Finland’s Liiga does not match the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) or Switzerland’s National League on market power. Budgets, broadcast reach, and top-end salaries are higher in Sweden and Switzerland, which helps explain why many Finnish players move after one or two seasons.
Switzerland raised its import allowance to six dressed players per game, with critics concerned about reduced ice time for junior players. Sweden did the opposite and tightened junior-level import access in 2024 while debating J20 format tweaks and facing rising youth-sport costs.
Finland’s edge is system, not spectacle. The national “Leijonapolku” pathway and coaching education keep development consistent across hundreds of clubs. The smart play is to learn from each other. Finland borrows the SHL and Swiss National League’s (NL’s) commercial polish. Sweden and Switzerland borrow Finland’s pathway discipline. The focus is on these leagues because of the countries’ close ties and their shared status as elite hockey leagues.
Why Players Leave Liiga
Pay and visibility pull talent toward SHL, NL, or the North American Leagues. Those leagues typically deliver higher salaries and more scouting traffic. Liiga does not cap foreign players, and the share of foreign skaters has climbed to about one in four, so opportunity is not structurally gated by import rules. The math is simple for many players. Prove it at home, then step into a bigger spotlight.
What Finland Gets Right
Finland organizes development around a single, national pathway. “Leijonapolku” outlines age-group goals and coaching standards that clubs can follow from U8 to U20 and into senior hockey. This structure is rare in Europe and is a big reason Finland punches above its financial weight.
Related: Who is the Leader in Hockey Player Development? — Part 2
SHL and Swiss NL Hard Look
Switzerland
The NL increased its import quota. Teams can dress six imports per game, a shift sold as a payroll fix that would lower wage pressure, although that effect remains debated. EV Zug also withdrew the EVZ Academy from the Swiss League after 2021–22 when the league reorganized, which removed a useful bridge between U20 and pro minutes. In 2025, Switzerland’s U18s were relegated, which local media treated as a wake-up call for the junior pipeline.
A National League SRF media outlet debated the pros and cons of the NL foreign-player increase from four to six. (See below, in German)
Sweden
The federation restricted broad junior imports in 2024 to protect local ice time. There is an active debate about making J20 more competitive and narrowing the junior-to-senior gap. At the same time, the Riksidrottsförbundet reports a sharp rise in youth-sport costs, with hockey among the most expensive. These pressures complicate development outside the richest programs.
The North American Angle
North America offers three clear pathways that often accelerate visibility: The Canadian Hockey League (CHL), a major junior league, the U.S. junior route into NCAA, and the American Hockey League (AHL) and ECHL early pro leagues.
Canadian Hockey League (CHL)
The CHL reliably supplies the largest cohort of NHL draft picks each year. In 2025, 90 CHL players were drafted, the most of any development league. NHL Central Scouting also listed 170 CHL players on its final rankings that spring. That volume concentrates NHL eyes in one place.
Roster rules shape opportunity. The CHL import limit moves to three per team starting in 2025–26, which keeps the league mostly North American and focused on NHL-style play and schedule rhythm. Rink size also matters. NHL sheets are 200 x 85 feet, which tightens time and space for decisions. CHL players live in that environment daily.
U.S. Junior Route into NCAA, USHL, or NAHL
The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the only Tier I junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey and has become a direct pipeline to NCAA Division I and the draft. The league tallied 53 NHL picks in 2025 and consistently places hundreds of alumni on NCAA rosters.
The NAHL is the Tier II option with real advancement. The league reports 300-plus NCAA commitments annually in recent seasons, including 245 Division I in 2024–25 as of the latest update.
US College Hockey (NCAA)
College schedules cluster games on weekends, which expands practice time and skill work during the week. For many prospects, that practice-to-game ratio is a development edge.
AHL and ECHL Pro Ladder
The AHL is the top development league for all 32 NHL teams. Each season, more than 80 percent of opening-night NHL players are AHL graduates, which shows how close the pipeline sits to the NHL bench.
The ECHL sits one rung below as the NHL’s “AA” level and maintains broad affiliate ties. It also places alumni on NHL opening rosters and even on recent Stanley Cup postseason rosters.
Why NA Can be the Better Option
Visibility. NHL scouting density is highest in CHL rinks, USHL barns, and NCAA arenas. Draft and Central Scouting numbers reflect that concentration.
Environment match. Most games are on NHL-size ice, which accelerates decision speed and forecheck reads that teams value.
Ladder clarity. Junior to NCAA or junior straight to AHL, then NHL. Affiliate structures and call-up mechanics are standardized and well-travelled.
Tradeoffs to Keep in Mind
CHL schedules are heavy, which can compress skill-focused practice time compared to Europe’s practice-forward models. NCAA can be older and more physical, which helps some late bloomers but can reduce puck touches for others. The AHL’s proximity to the NHL is a plus, yet role quality can dip for young players who are not ready for special teams.
What Each League Could Borrow
The European Leagues will never benefit from the close ties that the NHL has with the North American systems, but they can work together to become more competitive by giving European players deeper and richer development options or Adult League opportunities that rival North American options. We want the long history of European players in the NHL to continue and have European leagues offer diversity that increases the overall skill of the game, instead of one system, one path to the NHL.
Finland’s Playbook for Sweden and Switzerland
Unified junior standards with age-band skill checkpoints. Tiered coach certification tied to age groups. Practical incentives that encourage U22 minutes within the adult leagues rather than strict quotas. A community and club-first approach that protects wide participation.
Sweden and Switzerland’s Playbook for Finland
Commercial packaging and premium in-arena inventory that lift average team revenue. Clear marquee events that raise media value and scouting density. League-led player marketing that turns prospects into stories long before transfer windows.
Related: Nokian Pyry Closes the Gap in Their Mestis Journey
Joint Solutions (Doable 12–24 Months)
Cross-border Euro U23 Cup in August with a U21 or U22 minutes floor and a modest on-ice import limit to guarantee youth reps without gutting quality. A standard loan template across leagues that clarifies call-up windows, role expectations, and skill Key Performance Indicators. Eight to twelve week coaching exchanges that publish practice libraries for goalies, video, and development. Shared development metrics so scouts can compare apples to apples across leagues.
The IIHF Coaching Symposium is a prime example of international overlap, bringing coaches together globally. Heather Mannix also points to active collaboration between USA Hockey and the SHL.
Policy Options and Tradeoffs
Import-minute incentives can align youth opportunity with competitive integrity. Pay clubs for hitting U22 minute thresholds rather than only raising or lowering caps. Create a small central fund that rewards smaller clubs for graduating U20s into top leagues. If Liiga continues in Europe’s collaborative Hockey League, the Champions Hockey League, push for better prize money distribution toward junior departments, not only first teams. Liiga leadership has publicly questioned the current Champions Hockey League economics, which underscores why any Europe-wide solution needs a viable financial base.
How to Measure Progress
Track U22 average ice time by league and by role. Count games dressed for U20 and U23 players, plus power play and penalty kill usage. Measure coach-education completions each season, by region. Follow transfer outcomes, such as the percentage of Liiga graduates who stick in SHL, NL, or other partnered Euro Leagues after one and two years. Watch attendance and media metrics for U23 events.
Larger Pool of NHL-Ready European Players
Sweden and Switzerland have the most money and media exposure as of today. If we account for method and minutes, Finland has the stronger blueprint. The best version of European development blends both. Liiga levels up its packaging and revenue tools. SHL and the Swiss National League hardwire standards that protect youth opportunity and raise the coaching floor.
This cross-pollination does more than balance Europe. It prepares players for NHL demands. Unified pathways and protected U22 usage build quicker decision-making, small ice habits, and special teams reps that translate to North American systems. Stronger commercial platforms fund better facilities, sports science, and video, which speeds the jump from Europe to the AHL or straight to the NHL.
Shared U23 events, coordinated loans, and common development metrics give NHL clubs cleaner reads on who is ready and why. The result is a larger pool of European players who can step into NHL roles sooner, compete with North American peers, and sustain impact over a full season.
