opponent was Toros Neftekamsk and the match ended 2 goals to 1 Toros' way after a shootout. Last games of the regular season will be held on 28 February 2011.
League standings
Source: vhl.khl.ru
Points are awarded as follows: 3 Points for a win in regulation ("W") 2 Points for a win in overtime ("OTW") or penalty shootout ("SOW") 1 Point for a loss in a penalty shootout ("SOL") or overtime ("OTL") 0 Points for a loss in regulation ("L")
Conference standings
Western Conference GP W OTW SOW SOL OTL L GF GA Pts Neftyanik Almetyevsk (AKB)56 26 4 3 6 1 16 161 140 99 HC Sarov (TOR)56 25 3 6 2 0 20 168 149 95 Dizel Penza (SEV) 56 23 2 3 8 1 19 132 123 88 HC VMF St. Petersburg (SKA)56 22 2 2 5 2 23 142 148 81 PHC Krylya Sovetov (SPA)56 19 3 7 1 0 26 163 172 78 HC Ryazan (ATL)56 19 1 4 6 3 23 153 169 76 Kristall Saratov56 17 0 3 2 5 29 149 183 64 Ariada-Akpars Volzhsk (NEF)56 18 0 0 4 4 30 138 193 62 HC Dynamo Tver (DMOW)56 13 3 5 3 2 30 150 190 60 Lada Togliatti56 15 1 2 2 0 36 130 184 53
Eastern Conference GP W OTW SOW SOL OTL L GF GA Pts Rubin Tyumen56 38 2 2 2 0 12 172 104 124 Toros Neftekamsk (UFA)56 34 1 5 3 3 10 183 114 120 Molot-Prikamye Perm56 25 3 4 6 1 17 162 156 96 Yuzhny Ural Orsk (MAG)56 25 3 3 5 2 18 135 132 94 Ermak Angarsk (NOV)56 27 1 0 3 1 24 168 139 87 Kazzinc-Torpedo56 23 1 4 6 1 21 151 153 86 Zauralie Kurgan (SIB)56 20 2 8 3 3 20 153 147 86 Sputnik Nizhny Tagil56 20 4 5 0 3 24 149 144 81 Mechel Chelyabinsk (TRA)56 20 1 4 7 4 20 168 174 81 Izhstal Izhevsk56 17 1 6 2 2 28 119 132 69
League leaders
Source: vhlru.ru
Goals Alexander Zhurun (Tyumen) 29 Assists Maxim Zhapov (Almetyevsk) 31 Points Evgeni Tunik (Neftekamsk) 51 Shots Ruslan Bernik (Moscow) 170 Plus–minus Sergey Zhurikov (Tyumen) +24 Penalty minutes Igor Golovkov (St.Peterburg) 154 Wins (Goaltenders) Nikita Davydov (Neftekamsk) 34 Goals against average Stanislav Galimov (Almetyevsk) 1.46 Save percentage Alexander Sudnitsin (Tyumen) 94.7 Shutouts Alexander Sudnitsin (Tyumen) 8 Goaltenders: minimum 15 games played
Playoffs The play-offs will feature 8 best teams of the Western Conference of the regular season and 8 best teams of the Eastern Conference of the regular season. The play-offs start 5 March 2011 and are to end on April 27, 2011 if match 7 of the final series is to be played. Conference quarter-finals and semi-finals are a best-of-five series, while the Conference finals and VHL finals are a best-of-seven series.
Playoffs leaders
Source: vhlru.ru
Goals Rustam Shangaraev (Almetyevsk) 8 Assists Vladimir Karpor (Tyumen) 9 Points Daniel Nasybullin (Almetyevsk) 14 Shots Andrei Kuzmin (Sarov) 58 Plus–minus Sergei Serebryakov (Almetyevsk) +10 Penalty minutes Andrew Ankudinov (Neftekamsk) 56 Wins (Goaltenders) Alexander Sudnitsin (Tyumen) 14 Goals against average Alexander Sudnitsin (Tyumen) 1.44 Save percentage Alexander Sudnitsin (Tyumen) 95.2 Shutouts Alexander Sudnitsin (Tyumen) 4 Goaltenders: minimum 5 games played
References