Meistriliiga (ice hockey)
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Current season, competition or edition: 2024-25 | |
 | |
| Association | Estonian Ice Hockey Association |
|---|---|
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 1934 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Country | Estonia |
| Headquarters | Tallinn, Estonia |
| Most recent champion | Tartu Kalev-Välk (14th title) |
| Most titles | Narva PSK (19 titles) |
| Broadcaster | Eesti Hoki TV - https://www.eestihoki.tv/et/home |
| Official website | www |
The Meistriliiga (EML), also known as the Unibet Hokiliiga for sponsorship reasons, is the top-tier ice hockey league in Estonia. The league consists of six teams.[1]
There are 28 referees in the country who officiate at Estonian championship games in all age classes. The work of hockey referees is organized by the ref in chief of Estonian hockey referees Maksim Toode.
The Estonian champion has the right to represent the country at the Continental Cup of Hockey.
The league was formed in the 1990-91 season. Since 1945–46, Estonian teams had participated in the Estonian SSR Championship. Prior to the country's annexation and incorporation into the Soviet Union, the Estonian Championship had been contested in interwar Estonia from 1934 to 1940. In the 2017–18 season, the league was known as the Nordic Power Hokiliiga. In the 2018-23 the name of the league was Coolbet Hokiliiga.
Narva PSK has dominated the league at the outset, winning the first six championships and eight of the first 11 seasons. Since winning their first title in 1997, Tartu Välk 494 has been the most consistently successful team in the Meistriliiga since the league started, having won a total of nine championships. HK Stars claimed four titles in five years from 2005 to 2009.
In the 2022-23 season, the tournament acquired international status, with 7 teams participating in the championship: 5 from Estonia (HC Panter, Välk 494, Narva PSK, HC Everest, Viru Sputnik) and 2 from Latvia (HK Kurbads, HS Riga). The team that won the championship that year was HK Kurbads.
In the 2023-24 season the name of the league was Unibet Hokiliiga, seven years later the Narva hockey players were able to win the Estonian championship and will represent the country in the 2024-25 IIHF Continental Cup in Group B, the games of which will be held in Narva.[2]
The league retained its name for the 2024–25 season, with the capital's Vipers joining the five teams that played in the previous season.
Teams
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HC Everest Kohtla-Järve | Kohtla-Järve | Kohtla-Järve Ice Hall | 1,000 | 2012 |
| HC Vipers | Tallinn | Tondiraba Ice Hall | 5,840 | 2014 |
| Kohtla-Järve Viru Sputnik | Kohtla-Järve | Kohtla-Järve Ice Hall | 1,000 | 2003 |
| Narva PSK | Narva | Narva Ice Hall | 1,500 | 1956 |
| Tartu Välk 494 | Tartu | Astri Arena | 600 | 1994 |
Title holders
Estonian Championship
- 1934: Tallinn Kalev
- 1935: not played
- 1936: Tartu ASK
- 1937: Tallinn Kalev
- 1938: not played
- 1939: Tartu ASK
- 1940: Tallinn Sport
- 1941–1945: not played
Estonian SSR Championship
- 1946: Dünamo Tallinn
- 1947: Dünamo Tartu
- 1948: Dünamo Tallinn
- 1949: Dünamo Tallinn
- 1950: Tallinn LTM
- 1951: Tallinn LTM
- 1952: Dünamo Tallinn
- 1953: Dünamo Tallinn
- 1954: Dünamo Tallinn
- 1955: Dünamo Tartu
- 1956: Kohtla-Järve Kalev
- 1957: Dünamo Tartu
- 1958: Tallinn Kalev
- 1959: Tallinn Kalev
- 1960: Tallinn Kalev
- 1961: Tallinn Kalev
- 1962: Tallinn Kalev
- 1963: Tallinn Ekskavaator
- 1964: Tallinn Taksopark
- 1965: Tallinn Tempo
- 1966: Tallinn Ekskavaator
- 1967: Narva Kreenholm
- 1968: Tallinn Tempo
- 1969: Narva Kreenholm
- 1970: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1971: Narva Kreenholm
- 1972: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1973: Narva Kreenholm
- 1974: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1975: Narva Kreenholm
- 1976: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1977: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1978: Tallinn Talleks
- 1979: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1980: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1981: Tallinn Talleks
- 1982: Sillamäe Kalev
- 1983: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1984: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1985: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1986: Narva Kreenholm
- 1987: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1988: Narva Kreenholm
- 1989: Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik
- 1990: Narva Kreenholm II
Meistriliiga
- 1991: Narva Kreenholm II
- 1992: Narva Kreenholm
- 1993: Narva Kreenholm
- 1994: Narva Kreenholm
- 1995: Narva Kreenholm
- 1996: Narva Kreenholm
- 1997: Tartu Välk 494
- 1998: Narva Kreenholm
- 1999: Tartu Välk 494
- 2000: Tartu Välk 494
- 2001: Narva 2000
- 2002: Tartu Välk 494
- 2003: Tartu Välk 494
- 2004: HC Panter
- 2005: HK Stars
- 2006: HK Stars
- 2007: HK Stars
- 2008: Tartu Kalev-Välk
- 2009: HK Stars
- 2010: Kohtla-Järve Viru Sputnik
- 2011: Tartu Kalev-Välk
- 2012: Tartu Kalev-Välk
- 2013: Viiking Sport
- 2014: Viiking Sport
- 2015: Tartu Kalev-Välk
- 2016: Narva PSK
- 2017: Narva PSK
- 2018: HC Viking
- 2019: Tartu Välk 494
- 2020: Tartu Välk 494
- 2021: Tartu Välk 494
- 2022: Tartu Välk 494
- 2023: HK Kurbads
- 2024: Narva PSK
- 2025: Tartu Välk 494
Titles by team
| Titles | Team | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | Narva PSK[A] | 1967, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2016, 2017, 2024 |
| 14 | Tartu Kalev-Välk[C] | 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2025 |
| 13 | Kohtla-Järve HK Keemik[B] | 1956, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989 |
| 7 | Tallinn Kalev | 1934, 1937, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 |
| 6 | Dünamo Tallinn | 1946, 1948, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1954 |
| 4 | HK Stars | 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 |
| 3 | Dünamo Tartu | 1947, 1955, 1957 |
| 3 | HC Viking[D] | 2013, 2014, 2018 |
| 2 | Tartu ASK | 1936, 1939 |
| 2 | Tallinn LTM | 1950, 1951 |
| 2 | Tallinn Ekskavaator | 1963, 1966 |
| 2 | Tallinn Tempo | 1965, 1968 |
| 2 | Tallinn Talleks | 1978, 1981 |
| 1 | Tallinn Sport | 1940 |
| 1 | Tallinn Taksopark | 1964 |
| 1 | Sillamäe Kalev | 1982 |
| 1 | HC Panter | 2004 |
| 1 | Kohtla-Järve Viru Sputnik | 2010 |
| 1 | HK Kurbads | 2023 |
