According to sources within the SDHL, Europe’s top professional women’s hockey league is looking to decrease the number of international players in the league.
Sources said the league intends to shrink the maximum number of non-Swedish players per team to nine players by next season. This will reduce the number of positions available for players released from the PWHL and graduating from U Sports or the NCAA. Currently, to be considered a Swedish player, an athlete must have been registered for at least three seasons of junior hockey in Sweden.
According to Eliteprospects, of the 758 players who have appeared in Sweden’s Damjunior league this season, 45 were born outside Sweden. This group could earn eligibility to the SDHL in the future as “Swedish” players.
While the SDHL hopes to reduce the number of non-Swedish players to nine per roster immediately, it’s not the end. According to SDHL clubs, the league is looking to shrink their international allowances to a maximum of 5-6 players per team in the near future.
What are the risks to international hockey?
More than any other league, the SDHL has helped foster competitiveness internationally. The league has become a key development ground for top players featuring national team members from 13 nations this season. Of the top 15 scorers in the league, 10 are non-Swedish players.
The proposed cuts should concern national team federations across Europe as they’ll negatively impact the global competitiveness of all nations outside Canada and USA, including Sweden. Swedish players will face weaker competition and could see stalled development. It’s an issue Finland has dealt with watching the calibre of their Auroraliiga dwindle to the point where top players can no longer stay in the nation if they hope to pursue pro hockey.
It will also close another development pathway for players to the PWHL as the gap in calibre will become insurmountable for many players.
Who will be impacted immediately?
Luleå is one program who will immediately feel the impact of a decrease in non-Swedish players. This season Luleå had 10 international players in the lineup for their playoff run. During the regular season nine of their top 11 scorers were non-Swedish. This list includes Finnish national team members Petra Nieminen, Viivi Vainikka, and Jenni Hiirikoski, Japan’s Akane Shiga, Italy’s Nadia Mattivi, and former North American PWHL players Sarah Bujold and Savannah Norcross.
Frölunda, who were the 2024-25 SDHL champions had seven international players this season. Those players represented six of their top eight playoff scorers including Finnish national team stars Michelle Karvinen, Elisa Holopainen, Sanni Rantala, and Emilia Vesa, Norway’s Andrea Dalen, and PWHL champion Sydney Brodt. Frölunda’s starting netminder, Stephanie Neatby, is Canadian.
Third place MoDo carried nine non-Swedish players this season including Swiss starter Andrea Brandli, Czechia’s Adela Sapovalivova, and Canadian defender Alexie Guay, who recently signed with the PWHL’s New York Sirens. Brynäs was another club with several prominent international players. Their roster included former PWHL players Maude Poulin-Labelle, Fanni Gasparics, and Taylor Baker, Norwegian starter Ena Nystrom, Finland’s Sanni Vanhanen, and Czech defender Sara Cajanova. Perhaps no team in the league had more of an international feel than semi-finalists SDE. They had 15 international players suit up for their roster in the playoffs. SDE’s roster included former PWHL players Dominique Kremer, Madison Bizal, and Malia Schneider, as well as national team members from Hungary, Netherlands, Norway, and Germany.
